Today, I desired to encourage the people of God. I had written and edited an entire post, but God woke me up 1.5 hours before my set alarm with this title. When I heard the title, I began to think about how God had delivered me from wanting to fight in the natural realm. Everyone that knew me in the past knew that I did not mind fighting whether it was throwing hands or using my words. But when I surrendered my life to God, one of the first things He told me was that fighting out of my flesh was no longer acceptable. He told me that He would equip me to fight situations effectively in the spiritual realm. He told me that just as I had waged war in the natural realm, I would wage war in the spiritual realm. Are you a physical fighter? Where has that gotten you in life? How did it develop you into a better person? Do you know how to effectively fight in the spiritual realm? Let’s Talk!
As you know, there is no real strategy when it comes to street fighting mainly because you do not know how your opponent is going to fight back. While you are in the fight, you attempt to come out on top by using all of your strength to land your best punches, jabs, and maybe even a few kicks. If y’all end up on the ground, you gain advantage over your opponent if you are on top of them. And of course, if you are the strongest person with the hardest hits that connect with your opponent, you are deemed the winner. If you are having a verbal altercation with a person, you are going to attempt to recall the most hurtful words to say in an attempt to cut them deeply. You will use any ammunition that they’ve given you or you have observed to bring them down. If the person backs down or breaks down from your words, you are deemed the winner. What have you ever gained from winning a physical or verbal altercation? How did it make you feel once you had won? Did the physical altercation result in jail time, unwanted fees or court appearances? Has a verbal altercation ever landed you in a negative space with someone that you actually cared about? Unfortunately, your strength, jabs and punches will not assist you in winning spiritual warfare. Let’s keep talking!
Let’s Talk about spiritual warfare. In Ephesians 6:12, we are informed that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but instead, we fight against powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in high places. That scripture alone lets us know that fighting in the natural realm will always be ineffective. Whether you desire to believe it or not, the devil is real, and he possesses real tactics to fulfill his agenda of killing, stealing, and destroying (John 10:10). The devil’s battlefield is your mind/heart; he uses your temptations, desires, weaknesses, shortcomings, background, history and anything else to wage war against your mind/heart. I believe this is why there are so many scriptures in the Bible that address the mind/heart. These scriptures encourage us to: set our minds on things above and keep it (Colossians 3:2); examine arguments and thoughts that set themselves up against the knowledge of God and take captive of every thought to make it obedient to God (2 Corinthians 10:5); possess the same mindset as Christ (Philippians 2:5). Apostle Cunningham once said, “The devil can only render you a suggestion”. If the devil suggests something to your mind/heart, you must entertain it in order for him to gain access to you. That goes back to 2 Corinthians 10:5 because when those thoughts come, you must bring them captive and make them obedient to God’s character and words. Anything that does not look like, sounds like or goes against God’s character or words is the devil. Unlike fighting in the natural realm, there is a strategy to fighting in the spiritual realm. Know that every single day during your walk with God, you are subject to spiritual warfare. That’s why it is essential to live out Ephesians 6: 10-18 which encourages us to put on the complete armor of God in order to have spiritual protection and authority. God provides the armor, but we must make the decision to put it on daily before engaging in and with the world.
Today, I desire to encourage you to set your mind on God! If you submit yourself to God and resist the devil, he will flee (James 4:7). When temptations arise, stand strong. When negative thoughts attempt to consume you, shut them down. When your significant other attempts to get rise out of you, stay at peace. When your child(ren) rise up against you, stand strong. Ensure that you are submitted to God, praying, intentionally living for God, studying God’s Word, and utilizing your God-given community. {Side note: God uses me to reach out to certain people and give them encouraging words. When I was in a low space and needed encouraging words, I felt as if no one came to me. God revealed that I was prideful because He had placed Godly community around me, but I was not reaching out when I needed help. I had to go and research pride because I just couldn’t accept that I was being prideful. Sure enough, I was prideful, and ever since then, I have reached out to my community during times of need. I said that as encouragement to speak up and not attempt to fight on your own. Sometimes isolation is the devil’s tactic to keep you bound in that same space.} BE ENCOURAGED my brother. BE ENCOURAGED my sister. God has already won the battle and victory is already yours (1 John 4:4; 1 Corinthians 15:57). God sees you. God hears you. God loves you.
Read, dissect and meditate on Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 18:39, Romans 8:37, 1 Corinthians10:13, and Philippians 4:13.
Real Talk with Keve 