Many of us are either facing intense battles or we have in the past. And, it is virtually guaranteed that we will in the future. We live in a fallen world living with the consequences of iniquity, sin and trespasses. We have an enemy who is set on doing what he can to oppose God’s purposes in the earth. And, we have our own flesh, and the effect of the flesh of those around us, that we have to overcome in order to walk in the fullness of God’s purpose and destiny for our lives. God doesn’t just take the enemy out, He allows us to face battles, even in wilderness seasons, according to Deuteronomy 8:2, “to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”
Battles, testings, and trials are inevitable. Victory has been secured through Jesus’s finished work. But, we must learn to rightly understand and walk through each one using the keys of the Kingdom that we have been given that will bring us into the victories Christ has prepared for us.
Here are some basic things we need to understand about the battles that we face (this is by no means an exhaustive list, but represents some consistently present tactics of the enemy):
- The enemy will always seek to DISTRACT and DIVERT you from God’s purposes and the assignments He has prepared for you to walk in for His glory. (Prov 4:20-27; Prov 5; Eph 6)
- Battles and attacks will be sent to get us DISCONNECTED and walking outside of the sphere or place God has ordained for us to be submitted for Kingdom purposes. God ordained that we would be knit together as the Body with each part supplying its share which causes growth of the whole in love. Misalignments or misalignments cause dysfunction and malfunction of the Body. (See I Corinthians 12 & Ephesians 4)
- ACCUSATIONS AND OFFENSES will be set by the enemy to create breeches and to breakdown relationships. A spiritual principle we cannot ignore is that “a house divided cannot stand.” (Mark 3:20-27) The enemy is the source of division and accusation, and will use any means necessary to divide even the chiefest of friends. Be on guard. (I Tim 6:20-21; Prov 16:28)
- The Enemy will always contend violently against us, individually and corporately, to keep us from occupying the seat of authority God has purposed and ordained for us to operate out of according to the assignments He has prepared for Kingdom advancement. (Ps 139:16; Eph 2:10)
- The closer we get to breakthrough the greater the battles, the enemy will form confederations, even bringing together unlikely allies, in order to stop the purposes of the Lord. (Consider Jehosphat in 2 Chron 20)
- The devil is not just picking on you! He has a focus to destroy God’s purposes even as he attempted against Jesus, the very Son of God. (John 8:42-27; Luke 4:1-12)
KEY TO VICTORY:
- STAY FOCUSED upon the Purposes & Assignments of the Lord always before you.
- FACE your fears and obstacles by taking them to the Lord
- PRAY and seek the Lord with prayer and fasting, call others to join you
- LISTEN for the Prophetic Word of the Lord that provides strategies and directions for facing the battle at hand
- OBEY the Word of the Lord as received through Holy Spirit and God’s assigned leaders in your life. This is KEY for corporate battles.
- STAY PUT in the assignments of the Lord…. don’t allow the enemy or your own fears, doubts and unbeliefs to take you out of the purposes and assignments of the Lord
- REMEMBER…. We are already more than conquerors through the finished work of Christ.
- EMBRACE and ENGAGE the grace Christ has provided for you
- KEEP ON moving with the Lord. If you don’t stop you win!
You may hear more on this topic by listening to our Podcast entitled "Keys to Spiritual Warfare: Facing Insurmountable Odds." It is available by clicking Here.
