The Christian life in the context of Spiritual warfare is consistently described as a battle. In fact, Paul described the Christian walk as warfare on three separate occasions. (1 Cor 9:7; 2 Cor 10:4; 1 Tim 1:18) Although warfare is inevitable, Jesus wants us to experience ongoing freedom! (Rom 6)
Now, walking in freedom doesn’t mean the battle is over. The battle won’t be finished until we get to Heaven to be with Jesus. True, many who experience deliverance are excited to share their testimonies of the massive victory God has won in their life: Deliverance could be seen as an offensive victory, but there is still a defensive war to be won that lasts a lifetime.
2 Timothy 2:3 says, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.“
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- We will encounter hardship. Being a Christian does not promise a lifetime free of problems. Much the opposite is true, a simple study of the Bible shows us clearly that as Christians we are called to partake in the sufferings of Christ. The “hardness” is a simple but sobering reality.
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- We are commanded to endure. It’s logical that if God commands us to endure, then the hardness we encounter will not be more that we are capable of enduring – 1 Corinthians 10:13. (Only with God’s help, of course, Phil 4:13). Jesus gives us supernatural power to endure the hardness we are subjected to and by His spirit, we can be victorious! Learn to rely on the Holy Spirit for His power even during the “easy” times so that you are empowered for the difficulties ahead.
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- We are soldiers in Jesus’ army. As a soldier, we are commissioned to do God’s work in God’s way. The hardness we encounter is simply a blip on the radar of a life committed to Christ. 2 Timothy 2:4 reminds us that “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Your purpose is to stay free of the encumberments of living in the world and be fully committed to what God has called you to do.
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War a good warfare
If you’re not sure what God has called you to do, let me recommend two courses of action. First, make a commitment to the Lord to do whatever He wants you to do. Don’t worry, God isn’t going to send you to Namibia tomorrow; but He will ask you to step outside of your comfort zone. The second thing to do is to start every morning asking God for your daily marching orders. The process of putting your desires and plans on the altar and pursuing God’s way instead will fall perfectly in line with what God asks for us to do in Hebrews 12:1-2. The best part is, this daily process of denial is the ideal process to prevent spiritual attacks. A victory once won doesn’t confirm a lifetime of freedom.
Consider dealing with evil spirits like you would with mice. If mice infested your home and you went through the process of setting traps and putting out bait to remove them, you may actually be successful in dealing with the ones present. However, It doesn’t mean you can just put away all the traps and bait and go back to leaving the doors of your home wide open. Here’s what I mean: You can’t get deliverance and go back to your old lifestyle that allowed the spirits to be present in the first place. You have to put away the old habits and daily check for holes in your defenses while you monitor the health of your home. Read about the three sources of temptation by clicking here.
If you have recently been re-experiencing some of your old burdens, let me lead you in a simple prayer: “Jesus, show me any area of my life where I have not been able to resist the attack of the enemy. Reveal in me any point where I have not been a good soldier or not resisted the attacking spirits.” If necessary, say: “I formally reject the spirit of _________ and choose instead Jesus and the life He has called me to.” (add anything you feel the Lord leading you to say)
My prayer for you is like Paul prayed in Eph 3:16-19. I recommend reading through and meditating over this passage. “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all fulness of God.”