UNSEEN BATTLES-PART 3
UNSEEN BATTLES-PART 3
Ephesians 6: 13-20
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Yes, we are on Part 3 of Unseen Battles. Mmm. I wonder why? It must be because I think it’s important. And I do! Very important!
Battles are coming your way and my way. Make no mistake about that. They always do! For every battle (big and small) that you can see, there are unseen battles being fought as well. And they are as important–if not MORE important than the battle you can see. God does NOT leave us defenseless in the battles–seen or unseen, but battles ar not won by being passive!
You are the one that must fight the battle!
I want you to be prepared for the battles coming in your life—seen and unseen battles. Because they are out there or maybe like me, you are already in them but find yourself sinking a little more each day into doubt and despair.
That’s what happened to me. I was diagnosed with bilateral benign brain tumors almost a year ago. At first, not much changed except a lot of doctor’s visits. Then I had my first treatment in August and all was well (or so I thought.)
Come December all that changed—along with a sharp decline in my health.
The dreaded complications started and the complications from the steroids to treat the complications continued and now I’m on my second round of complications and that means more steroids.
As difficult as the first round of complications and treatment were, I was able to keep my joy and peace most days in spite of how bad I felt physically. Then I was finally off the steroids and about three weeks later felt better—more energy—more like me than I’d been in months.
And then it happened.
More complications!
Too much! I admit it! I got discouraged. I cried! I whined! Certainly part of it was physical—just tired and not feeling right. But it was much more than a physical issue, that’s when I knew there was an unseen battle happening-a spiritual battle within my soul.
Would I believe God’s Words or the enemy’s lies?
God does not leave us defenseless against the dark forces. He has given us numerous tools. We’ve already talked about faith, but another important spiritual tool is God’s Word. The Bible calls the Word of God the sword of the spirit.
A sword is a powerful tool!
But you must possess the tool in order to use it.
To prepare for the battles—seen and unseen—you need to know God’s promises, His words, and His character before the battle begins. You MUST believe God’s there fighting with you but if you don’t know HIS Words before the battle, you might falter. Knowing God’s Word ahead of time will prepare you for any and all battles coming your way.
The way to do that is to read, study, and believe His Words every day—before the battle, during the battle, and after the battle as well. Memory is not my strong suit so what I do as I read devotions and the Bible is I write verses on index cards that touch me in some way.
Those index cards sit on my desk and I read through them often. After years of doing that, I may not remember the specific words but I remember the idea and call them to mind as needed.
Not to mention, I find them and read them when I need them specifically.
There is power in speaking God’s Words.
Don’t just read the words, speak the words.
God’s Words truly are the sword of the spirit. Each time, the enemy lies to you through your thoughts or through other people’s words and actions, you can cut their power to shreds by using God’s Words to lift up your spirit to God’s.
SHARING TIME: What’s your favorite way to study God’s Word?
