Truth, Faith, Prayer
I don’t know about you, but I have been giving up extra thanks that we are no longer in the year 2020. A year that challenged us all, showed us who we are, and made clear who we want to be. I didn’t notice or understand at first that I was being attacked spiritually. I thought, “Oh, it’s just the stress of this year.” Or “Oh, I must just be having a rough day.” After about the fourth or fifth breakdown, I realized the root of my struggle wasn’t based in what was going on around me, but based in the core of my heart. Satan wiggled his way in and attacked my soul.
I know that sounds so intense, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who experienced this, especially last year. Spiritual attacks become present in so many different ways. Most commonly for me, it presented through anxiety. I would feel my motivation drain and my mind flood with tasks yet to be done or stress over situations I couldn’t control. I would feel a lump grow in my throat and my gut. I felt powerless and alone. I was isolated, scared, and far from God. Neither Jake nor my family could reach me when I was in the thick of it. It became hard to sleep or eat. I fell prey to laziness and shame over not accomplishing anything. The easiest tasks became huge mountains I had to climb.
Why am I telling you this?? Because I am positive I’m not alone in this and I’m also positive that, just because we’re in a new year, Satan won’t stop trying to pull us from the Father. I want to arm you. I want to remind you of the graces He has given us to fight in the invisible war. Christ doesn’t condone violence or pain. He armed us with something more powerful.
Ephesians 6:13-18 “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 Lord’s people.”
In this verse, He is telling us to remind ourselves of His perfect truth and the fullness of His righteousness by planting our feet firmly into the foundation of His word. He’s telling us to run to the Bible and recharge our weary hearts in the fullness of His wisdom and truth. Reread His promises. He also charges us to go to His word for direct counter-attacks for spiritual battle. Don’t be mistaken, this doesn’t mean taking verses out of context and using His words in vain. What He does want is for us to target the areas Satan is harming and find a specific verse to heal your heart in truth. If you are in a moment of fear and don’t know exactly what page or verse to read to help yourself remain grounded, take a moment to search on your phone or laptop for a verse based on what you’re feeling. When I don’t have my verse book nearby, I’ll look up things like “verses for anxiety” or “verses for strength.” This might seem like a no-brainer situation but, if you aren’t used to running first to Him, this takes time to learn. I still struggle with this. You are not alone.
The part that gives me pause is when He reminds us to have faith. Faith is so. stinking. powerful. He literally says that faith can “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Can you imagine that? We can read the Bible all we want but, without faith, what do we have? If we don’t believe and live what He has written, how can we follow Him or truly be in a relationship with Him? I also need to emphasize that He said, “all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” He didn’t say that faith would extinguish some of the attacks and strife from Satan. God said, “all.” ALL. So have faith, friends. It is so strong and so central to fighting our battles.
The last thing we can do is something that can get so taken for granted: pray. He asks us to pray and not just on one or two things. He charges us to pray “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” He wants us to bring it all to Him. Leave nothing out. He wants our whole heart. When we give ourselves and our lives wholly to Him, leaning not on our own understanding but on His, the armor strengthens. He can make us stronger. Drawing closer to Him gives us unimaginable strength. I’m not saying Satan will stop trying to get to us. I am saying that it will be harder for him to move your heart to strife.
Psalm 91: 10-11,14 “Nothing bad will happen to you. No disaster will come to your home. He has put His angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go. The Lord says, ‘If someone loves me, I will save him.’”
