You can overcome in spiritual warfare! Are you having a bad day? Maybe a bad life? Are troubling thoughts condemning you? Do you feel like a failure and that you will never improve? Do you feel hopeless and depressed? Has someone said something that wounded your heart? You are in spiritual warfare!
You may be hearing voices in your head, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you have schizophrenia! God may speak to you loving thoughts or words in your heart and head. –Or the devil may be trying to convince you he is God and tell you troubling lies. How do you know the difference between the voice of God and the voice of the devil?
The Difference Between the Voice of Jesus and the Devil and the Cost of Discipleship
The book of Song of Solomon in the Bible talks a lot about the voice of the Lord, as does the whole Bible. In Song of Solomon 2:8 (King James Version), we read, “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” The voice of the Lord is the voice of victory. He is leaping upon the mountains. It is the voice of freedom. He is skipping upon the hills. Song of Solomon 5:13 tells us, “His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweetsmelling myrrh.” This verse speaks of King Solomon and is a type of our Lord Jesus. Jesus’ cheeks are full of spiritual spices. His words bring healing and refreshment to our weary hearts, souls, and bodies. His cheeks are like sweet flowers. His words bring beauty and happiness to us. His lips are like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh. Myrrh was used in biblical times to purify the living and anoint the dead for burial. Myrrh represents death to our old natures. To follow Jesus, we must take up our “crosses” daily and follow Him. In Luke 9:23 (New American Standard Bible) we read,
And He [Jesus] was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?”
Following Jesus is going to cost us living in the flesh, the sinful nature. We need to give Him all sinful attitudes and forsake all sinful actions with His grace and enabling. Galatians 5:19-21 says,
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing (noisy partying with alcohol), and things like these, of which I forewarn you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
My husband, Charlie, and I believe that inheriting the kingdom of God means ruling and reigning with Christ during His millennial kingdom over the earth. We don’t believe this verse speaks of losing your salvation after you prayed to be saved. But if you habitually practice sin and don’t repent as a Christian, it could cost you ruling and reigning with Christ in the next age. On the other hand, if we give all our bad attitudes and sins to God, He will help us get victory over them!
Ephesians 4:27 in the NASB says, “…and do not give the devil an opportunity.” The King James Version says this verse this way: “Neither give place to the devil.” The New International Version says, “…and do not give the devil a foothold.” You see, if we live in the flesh, we are giving the devil an opportunity to control us, to get a foothold in us. We mustn’t give place to the devil. He must not find a home in us. Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other….” We cannot serve God and the devil. We must choose by the grace of God to follow God.
We will need to follow Jesus’ loving voice every day. His lips drop sweet-smelling myrrh. Though we have to die to ourselves, His call to loving intimacy with Himself is sweet-smelling. What is the reward for taking up your cross daily and following our Beloved Jesus? The best reward is a deeper relationship with the One who is Love, including marriage to Him after the rapture! However, there are many other promises for those who follow Him in this self-sacrificing way. He is our Way, our Truth, and our Life (John 14:6)! He promises in Revelation 2:26,
And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
If you follow the Lord wholeheartedly, you will one day rule and reign with Christ in the heavenlies! You can read more about this subject in the book Charlie and I co-authored: A Romantic Journey With Jesus: Commentary On The Song Of Solomon (link below).
So, the voice of God and Jesus is loving, encouraging, uplifting, full of hope and blessing.
The voice of the devil is condemning. He says things such as “You will never measure up. You aren’t good enough for God. He is going to give up on you and reject you. You are worthless….” The lies go on and on. He will even use scriptures sometimes, twisting them to condemn you! Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” If the voice you are hearing is beating you down, you can be sure it is not God!
How to Overcome in Spiritual Warfare
You can overcome in spiritual warfare. The first step is submitting yourself to God. James 4:7-10 says,
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you doubleminded. Be miserable [mourn over your sin] and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Once we do this and humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord, He will exalt us and give us joy back!
You can overcome in spiritual warfare! A step in doing this is discerning where negative thoughts are coming from. They may not be just your thoughts. If they don’t line up with the words in the Bible, you can be sure that they are not from God! God will not beat you down and discourage you! He will always give you a hand up higher! First John 4:1 says,
BELOVED, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you that he who is in the world.
You can overcome in spiritual warfare because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world! Resist the devil as we read above in James 4. Tell him to go in the name of Jesus! If you are walking close to God and repenting of sin, he will flee from you! He is a bully that looks for weak people to pick on. He will pick on everyone, if we let him. First Peter 5:8 says,
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert, Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Second Corinthians 10:4-5 says,
…for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
If your thoughts don’t line up with what the Bible says, lasso them in! Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Make war on thoughts of unbelief and lies from the enemy. Give them over to God and ask Him to take them away!
You Can Only Resist the Devil in the Name of Jesus with the Aid of the Holy Spirit
You can only resist the devil in the name of Jesus. Jesus is the One who gives you authority and power over the devil in your life and in the lives of those around you who are seeking God’s help. You are no match for the devil by yourself. You need the Holy Spirit to fight in spiritual warfare. However, Jesus will give you the Holy Spirit and authority over the devil if you stay close to Him and depend on Him. Mark 6:7 says, “And He [Jesus] summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs; and He was giving them authority over the unclean spirits….” Jesus gave His disciples authority over unclean spirits. He will do the same for you! You can overcome in spiritual warfare!
Jesus has all power in heaven and on earth! We read in Matthew 28:18: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” In Luke 10:18-20, we read,
And He [Jesus] said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Luke 11:13 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
You not only have authority in Jesus with the aid of the Holy Spirit over Satan, the devil, but also over spirits, demons! Yet a greater truth is that if you believe in Jesus and trust Him for the forgiveness of your sins, your name is written in heaven!
Some Spiritual Battles Require Prayer and Fasting
Some spiritual battles require not only prayer but also fasting. In Matthew 17:14-21 we read this story. Jesus’ disciples were trying unsuccessfully to cast out a demon who made a child a very ill lunatic. The child often fell into the fire and into the water. Jesus rebuked the demon, and it left the child who was immediately cured. Verses 19-21 say:
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move, and nothing shall be impossible to you. [But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.]”
The sentence in brackets is included in some ancient manuscripts and left out in others. I believe Jesus said it. So again, some spiritual battles require not only prayer but also fasting.
Here is a caution in casting out unclean, or evil, spirits. Another word for these is demons. We find this warning from Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45:
“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
A Word of Caution
Before we go casting out demons, we need to be sure the person is willing to follow God and fill themselves, “their house”, with God. This even applies to ourselves. You can cast a demon away from yourself if you are walking close to God.
Quote Scripture Like Jesus Did to Fight the Devil
You can overcome in spiritual warfare! How did Jesus fight the devil when He was on earth? Matthew 4:1-11 tells us. Each time the devil tempted Him, even using scripture to do so, Jesus quoted a scripture to combat him. I will not write that out here, but I encourage you to look it up. This is how we fight the devil, too. We study the Bible. Then our faith grows. Romans 10:17 (KJV) says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” We can quote the truth from the Bible when the devil comes with his lies. It is important to know what God’s Word says. I encourage you to read the Bible daily. One verse per day may not be enough. The Word of God is your spirit’s and soul’s daily Bread. Jesus is the Word of God. (See John 1:1-14.) Eat heartily! You need to be strong in the Lord to overcome in spiritual warfare.
Be Strong in the Lord and Put on the Full Armor of God
We read in Ephesians 6:10-18,
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [people], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints….
Take up the full armor of God to resist the devil in this evil day. You may have to resist him over and over again until he gives up. Having done all, stand firm. Gird your loins with truth from the Bible. Put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect your tender heart. Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Be ready to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those you meet. In addition to all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. These missiles may come to your mind directly, or the devil may inspire people around you to shoot them! Either way, these flaming missiles come from the devil! He is your enemy! Take the helmet of salvation to protect your mind from evil thoughts and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We talked about that earlier. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
God is on Your Side!
Bottom line: God is on your side! Psalm 56:8-11 says,
Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Thy bottle; Are they not in Thy book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Romans 8:31b (KJV) tells us, “…If God be for us, who can be against us?”
God is for you! No one can withstand you with Him on your side! Not the devil, not the people against you. Second Corinthians 2:14 says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” God will lead you into triumph! He will manifest through you the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place within you and wherever you go! You can overcome in spiritual warfare!
God Will Give You the Victory Over the Devil When You Praise Him
Praise God in the midst of your battle! In 2 Chronicles 20, we read a powerful story about how God fought the battle for Israel when they sang His praises. You may want to read the entire chapter to get the full impact of it. However, I will share a snippet with you. In verses 21-22, it says:
And when he [King Jehoshaphat] had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” And when they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.
When you sing, or make a joyful noise to the Lord, and praise the Lord, He will route your enemies as well!!! God had told King Jehoshaphat,
“‘You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.”
We read earlier how when they followed God’s advice, God fought for them! God is fighting for you, too, against the devil. Stay close to Him, and He will cause you to win your spiritual battles! You can overcome in spiritual warfare!
Send me your comments and prayer requests how I can pray for you in your spiritual battles! I would be honored to stand alongside you in your trials. Here is a song sung powerfully and beautifully by Hannah Kerr to inspire you!
(75) Warrior – [Lyric Video] Hannah Kerr – YouTube
This is an encouraging song sung by Mandisa sure to bless you:
(77) Mandisa – Overcomer (Official Lyric Video) – YouTube
Here is the book Charlie and I wrote I recommended:
A Romantic Journey With Jesus: Commentary On The Song Of Solomon – Bride Of Jesus Ministry
September 22, 2023 @ 4:53 pm
Thanks so much fir posting these wonderful blogs!
September 22, 2023 @ 9:59 pm
You’re so welcome, Brittany! It is my joy and pleasure to pass on the help God has given me! 🙂 I love when He shares scriptures to pass on to you and others!