Song of the Day
“My Weapon” by Natalie Grant
Scripture to reflect upon
(Please hover, or click onto, the Scriptures to read the specified text!)
- 2 Cor 10:3-5,
- Ex 33:14,
- Deut 3:22,
- 1 Cor 15:54-57,
- Heb 13:15,
- 2 Chron 20:17-23,
- Ps 42:8,
- Ephesians 6:10-18,
Devotional thought
I have been hearing much talk about spiritual battles lately as I converse with people. And although I am grateful that many are realizing that there is a spiritual battle looming in the air, I also am becoming very much aware that we unfortunately have no idea what to make of such a battle. We know the problem exists, but we do not know what we are supposed to do about it!
Well, as I heard one preacher say before, you can’t fight a spirit with the same spirit. If you try to put out a fire, for example, with a fire, you will only end up with a bigger fire! In the same way, if you are trying to overcome the spirit of fear, for example, through fear, that is not going to bring victory. You have to fight the spirit of fear with the Word of God and pray through 2 Timothy 1:7;
“For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
2 Timothy 1:7 (NET 2nd ed.)
The Holy Spirit is what overcomes the evil spirit. Respond to the lying spirit of fear with the truthful Spirit and what God has implanted in your heart.
How do we know what is planted in us?
By spending time in the Lord presence, reading His Word, praying, and worshiping Him a lot! It’s like the old story of a trained professional who was in charge of recognizing counterfeit money being asked how he had time to study all of the various forms of counterfeit money. His response was simple, “I do not study the false forms, I only study the true form – the real thing!”
See, when we become so familiar with God’s voice, character, and truth, the fake/counterfeit voices will stand out very clearly to us! But, we will only recognize these subtle differences when we get good at identifying the real Spirit of Truth!
These sorts of battles have to go beyond the physical, rational parts of us, and we must ask the Lord to open the eyes of our heart to see the spiritual reality of every situation. So, doing things “in the Spirit” is very critical if we are to gain victory over the spiritual battles in our lives.
We are told to:
- Be renewed in the spirit of our mind (Ephesians 4:32)
- Live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)
- Love in the Spirit (Colossians 1:8)
- Pray in the Spirit (Jude 1:20, Ephesians 6:18)
- Be alive in the spirit (1 Peter 3:18)
- Sing spiritual songs to one another (Ephesians 5:19)
Do you see that much of what the Word of God commands of us is done in the spirit? Because spiritual problems need to have spiritual solutions. And the good news is that we do have that solution! It is the Holy Spirit and God’s presence in our lives! That is what we must use as the greatest weapon we have in this fight against the evil one in our life. Let’s use it then and stop trying to gain victory over the powers and principalities of the air using any other method!
Prayer
God, my mighty Warrior. I praise You for fighting for me, equipping me with the Truth, and coaching me with Your Holy Spirit to recognize the spiritual battles around me. I ask that You help me to see things through the eyes of my heart, which You are enlightening each day according to Your Word! Help me to overcome the spiritual battles in my life through the strength and victory You have given me through the blood of Jesus! I receive that victory now and commit to fighting from a place of confidence in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Memory Verse
