SPIRITUAL WARFARE

By Jemima Rayan

Though our eyes see the natural, we are aware that there is a spiritual realm and we do not war against flesh and blood. Paul wants every believer to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the evil forces of the devil (Eph 6:10-18).

We all have the common enemy and he is Satan. But the good news is "Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the World" (1John 4:4) Therefore, we have nothing to be afraid of. The Lord Jesus has given us the authority to trample over serpents and scorpions and 'nothing shall by any means hurt us' (Lk 10:19) Isn't that good!

Picking up the sword of the Spirit i.e., the Word of God is what is our part. He has given us the power and He guarantees the victory. Every time the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness, He gave the same reply "It is written...It is written...It is written" (Mt 4:4,7,10) Every time the enemy talks to us, we need talk the Word of God to him.

The main key for Spiritual warfare is 'prayer'. Prayer is the battle, with God's word as the weapon of offense. There are several important factors to be considered while we pray. Here are some of the essential qualities for an effective warfare prayer:

1. Authoritative prayer:

Jesus cursed the fig tree and later His disciple, Peter is surprised to see that the fig tree has withered away. Jesus said to Peter, 'Have faith in God' and also called His disciples to 'speak to mountains'. He led them to believe and talk. Taking direct authority in the spiritual realm might impacts things in the natural realm (Mk 11:20-24).

In our lives 'a mountain' can represent an obstacle, a huddle or a problem. We need to bind them and cast them away in 'the name of Jesus'. We should learn to overcome any situation that is contrary to the will of God and the Word of God.

2. Intercessory prayer:

Intercession is something done on behalf of someone else. May be it is a salvation, healing or deliverance. Our God is the one who does the battle. The battle belongs to the Lord. We do the praying and He does the fighting. It is very clear. The Bible declares, 'The Lord will fight for you and you will hold your peace' (Ex 14:14). Our God has promised that "He will go before us and straighten every path that is crooked...He will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places' (Is 45:2,3) It is very evident that He is talking about souls which are perishing. But what is our part? Intercession! He said, 'Ask of Me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession' (Ps 2:8)

God is looking for a man who will stand in the gap. The Lord God says, 'I sought for a man among them who would make wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one (Eze 22:30)

3. Prayer and Fasting:

Ezra called for a fast nationwide. Ezra was a priest himself. He petitioned God to guidethe people as a nation, protect their little ones and protect their belongings (Ezra 8:21-23). Fasting is prayer warfare. Fasting helps us get results like nothing can. There are some kinds of evil spirits that does not leave except when you pray and fast (Mt 17:21)Jesus fasted when he was in the wilderness before tempter came. Moses fasted. Daniel fasted. Everyone who fasted got a breakthrough. Do you need a breakthrough in your life? Then begin to fast! Fasting is done for spiritual breakthrough all though the Bible.

4. Fervent prayer:

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (Jam 5:13-18). The prayer can be a simple prayer but if a righteous man offers the it with fervency, then it becomes result oriented and powerful. May be the battle is a sickness or a financial crisis. If we combine our words with the power of the Holy Spirit then it becomes very powerful and it destroys every wicked plan of the devil.

Continual prayer is much needed to get a break though. God's word says 'Pray without ceasing' (1 Thes 5:17) Paul writes to the Ephesians, 'Pray always with all prayer' (Eph 6:18) This means that we ought to pray continually till it becomes our attitude.

5: Tear filled prayer:

...Jesus prayed with vehement cries and tears (Heb 5:7) 'Those who sow in tears shall reap in Joy' (Ps 126:5,6). There is a great power when we shed tears. Tears do great things in the spiritual realm. We need to sow the seed of tears whenever we are in a battle for the lost and the perishing.

Jesus shed tears when Lazarus died. There are many people who are spiritually dying around us. They may be our colleagues and neighbors. They may be our family and friends. We have the responsibility to cry for the lost and the dying world.

6. Faithful prayer:

The early church knew the secret of faithful and consistent prayers. Their prayers were continual because the spiritual warfare is continual. They made a quality decision to commit themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:1-4). Later Paul admonishes the Romans...to be steadfast in prayer (Rom 12:10)

There are great things that we can achieve when we are ready for the battle. God has promised us that He will be on our side and the Lord Jesus is victorious over sin, death and the devil.

Let us be over comers in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.