Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:10–12)
Some believers get jumpy at the mention of spiritual warfare. They say they’re just not comfortable with that kind of aggressive, authoritative prayer. But, comfortable or not, we must all engage in it because we are living in a world at war.
We wake up every morning on a spiritual battlefield where there is no such thing as neutrality. Even though Jesus defeated Satan 2000 years ago on a cross at Calvary, hell is still operating an outlaw army and waging guerilla warfare on the earth. Until Jesus returns to put those forces out of commission once and for all, we as believers must be His occupational army. We must spiritually police this planet by enforcing Satan’s defeat.
To do that, we must utilize the weapons God has given us (even if we feel awkward about it), because unused weapons do not inflict casualties on the enemy nor win wars. Wars are won by fighting, and fighting involves using our weapons—not stashing them in the corner of our hearts or parading them around, but using them.
The Bible sitting on our nightstands or carried under our arms will not overcome the enemy. Even the Word stored in our minds and hearts will not thwart him. Satan must hear the Word coming out of our mouths.
We must thrust it at him like a dagger to his utter defeat. We must overcome him by actively applying the blood of the Lamb and speaking the word of our testimony. We must take our place as more than conquerors in Christ Jesus and occupy this planet until He comes.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1–11
—
This post is an excerpt from Devotions for the Praying Heart: Prayer Notes. To purchase your own copy of the book, visit our store.
Dear Lynne,
Your daily excerpts from “Devotions for the Praying Heart” are so precious. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us.
The only niggle is that I don’t receive them regularly. My sister in Australia has to fill me in on the missing ones. Am I missing a step somewhere?
Thank you for your tender, gentle spirit that shines through everything you write; it blesses me so.
Rinette van Aswegen
South Africa
Thank you for your kind note. The devotions are available in the full book, Devotions for the Praying Heart. You can also get them on a daily basis through cfaith.com (go to devotionals). Blessings to you!
cher pasteur lynne quelle benediction que de pouvoir lire en Francais vos lectures c est magnifique, cela m aide beaucoup dans ma course avec Jesus c est precieux ! benediction a vous