Deep in a Christian’s heart, is a passion for peace. We embrace fellowship and kindness. We endure long-suffering and extend hope to the rebel. It is our place to end strife, build up the weak and encourage the faint-hearted. We turn the other cheek and love our enemies. Although Satan wars against us, we do not live for war. Our lives are meant for friendship, love and peace. We are pastoral, so when war comes; it makes sense that many are not ready or wanting to fight.
Joy and I fight spiritual battles on many fronts. Every few weeks we find ourselves ministering deliverance, giving godly counsel, fighting for the life of a rebellious youth, the needs of a widow, or helping to heal a broken marriage. We break curses, expel demons and minister healing to body and soul. Although we are always learning, we love to help others find their God-given destiny and usually it involves a spiritual battle.
Sometimes, attacks come against us personally. They seem to come out of nowhere and take us by surprise. Like you, we are accosted and even though we are warriors, we have to find the means to ward off the attack. We would rather live in peace, without personal battles, but sometimes we are drawn into a war that rages over our very lives.
David, the warrior testified:
“It is God who arms me with strength,.. He trains my hands for battle,.. You give me your shield of victory and your right hand sustains me,.. I
pursued my enemies and overtook them,.. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.” Ps. 18: 32-40
The Lord speaks to me in dreams, but recently some of my dreams have been troubling. On three different nights, I dreamed that a medical person was before me, telling me I had early signs of cancer in my body.
Each time, when I woke, I rebuked the evil report. I prayed, renounced the vision and denied any demonic claims against me. Still, I was disheveled and being half-asleep, it was difficult to muster the proper energy to pray with passion. It seemed as though I was in a spiritual sleep. A growing and wearisome fear was beginning to gain ground in my soul. It was a fear of cancer. This was a demonic attack. I knew what must be done, but I was pathetically weak in spirit. The words came from my mouth but seemed only to fall to the ground and I felt no victory. I lacked the drive to fight.
After the third night, I walked into the living room and prayed more forcefully, but still my efforts seemed weak. I asked the Lord for help and that is when the Holy Spirit took over. He trained my hands for battle until I pursued my enemy and beat him. It was 5:00 am, and this is how it happened.
After a brief prayer, I confessed my weakness. I asked the Lord to help me and to speak to me through the scriptures. Being led by the Holy Spirit, I opened the pages of my Bible randomly, to one of the most violent stories in scripture. I read Judges chapter three, starting at verse twelve.
The story unfolds as follows. For eighteen years, the Israelites had suffered under the tyrannical rule of Eglon, king of Moab. They cried out to God and he sent them a deliverer – Ehud the Benjamite. He made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his thigh under his clothing. After meeting with King Eglon, he told him he had a secret message for him. All of the king’s attendants left the room. Ehud approached the king and said, “I have a message from God for you.” Jg. 3: 20
As he leaned forward to whisper in the king’s ear, he drew his sword and plunged it into his stomach. The entire handle sunk in after the blade, which came out of the king’s back. Ehud did not pull the sword out and Eglon was so fat that his belly closed in over the sword so that it was hidden from view. Ehud then escaped through a rear door and made his way back to the Israelites. He won a great victory for Israel.
The scripture captured my heart and the Holy Spirit stirred within me. I began to pray. Suddenly, I had authority for war. I rebuked the devil and renounced the evil dream with new strength. The Lord was with me. I broke the curse of cancer and sent the demons running in fear. I then continued to pray as if I was chasing the demons. With authority, I prayed and prophesied for family members and for some of you, our friends. I prayed for our President and for the church in America. I prayed for Israel, that God’s blessings and purpose would come to her quickly. I was on a roll.
A long-time passed before I stopped praying. When I finished I knew I had won and the enemy had been routed. By God’s grace, I gained the victory and defused the devilish attack. The evil dreams have not reoccurred and the fear of cancer is gone.
I know that God allowed the dreams to inform me of the enemy’s intentions. He also showed me, as he has many times before, how weak I am in my own strength. Then, he trained my hands for battle and released the power of his Spirit in me. He was not absent before my victory prayer, but my spirit was somehow, not ready to fight. Even though I knew what to do, I needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit to fight effectively.
When you know you are under attack here are seven steps to follow:
1. Admit you are under attack. Do not ignore the devil or think the problem will go away if you just hang on and hope for the best.
2. Pray and come against the devil as the scriptures teach. Repent of sin, forgive your human accusers, rebuke the devil, and proclaim the blessings of God over your life.
3. Ask the Lord for more help, if you feel as though you are still under attack. Give him praise while you ask.
4. Listen and do exactly as the Lord directs, for as long as he directs. Continue to ask for wisdom and strength.
5. Step out, in faith as the Spirit beckons and leads. Be bold.
6. Use the weapons that he gives you for the moment. Wield the spiritual sword and shield he puts in your hand.
7. Chase the enemy, not only from your doorstep but also from the doorstep of others. Once you have been empowered, do not stop chasing the devil until the Lord releases you. You will not only win your battle, but you will win the battle for others as well.
Please be advised, the real battle is not against other Christians, but against the devil. In life, we have misunderstandings with people, but that must not be the focus of battle. Love people, but destroy the works of the devil
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