As believers in Jesus we all have surely had many times where we have gone through trials, tests, and battles. Personally, I can’t say that they were fun times… but I know that they were both necessary and part of building my faith to where it is today.
Isaiah 59:19 says,
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
In this verse we can see that when people start doing the right thing (being in awe and reverence of God) then this is when the promise comes into effect. The enemy has no need to come in like a flood when people are not honoring and serving God. They are already accomplishing his purposes.
When the enemy comes in like a flood, you can be rest assured it is not because you are doing something wrong, but it is because you are doing something right.
So let me encourage you in your own spiritual walk and share with you some of the things I have learned about how the enemy attacks you and how you can overcome them.
It is only when people are becoming dangerous to the enemy that he needs to try to fight what is going on.
The first thing we need to understand is that the weapons of our warfare are not physical but spiritual. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says,
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds
If you are going to fight a spiritual battle, you have to use the weapons that work in that realm. These weapons are prayer, fasting, the word of God, and worship. When you are in a spiritual battle, you need to increase your prayer time, skip some meals, get into the word of God for both direction and the building of your faith, and worship God in the face of your enemy (I will be releasing a book on this very subject soon)!
Don’t try to win a spiritual battle with human reasoning and methods. Let the Lord win this battle for you. Like Isaiah says we should let His Holy Spirit lift up the “battle standard” against the enemy.
A standard was an old English word that was used in battle when a “standard” or flag was raised, it was the signal for all the troops to rally at that point. The Hebrew word “nuwc” means to fly (to the attack) on horseback.
So let the Holy Spirit be the one that lifts up that standard that repels the enemy. Be reliant on him and discerning about which banner you are rallying on.
One of the greatest temptations and mistakes that I have faced has been is giving up or “pulling back” when things were getting hot. I have learned that many times the battle rages the fiercest when the victory is almost won.
Do not give up prematurely!
You need to understand that the enemy of our souls has an intense hatred for anyone that will follow Jesus wholeheartedly. He will not just lay over like a beat dog and expose his neck at the first sign of battle. 1 Peter 5:8 tell us that he goes around as a roaring lion not a whipped puppy.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
The enemy is looking to devour you!
Most of us have a concept of a loss less victory. As in warfare in the physical realm, war costs lives and resources, so to in the spiritual realm it may cost you. That is the price of taking up your cross and following Jesus.
The Apostle Paul is a good example of how spiritual warfare cost him. He was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, left for dead, famished, ect… All of those things were the cost of the war that the enemy brought against him and the cost of pursuing Jesus and the Kingdom. But, Paul learned a very important lesson in all of it that he recorded for us in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. It says,
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Allow Christ to be your strength when the enemy comes in like a flood. Use the proper weapons of war, and fight until the end!
Tanner Royalty 