The Fight of Faith

You know those moments when you can’t sleep and you’re lying in your bed at night wide awake? Your mind is racing with thoughts of worry, anxiety, fear, dread or sadness. You’re desperately trying to figure out what to do next. You’ve considered the worst-case scenario as the most likely scenario, which only adds fuel to the twin fires of despair and hopelessness. The walls are closing in fast, and you feel absolutely helpless to change the situation that you’re facing. You’re struggling to see a way through – or the way out – of this magnificent mess which has taken your peace of mind hostage. Sighs grow deeper and hope grows weaker. Ever been there? I have. Many times. It’s a dreadful place to be.

During those times, do you ever notice an overwhelming urge to give up swelling up inside of you? But here’s the thing, the enemy is counting on it! In Ephesians 6:11 Paul encourages us to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the SCHEMES of the devil. If the devil can’t undermine our faith, he relentlessly tries to wear us down, hoping we ultimately collapse under the weight of our circumstances. I know how hard it is to wait on God and keep believing when you’re hurting, tired and weary. Make no mistake about it, these spiritual wrestling matches are hard. Our mind is the wrestling mat in the epic battle called “The Fight of Faith”. This is the root of spiritual warfare. It’s when the devil tries his best to undermine our faith, encouraging us to walk by sight rather than faith. We struggle to believe while trying to manage the persistent distress signals coming from our five senses. We are desperately trying to hold onto God while simultaneously being overwhelmed by what we can see, think or feel. And in this place of weakness and vulnerability, the devil takes his best shot, using fear to place our faith in a chokehold.

It feels like we’re down for the count, and slowly, we begin to believe the negative thoughts bombarding our minds. I’ve been on the wrestling mat of faith many times, and many times, I walked away defeated, weary, and deflated. After getting my but kicked a few times, the Holy Spirit helped me to notice patterns in my pain. I realized that I considered my strength, my resources, my intelligence, my feelings, my thoughts, and what I could see more than I considered God’s Presence and power to relieve and restore my soul. I also failed to challenge the thoughts going through my mind. I was unknowingly agreeing with my negative thoughts! If we respond emotionally to spiritual issues, guided by our feelings, our understanding, wit, or willpower, we are in danger of stumbling into the enemy’s trap.

So, how do we spiritually respond to earthly problems when our soul is clouded by strong emotions intended by the enemy to undermine and weaken our faith? How do we clear our thoughts, sober up emotionally and continue to walk by faith and not by sight? Remember, spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons, and God has not left us defenseless. When the enemy bombards my mind with negative thoughts, I wield these unbelievably powerful spiritual weapons that are essential in the fight of faith. These powerful weapons of spiritual warfare have helped me time and time again to become sober-minded and press forward, inviting God’s magnificent power into the places of unbelievable pressure:

1. Worship – Our spirits reach for the hem of God’s garments. Our hearts are surrendered, knees and heads bowed in reverence of the Almighty. The fear (reverence) of God is at the heart of true worship. (Revelation 11:16-17) Worship shifts the spiritual atmosphere in our souls, taking the spotlight off of us and placing it where it belongs – on God’s magnificent Presence. (Psalm 100: 1-5)
2. Praise – Our souls sing songs of praise and adoration to God. (Psalm 22: 25-26) Psalm 8:2 declares that our praise silences the voice of the accuser! Praise closes the gates of our minds to the voice of the enemy and opens them to the King of Glory, welcoming Him into our hearts and our situation (Psalm 24:6-10).
3. Proclamation – Hebrews 4:12 declares that the Word of God is living, active, sharper than any two-edged sword. Out of all the spiritual armor God has provided, the Word – the Sword of the Spirit – is the only offensive weapon (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus used the Word to defeat the enemy when He was tempted in the wilderness. So should we. The devil has no answer to the Word of God! (Matthew 4:4)
4. Prayer – Prayer invites God into the situation. Dr. Tony Evans once said that prayer is giving Heaven permission to intervene in our earthly affairs. Prayer sends ballistic missiles into the enemy’s territory. Prayer activates the spiritual unseen world to impact the physical seen world. Prayer is when we come into agreement with the Word of God, when we are on one accord with the Almighty. (Matthew 6:9-13)
5. Testimony – Revelation 12:11 declares that we overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.   We overcome evil when we testify personally to what the blood of Jesus does for us.  In the midst of our personal battles, something divine springs up in our souls when we encourage others and comfort others the way God has comforted us. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) There have been many times when I was weary and found sweet relief after sharing my testimony with someone who was hurting and near giving up.

To walk in and enforce Christ’s victory at the cross, we must depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to become relentlessly intentional. In these spiritual battles, we must INTENTIONALLY press our way forward, especially when we don’t “feel” like it. James 4:8-10 says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. When we’re struggling to open our mouths and our hearts to worship, praise, pray, testify, or proclaim God’s Word over our situations, these are the moments when we must press in the hardest! These powerful, spiritual weapons, when wielded in faith, causes the darkness to retreat, shifting the spiritual atmosphere. This positions us to move forward in greater faith and hope in our Almighty Father who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20).

LORD God Almighty, we praise, honor and adore You. You are King of Kings and LORD of LORDS, and You are worthy to be praised. Rescue us King Jesus from the snares of the enemy. For the level of discomfort we have suffered at the hands of the enemy, bless us with an equal measure of your comfort. Lead our hearts to consider you in new and meaningful ways as we choose you over everything we see, think and feel. Lead us deeper into Your still waters so we can say like Job (Job 42:5), I have heard of You, but now my eyes see You. We ask these things in the marvelous name of Jesus. Amen.