WE ARE CONSTANTLY IN A BATTLE: FIGHT, STAND AND WIN!

By Nathan Negosa

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to remind ourselves that we are in a continuous spiritual battle. We are always in a fight and in conflict with our flesh to protect our spirit, also referred to as the “heart” according to Proverbs 4:23. The word “flesh” pertains not only to our physical body and its desires, but also includes our mind, will and emotion. When you received Jesus as Lord and Savior, your spirit man is recreated, reborn or what the bible refers to as “born again in the spirit” John 3:6 In other words, it has been transformed to a spirit just like the image of God. It is not divine as God is, but has the ability to be filled with God or be transformed to the stature of the fullness of Christ as Ephesians 3:14 says. And this is where the battle between our spirit and our flesh begins. Moreover, it is not only the flesh that declares war against our spirit man, but the whole demonic kingdom is committed in opposing the full transformation of every born again Christian in the likeness of God. Why is the flesh and demonic forces wage war against our spirit man? The reason why the flesh rebels against our spirit is because it is selfish. It does not want to relinquish any desires and pleasures which this natural world offers regardless of whether it is a sin or not. While the devil wages war to prevent our spirit man to reach the level of our understanding about our God and his kingdom which will allow us to discover our full power and ability in the spiritual world. Understanding our position in God will give us, Christians, the boldness in faith to fully deliver God’s purpose and plans in this natural world. Needless to say, the devil with all evil means will attempt to prevent this from happening, so as to preserve his liberty to operate in this natural world. He will use all his might to keep his control over people and avert being subservient to any man including the children of God. Knowing the weaknesses of man, the devil uses his best tool in his arsenal to influence the flesh and make it submit to his temptations. When the flesh submits to Satan’s lures, it results to sin. And sin is the element that can ultimately damage or destroy the spirit man. The devil knows that if we are in sin, our development in the fullness of God’s power and ability is hindered in our lives. It blocks the anointing of God and therefore delaying the fulfillment of God’s plans and purposes in our lives. Our God never fails. It is man in flesh that fails for submitting to its sinful desires (Colossians 3:1-10). Our flesh, if not controlled by our spirit, will naturally oppose any advancement in our spiritual development to Godly character and abilities.

There is always a spiritual battle in this world. The devil and his demons hated God so much that they want all his creations destroyed. Since they cannot hurt God, the only way they can get to God is by hurting his children. What could be more precious to God than His children? So, the devil will try to destroy you, the child of God, in every opportunity he can get. But here is the positive note: How can the devil touch you when you have the revelation that you have more power and authority over the devil? If you are a born again Christian, the devil and his cohorts, the demons, know that your spirit man has been recreated in the image of God and therefore, the devil and his demons has no authority to invade it, nor can they destroy it, because they no longer has a claim over it. But that is not all the good news, the demonic kingdom also realizes that even a newly saved "baby" Christian has superior authority and power over them all (Luke 10:19). The bible states that a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as his savior has the power of God within him whose name is the Holy Ghost. Therefore, if you have the Holy Ghost in your spirit man, how can you be defeated? The only way the devil can defeat you is if you have given him the right to have access to your soul or body to get to your spirit. This can happen if a Christian succumbs to Satan’s wiles and deceptions. This is the reason why Christians must be knowledgeable of the devil’s tricks. The devil’s strategy to defeat the children of God has not changed since the beginning of man’s creation. His most effective skill is deception. The only way the devil can defeat us is by attacking and deceiving us in these areas: our physical body, our mind (thought life), our will-power, and our feelings or emotions. He knows that if he can cast some doubts about God through these areas, it will be an opening and opportunity for him to eventually defeat our spirit man. Many Christians are ignorant about this spiritual truth. No doubt the devil has been busy attacking many Christians in their physical bodies. He inflicts many with sicknesses and diseases and convinces them to believe that it is from God. But the truth of the matter is, God hates all diseases. God’s desire is for all his children to be well, or free from any diseases according to his divine promises (Exodus 23:25). If Satan can’t get Christians through their bodies, he will do his best to attack the arena of their soul which composed of our mind, will and emotion. He works through these areas by manipulating events and circumstances in our daily lives. Naturally, when the devil troubles our circumstances it affects our thoughts and feelings. This is what Christians need to be aware of, regardless of our circumstances, we need to keep our faith and focus in the ability of our God. I believe that the devil’s favorite avenue to penetrate a Christian’s whole being is simply directly attacking the Christians thought life. This is where the victory or lost in battle is determined. If the devil can make you doubt of God’s love towards you, or any of God’s promises for you, he can make a tremendous damage to your faith. And faith is the only link that a Christian has to God's power here in earth. Without faith we can’t please God (Hebrews 11:6) and without faith in God and his word, we will lose the fight. We need to hold fast in our faith to be able to win every battle (Hebrews 10:23). Another avenue for the devil to penetrate our spirit man is through our emotions by diverting our focus to numerous negative feelings like anger, hurt, pains, bitterness, jealousy, etc. which directly opposes God’s nature. If we Christians succumb to these feelings, the devil will be able to make an opening in our spirit man. The life of our spirit man is God’s word that teaches love, joy, peace, longsuffering, etc. which describes the nature of God. The promises of God (the written word or the bible), is the only tool of weapon we Christians have in the spiritual realm that can solely defeat the power of Satan. The amount of God’s word within us is the only source of our faith and power that can overcome the devils kingdom.

These are the facts and reasons why we need to guard our spirit man. We are in a battle to protect our spirit man. The devil knows that sometimes he does not even need to work very hard to weaken the faith of Christians, all he need to do is simply attack their physical bodies, thoughts and their feelings every day, and eventually many will quit to hold on to their faith, and eventually refuse to fight. Brothers and sisters, if we refuse to fight these daily battles by faith and by the word of God, the devil can successfully wear us down and make us lose our ground. Once you give up on your will to fight, he can take a hold of your whole being. Many Christians give up in their struggles during their battles in life because they begin to doubt God’s promises. Let us not allow Satan to deceive us. He knows that through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the grave, he has been eternally defeated. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he has also resurrected us back to our original hierarchical position which has authority and dominion over all creation including Satan and his kingdom. Yes, we have been once again placed above Satan and his kingdom, and he has no right and authority to control us. However, Satan is still the greatest “Liar” in this whole universe, and he will never stop deceiving man as long as he can do it just as he did to Eve in the garden. It is time for us to stop being victims of his lies. It’s time for us Christians, to gear up with God’s word, and be ready to fight these battles daily by faith. We already have the victory that God has promised us. Let’s stand on these promises and receive our victory. Saints, accept that we are in a constant battle in this earth, but God through his word, has already designated us as “victors” and promised us victory through it all according to 2 Corinthians 2:14. So, let us fight the battle as we stand on God’s promises. Every time we face any struggle or trials in life, let us remind ourselves of this fact: Through God’s word and promises, we already know the outcome of every battle, WE WIN! So let’s fight every battle, stand our ground, and win it all.

DECLARE:
"I am God's champion and I am ready to face every battle in my life. I refuse to submit to my flesh and every demonic influences in my life. I will remain committed to God, my Lord. I will continue to grow in His wisdom and power and completely fulfill His will and plan for my life. God has promised me victory through Jesus Christ in every test, trials and tribulation, therefore, I will not fear. I will fight in faith, stand in His promises and win every battle."