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Ephesians 6:13(NLT) tells us, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” There was a time, and it wasn’t that long ago, that we could put on a piece of God’s armor here, and a piece there, and be okay. There wasn’t an intense urgency to armor up for serious battle through study, meditation, and prayer. Sure, we’d suffer a little bit under the enemy’s attack, but the darts amounted to less than light affliction. We felt we could handle it with prayer, and that’s what we did. Through the grace of God, our circumstances and conditions often improved, and we’d be satisfied. We’ve now entered a season of acceleration, and every person that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit can sense it. The demonic attacks are unprecedented, and if you find you’re in the middle of one, there are a few critical pieces of information you must have in your arsenal.
No fear
The first thing you and I must know is that fear is not an option in spiritual warfare. The Apostle Paul declared in 2Timothy 1:7(NKJV), “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear is the equivalent of picking up your opponent’s weapon and injuring yourself with it. Fear is a spirit that God didn’t give us. It is important that we know the temptation of fear because it is a chief weapon of the devil. It is often the go-to emotion when the pace of negativity exceeds our ability to handle it. At its very basic level, fear is a conglomerate of dark emotions and feelings that get expressed through thoughts of unbelief and doubt. Some of its close cousins are anxiety, stress, and worry.
When under duress, we humans have reflexes that kick in, and do so sometimes without the cooperation of our conscious minds. The adrenaline starts pumping and we go on auto-pilot. Often, this is how we respond to scary and dangerous situations. Without thinking, we instantly switch-on techniques for survival. These are commonly called ‘fright or flight’ responses, and they help to protect our physical bodies, but here’s the thing with a believer in Christ, we’re not dealing with an opponent that is flesh and blood. So, we must surrender our hearts to Jesus Christ. We must do so to such a degree that our fallback techniques and reflexes for survival take a backseat to the Holy Spirit; because fear can no longer be on automatic.
Squashing fear
Ephesians 6:12(NKJV) tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” God did not leave us ignorant regarding what we’re up against. In this verse, we see the five divisions of satan’s army; principalities, powers, rulers of darkness in our current age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness that hangout somewhere in the sky. God wants us to know beyond any uncertainty that our warfare isn’t with a person. We, you and I, have an invisible enemy that is waging an invisible war, and his first line of attack is to get us to take a posture of fear in our minds and hearts, because the realm of fear belongs to him. Fear keeps us in his spiritual territory. So, the huge piece of information that you and I need in our arsenal is finding out what to do to squash the fear.
Equipped for the pace
In a season of acceleration, what is at the bottom will rise to the top. What’s covered will be exposed. This is the reason so many of us are incredulous over what’s happening in our lives. The level of stuff that has risen to the top and the speed with which it has done so is shocking. We have deep-seated fear that over time has manifested itself in many ways, and the devil has been studying it. Just as he sought the Courts of Heaven for entrance into Job’s life, he is doing the same thing with many of us. This is not a fight for the faint of heart. God has been preparing us! We’re soldiers, and time for play is over.
The stuff that is happening doesn’t make sense to us; we can’t understand it, but God knows it all. We can no longer get by with a piece here and a piece there. Many of us are making the mistake of thinking we can. We’re not seeking God and pressing into Him like never before, but oh we must change this if we desire the prize that awaits us. Please don’t give up or give in. Put on the whole armor of God, every piece of it! Press into Him with all that you are!
You may not want to fight the enemy but be assured that he wants to do battle with you. It’s a wrestle, and wrestling is in-your-face combat with a enemy who attacks you from all angles. It’s no time for fear, for we are equipped by our powerful Creator to withstand any attack. 2Corinthians 10:4 tells us that our weapons of spiritual warfare are not of the flesh, but those of divine power; for it will destroy strongholds. Know that just as warfare is fierce, so too will be the blessings. Strongholds that seek to alter your destiny are being destroyed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and when he’s done, overwhelming victory is yours!■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Accelerated Pace of Blessings and Warfare”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2019. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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