Have you ever thought about spiritual warfare... like really thought about it?
I read a book called "This Present Darkness" by Frank Peretti last summer. It was fiction of course but it really shed some light on how spiritual warfare may truly be. In the book there are lesser demons and greater demons. The greater demons are far more crafty than the lesser demons. They don't just possess someone and make them do crazy stuff right away. Instead they analyze, formulate, and plan strategies to make us fall and fall hard. So lesser demons go around being stupid with no sense of tact while the greater demons wait in the shadows... they plan events... put your mind to the test and then lead you towards decisions. Its unfair really, its like rigging a sporting event. But, while the demons are fooling us with their trickery there are also angels hanging around waiting... patiently. See the angels don't always send demons back to hell when they come in contact... odd... or is it? God uses the demons as much as the devil does. He knows the plans they plot and how they will carry them out... so he bends them to fit His will. Now, I don't claim to fully understand the character of God and my knowledge of spiritual warfare is grounded heavily on the theories of a fictional writer but! Does it not seem as if this is really the way things are carried out. How many times have you been faced with something that could not have been from God? And how many times has God shown up in the end with a greater purpose? More times than I can recall...
So... demons are here... angels are here... and we are the prey...
What can we do?
Ok I know this sounds completely reeeediciulous but... this book changed the way I prayed. I was now praying more powerfully... more purposefully... more specifically. G.I. Joe's motto used to be, "Knowing is half the battle!" After reading this book I felt like I knew something now! Something that was going to give me the upper-hand in the constant struggle against satan. Its weird really, I started seeing things completely different... like... wondering what was the best way to stick it to the devil and his plans. It was awesome... and when you are aware of the ongoing battle you are in prayer more often... in the book prayer was like the ultimate weapon... if you prayed, and you prayed, and you had more people pray... satan is crippled.
Now... I am a man and I want to go fight things with swords and armor and stuff but thats just not possible... BUT... in the fight against satan... the swords and the armor are useless compared to the power of prayer. I know this is long and may be very scatter-brained but if you get one thing from this blog get this... YOU(reading this right now) possess the power to thwart the devils best plans... Prayer is the answer... pray against satan... pray for the spirit of God... pray for people to be strong when they are attacked... and pray all the time. Spiritual warfare is real... demons are real... angels are real... and prayer really works. So next time you pray, pray that God would open your eyes to the work of satan... because knowing is half the battle.
If this makes perfect sense... Awesome!
If it doesn't please let me know, I'd be happy to explain in full what I mean.
I read a book called "This Present Darkness" by Frank Peretti last summer. It was fiction of course but it really shed some light on how spiritual warfare may truly be. In the book there are lesser demons and greater demons. The greater demons are far more crafty than the lesser demons. They don't just possess someone and make them do crazy stuff right away. Instead they analyze, formulate, and plan strategies to make us fall and fall hard. So lesser demons go around being stupid with no sense of tact while the greater demons wait in the shadows... they plan events... put your mind to the test and then lead you towards decisions. Its unfair really, its like rigging a sporting event. But, while the demons are fooling us with their trickery there are also angels hanging around waiting... patiently. See the angels don't always send demons back to hell when they come in contact... odd... or is it? God uses the demons as much as the devil does. He knows the plans they plot and how they will carry them out... so he bends them to fit His will. Now, I don't claim to fully understand the character of God and my knowledge of spiritual warfare is grounded heavily on the theories of a fictional writer but! Does it not seem as if this is really the way things are carried out. How many times have you been faced with something that could not have been from God? And how many times has God shown up in the end with a greater purpose? More times than I can recall...
So... demons are here... angels are here... and we are the prey...
What can we do?
Ok I know this sounds completely reeeediciulous but... this book changed the way I prayed. I was now praying more powerfully... more purposefully... more specifically. G.I. Joe's motto used to be, "Knowing is half the battle!" After reading this book I felt like I knew something now! Something that was going to give me the upper-hand in the constant struggle against satan. Its weird really, I started seeing things completely different... like... wondering what was the best way to stick it to the devil and his plans. It was awesome... and when you are aware of the ongoing battle you are in prayer more often... in the book prayer was like the ultimate weapon... if you prayed, and you prayed, and you had more people pray... satan is crippled.
Now... I am a man and I want to go fight things with swords and armor and stuff but thats just not possible... BUT... in the fight against satan... the swords and the armor are useless compared to the power of prayer. I know this is long and may be very scatter-brained but if you get one thing from this blog get this... YOU(reading this right now) possess the power to thwart the devils best plans... Prayer is the answer... pray against satan... pray for the spirit of God... pray for people to be strong when they are attacked... and pray all the time. Spiritual warfare is real... demons are real... angels are real... and prayer really works. So next time you pray, pray that God would open your eyes to the work of satan... because knowing is half the battle.
If this makes perfect sense... Awesome!
If it doesn't please let me know, I'd be happy to explain in full what I mean.
