The Enemy Uses People. You Must Pre-War...This is How:
We had an unnerving encounter, followed by nuisances wearing away at our joy yesterday as our family flew off for a 7-day vacation. Once we arrived at our destination, we had a vital family meeting over dinner. Shawn lead the discussion pointing out, if we could more quickly identify the enemy working through people, not the physical person, we wouldn’t be provoked or engage in the enemy’s schemes. We would resist being stirred up with anxiety or rage. We would realize how pointless it is to argue because you can’t reason with unreasonable.
You can’t reason with the unreasonable.
Proverbs 14:7-9 says, Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. 9 Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
Satan is trying to stir up the ugly in us.
Once we react to a negative person in an ugly way, we feel shameful, silly, defeated. We find ourself thinking, “I don’t know what came over me!?”.
So, it’s important that we pre-war in the Holy Spirit each day, for that day. We HAVE to war for ourselves, our spouse, our kids, and for future interactions with people. We must war for our daily discernment to be heightened.
Ephesians 6:11 says, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
It is always our goal at Life Church, The Exchange, The Reserve and any other business or ministry we start, that we carry these 5 characteristics: Peaceful, Life-giving, Kind, Inspired, Teachable.
I have seen those as a choice supported by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Until recently, I haven’t considered that a choice to have those 5 attributes won’t naturally flow out of us when we are opposed, mistreated, or attacked by a person.
Satan has enlisted his legion of demons to carry out specific duties to particular regions and on particular people. The enemy, and his enlisted troops, are the embodiment of the opposite of all 5 attributes listed above. His character, and how he mentors his legion or demonic spirits is to be: peace-takers, life-taking, vile, thieves, liars and proud.
Those demonic characteristics are impressed upon open minded, hard hearted, insecure/prideful people. The spirits come upon people and use their human mouth for dark spiritual work every day. I’m not only referring to demon possessed people. I am referring to demon oppressed people, and people with personality proclivities who have open doors or cracks in their lives where the spirits take advantage for their dark purposes.
I Pre-War to Prepare for the Day.
We can’t just read the verses on the armor of God once a year and tuck it away like a nice little passage. We can’t wait for the kid's pastor or lead pastor to unpack it for us. It’s a daily ‘putting on’ exercise. I know, we hate exercise, even those of us who don’t… do. We don’t want to be bound by another addition to our morning routine.
Think of it as a daily ‘putting on’. Like putting on your clothes each day. Getting dressed seems logical, a necessity, not like a chore. I know, for us ladies, simply putting on concealer, eyebrow liner and mascara is a lot of putting on. However, this ‘putting on’ is far more important. Guys, stick with me in the illustration below or ask your lady about the order in which we put on our make-up. There is a layering, or correct order that works best.
I must put on the breast plate of righteousness, which is simply getting in right standing with God. Yes, I need that realigning daily. A daily reset of right standing with Jesus. The Holy Spirit will kindly reveal areas of my soul that need correction and realignment with God.
Ephesians 6:13 continues with, 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 firm.
Stand firm so that when you are looking at the person yelling in your face, you don’t yell or cuss back. You are able to literally withstand in THAT evil day, not just the end time-evil day that we assume this scripture is talking about. It’s all the evil days we face.
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having already put on the breastplate or righteousness. Eph. 6:14
Think of a belt and how it holds you together. When I wear a belt, cinched tight, my stomach is pulled in, my shoulders are back, and I find this new posture. I notice my held is held high. The belt of truth strengthens my back because I know who has my back…The Holy Spirit. The belt of truth holds you together and keeps your armor secured.
The belt of truth strengthens my back …because I know who has my back.
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Eph. 6:15
Shoes finish our outfit. Shoes called readiness given by the message (gospel) of peace. This means that everywhere your feet will go that day…you will bring peace. The Spirit in you will stop the spirit of evil in the atmospheres you step into.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; Eph. 6:16
As you open the door to leave your house, you reach back and grab from the hook inside the door, your shield. The faith shield extinguishes all the flaming darts of the evil one so the hope you went to bed with remains. You don’t have the promises of God put out with darts….they stay alive and well. The shield protects you from the darts of doubt or flaming accusations from naysayers.
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Eph. 6:17
You get into the driveway to swing your leg over your motorcycle …uuurch…not Me! Ok start over, you slide inside your car but you still put on your helmet of salvation. You feel a little weird now that you have a helmet on, and you’re not even on a dangerous motorcycle. But….you’re in a more dangerous position than that. This helmet will save your soul, your spirit and even your body. Why wouldn’t we pre-war for protection daily?
I would rather prevent a car accident than survive one!
Now I’m starting to feel like a super hero…so the sword, I carry it proudly. It's the Spirit coming from the divinely inspired words of the Bible I can hold in my hand. This is the only physical armor I can see and feel. Others can too! I keep it close so I can reference it when I need to see God, feel Him, hear from Him.
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication… Eph. 6:18a
I am not a ‘super hero’ without the supernatural power of The Holy Spirit. Is it a heavenly language for today? Well, in this same passage in Ephesians, we are commanded to pray at all times in the Spirit. It makes sense that at the end of our armor ‘putting on’ and our ‘pre-warring’, we are reminded to pray in the Spirit without ceasing. Later, when our day hits us in the face like 110 degree dry heat and I don’t feel like speaking out words of a prayer, (I said in previous post, that in the midst of a pointed attack, the last thing we feel like doing is praying out loud against a spirit), all we have to muster up is an utterance of our heavenly language. This heavenly language comes after we ask for the Holy Spirit to take over our mind, our mouth and fill our spirit to war for us in the heavenly places.
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Would you like to hear more about this unseen spiritual realm and how to be aware of the different kinds of spirits? Read the previous blog and listen to our current and future episode below: