Believers who earnestly desire to be God’s instruments must be prepared for satan’s reprisals.
Spiritual backlash when we attempt to serve God and extend His kingdom is a grim reality. But believers must be bold and persevere in spiritual warfare, not easily intimidated by satan’s devices.
Recently, a lady in church shared her story of spiritual warfare which sent shivers down my spine. While serving God in Cambodia as an English teacher, she stayed in a notorious part of the town where crime was prevalent. In fact, the place she called home used to be a brothel. Surrounded by barb wire, her abode was like a self-imposed prison. On the first anniversary of her work in that location, she became accustomed to hearing gun shots at night.
One day, because there were three murders over the past year, she felt led by the Holy Spirit to pray against the forces of darkness—that the streets would be safer.
So at five in the morning, she awoke and went to the balcony on the first floor of the home to intercede for the city and its people. To her horror as she was about to sit down to wage spiritual warfare, she found a big dead rat lying on her rattan chair. Because of her phobia for rats, she screamed and returned to her room shivering in fear. After what seemed a long awaited dawn, she asked a brother to help her dispose the carcass. Unfazed, she tried the next morning to pray but this time she was shaken to find another dead rat at the door entrance. This almost put paid to her desire for early morning prayer. Being determined, however, she stood her ground. The next episode was even more unnerving. On her third attempt, as she was splashing cold water on her face to refresh herself before prayer, she felt a rat crawling around and over her feet. At this stage, she felt that such prayer warfare ministry was probably not her cup of tea.
Over the next few months, refusing to be intimidated by satan, she persevered in intercession and prayed for her personal sanctification. Then she waited on the Lord for a revelation. One day, as she was praying and confessing her sins, she sensed the waft of a strange and sweet fragrance. By then she realised a spiritual breakthrough had come. Henceforth, she was able to intercede for others.
Spiritual backlash when we attempt to serve God and extend His kingdom is a grim reality. But believers must be bold and persevere in spiritual warfare, not easily intimidated by satan’s devices.
- The righteous are bold like lions (Proverbs 28:1).
- For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
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Spiritual warfare is real but in a highly technological world, we tend to dismiss or downplay its significance. I have come across some conservative believers who call upon their more charismatic friends to do deliverance ministry. But I think this should not be the case. We should embrace the full gospel and know our position in Christ—that we are more than conquerors and greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Satan is already a defeated foe and we just need to enforce the victory that is already ours (1 John 4:4, Colossians 2:15, James 4:7)
References
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Colossians 2:15).
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
Put on Armour of God
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
(Ephesians 6: 10-18)
Victory through Prevailing Intercessory Prayer
Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.
(Exodus 17: 8-13)
WHY SOME BELIEVERS EXPERIENCE MORE SPIRITUAL WARFARE THAN OTHERS
“When someone on earth wants to bring the influence of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, Satan erupts with fear and anger against them.”
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