War Cry!

Where to start with this one? We are under attack whether you want to admit it or not. We experience spiritual warfare everyday on many fronts. Ephesians 6:12 (NASB2020), “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” As I write this, I think about where I am today versus before my submitting to Christ. I liked a recent post by Bryann Trejo that said, “If I told you that I don't drink alcohol or smoke would you say that I'm religious? If I said that I don't listen to secular music, would I be religious? The list goes on and on… I just want to see you free from sin, I want to see you walk in Victory! Call me what you want but I believe you are worth it.” It's easy to say it's just a song or just some words but is it? The old me would make excuses and do whatever my flesh desired. The last couple of years has been a game changer for me. When I really surrendered my life to God, chased a relationship with Jesus, and applied the word of God to my life I started to feel led to change my behaviors and thoughts. That's when I noticed something remarkable. I had peace even in the tough times. I started to hear God’s calling on my life and realized that I could be used by God to help others who struggled like I did. If you are in a place where you know you experience spiritual attacks, here is something I found that helped my transformation. James 4:7 (NASB2020), “Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” A lot of people skip over the first part and read resist the devil and he will flee. The first part of that verse is crucial. You must submit to God! Sometimes this is a daily thing or even hourly. Once I submitted to God I asked myself why do I have anger and stress? A lot had to do with what I was feeding myself spiritually and mentally. The next progression was that I said if it's not from God or if it doesn't glorify God then I need to cut it out. I switched all my secular music out for worship music, and started and ended my days with the word of God. I found myself no longer plague by the rage that filled my heart. The depression that lived in me was gone and I found myself joyful again. Of course this revelation in my life had to be shared. I started to explain everything to my family and how if we open doors to smalls things that may seem innocent it can sometimes lead to bigger attacks. We as a family have learned to pray together when we recognize the attacks. I even start my kids day out making them smile by yelling “Children of God are you ready for war!?” It's jokingly done but they are very aware of the seriousness of it as well. I have fully explained the concept of spiritual warfare and how we as children of God should have a war cry against the enemy that makes him flee! If you have studied Ephesians chapter 6 then you know about the armor of God necessary for this spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:11‭-‬17 (NASB2020), “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 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, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet 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 arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” It's the verses after the armor of God in verses 18-20 that really stood out to me. Ephesians 6:18‭-‬20 (NASB2020), “With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints, and pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul is asking that we pray in the spirit at all times. Meaning we can't let our guard down and when he says to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel and then says in proclaiming it I may speak boldly it made me think about a war cry against the enemy. If I am praying in the spirit constantly and proclaiming the gospel with boldness like a war cry then the enemy flees. I encourage you to try walking your life out as Jesus has called us to, which is to follow his commands, be his disciples, and make disciples. You will see that there will be a renewing of the mind and the old you will die. I pass this on praying that it reaches the one who really needs this, because it really has helped my family grow. Maybe this will be the beginning of a journey for someone else. Like Bryann Trejo said, “call me what you want but I believe you are worth it!” So remember these 3 steps:

Step 1 submit to God

Step 2 resist the devil

Step 3 repeat daily, hourly, or even by the minute