The Fight of Your Life

Written by Michael D. Warden

This article is courtesy of Christian Single.

Spiritual warfare is a given. It happens to every Christian, every day. But amazingly, lots of Christians pretend it doesn't happen at all.

Ignoring spiritual warfare is as dangerous as a soldier walking along the front lines of battle pretending there's no war. That soldier will be one of the first casualties, and the same is true for us, if we pretend that Satan and his forces aren't really out to defeat us.

"But I don't know how to fight!" you say. Then learn. Your answers to the following questions will tell you where the battle is being waged for your heart and will give you critical clues as to what you need to do to cooperate with God in the fight.

What Do You Fear?
Satan always attacks us at the point of our fear. This was true even for Job. "What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me" (Job 3:25, Holman Christian Standard Bible).

Satan operates in the realm of fear, but God never deals with His children that way. "For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness" (2 Tim. 1:7, HCSB), but "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). To be a mature Christian means that we fear God — and nothing else.

Without fear, Satan can gain no foothold. It makes sense, then, to grab hold of every fear in your life and invite God to help you overcome it. How? By asking Him for a greater revelation of His love in each area where fear abides. Do you fear rejection? Failure? Illness? Financial ruin? Then ask God to reveal to you His perfect love for you in that area of your life. A sufficient realization of God's love will always overcome any fear that plagues your life.

In doing this, of course, don't throw out common sense. It's not God's will for you to be afraid of heights, but that doesn't mean you should go leaping off a cliff just to prove your victory. You can have a healthy respect for heights without fearing them. The same principle applies to many things — even down to having a healthy respect for Satan himself.
 
Feeling Defeated?
In the battle to live for God, it's easy to find yourself complaining to God about your weaknesses. "I pray and pray about this area of my life, and nothing seems to change. I wonder why God isn't giving me the victory." Perhaps because you've missed the point of your weakness altogether. God isn't interested in fixing you and then sending you on your way. His goal is always relational; He wants to complete you. Spiritual warfare is not about being fixed; it's about becoming one with Christ.

David was a king in his heart long before he sat on a throne. And what made him a king was his craving for intimacy with God. "O Lord, the king rejoices in your strength." We think we will have victory, if only God would make us strong. But this is not the way of a person who is after God's own heart. Don't ask God to make you strong; ask Him to make you one with Him. Your weaknesses are the doorways through which God's power enters your life. When He wraps your weakness in the arms of His strength, then you'll find you don't care about your weakness anymore! Instead, you'll find joy and victory in His unfailing strength. When God is your strength, you don't have to be strong anymore.

Under Attack
Enemies come in many forms — sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse; drugs, alcohol, rejection, isolation, disease, failure, and betrayal to name a few. You'll never truly perceive God as a great Deliverer until these enemies come upon you. But as soon as you abandon denial and see that your enemy is too powerful for you, you cry out to God, just as David did: "Deliver me!" And in that prayer you wrap all of your remaining hope.

God is a Deliverer. What's more, He delights in your deliverance. Your God is determined to set you free and give you victory. But He doesn't always give victory in the way you might expect or wish. He won't necessarily deliver you from confronting your enemy "on the day of [your] disaster." But on that day, He will be your support. He'll deliver you, but in a way you could never accomplish on your own. Then you'll know with confidence that God really loves you, and you'll see with your own eyes the irreversible downfall of the enemy who threatened your life.

And how wonderful is God's timing! For it's in that place of deliverance, while your enemies are still looking on, that God anoints you. It could be an anointing of healing or an anointing of calling and direction. But, more than anything, it's the anointing of endorsement. It's the anointing that convinces you of one thing beyond all doubt: "No matter what they say or do, I am Yours."

Whose Victory?
God will never give you your own personal victory over anything. He gives you His victory. After the dark night of battle against your enemy, God will make sure that you're the only one left standing. But when the battle ends, it won't be the scent of your own sweat and blood that lingers in the air; it will be the Lord's. The battle has been His all along. He may have fought it through you, but it still belongs to Him. And so does the victory.

This article was adapted from Alone With God: Biblical Inspiration for the Unmarried by Michael D. Warden. Used with permission from Barbour Books, Inc.

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