A Spiritual Battle

 

Each stage of the believer's walk possesses its particular hazard. The new life within us wages a constant war against all which opposes its growth. During the physical stage, it is a war against sins; in the soulish phase, it is a battle against the natural life; and lastly, on the spiritual level, it is an onslaught against the supernatural enemy. - Watchman Nee

 

A few months ago I was praying and studying about spiritual growth and battling the natural man and I came across this quote.  It really spoke to my heart as at that time I was battling with the desires of the natural man, not sinful fleshy sins but simply dying more to self and living more spiritually.  I asked God to help me reach, as the quote says, the spiritual level and to fight the unseen battle that is constantly around us.  When it comes to fighting a spiritual battle with our supernatural enemy, be careful what you pray for.

 

About six months ago we started helping a lady who was deep into drugs

and had lost her kids, husband and every other worldly possesion she had. 

We took this lady and witnessed to her, got her in church and under the

Word of God, got her a place to stay, into drug treatment and after much counseling she was able to put her family back together. 

Although we were trying to help her in every way we could, she did not accept the Lord into her heart and life and sadly after only a few months she went back to the drugs and is now living on the streets homeless. 

 

Several of our church people are still praying for and helping

 this lady in anyway they can and thus when she left a few of her possessions at one of our families houses, this family gave us her items and asked for us to try to find her and get them back to her. She called me and asked me to pick her up and take her to the church to get her items. When I picked her up I could tell she was high on drugs and when I told her I knew she was using again she told me she wasn't and told me how she had God and Jesus in her head speaking to her and giving her Bible lessons everyday.

preceeded to sing the praises of God and saying how much she loved Him and then at the same time denying His authority and His Word by saying Jesus hates the Bible and doesn't want anyone to read it because everything in it, is in the past. She said God wants us to stop living in the past and concentrate on the future. I gave her verse after verse about God's Word standing forever and never ceasing, how the stories in the Bible are our example of how to live for God and also how not to and several times I quoted the first few verses of John chapter one where God says

 "and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

 

She then told me God had given her a message for me

 and addressed several issues I have been praying for, reading about and talking with my husband about. I felt like I was in a full head on spiritual battle with the devil himself as the devil tried to discourage me in the things I was working on changing, placing blame on me for the things I am struggling with and trying to convice me that what this lady was saying was true by quoting word for word many of the things I have been reading that have touched me and challenged me latley. I felt totally under attack and the only thing I could do, was use God's Word and quote the verses I have memorized.

The more verses I quoted, the more aggravated she became,

the more aggravated she became the more verses I quoted.

 

After getting her stuff from the church I tried to drop her back off

 but she would not get out of the car but kept wanting to talk to me.

She told me I needed help to truly see God because she thought I was so negative and the more she talked with me she said the less she could feel the spirit the that been talking to her and telling her about God. I told her the Bible says the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom

he may devour and I told her the devil was actively seeking her, wanted to ruin her and her life and that she needed to give her life to God.  She hung her head at this and just started shaking her head and saying,  no, no, no, the devil's not after me, I have God. At this point she asked me for money, and when I told her several times I didn't have any to give her she finally got out of the car and walked away. I had never fought this kind of battle before and after two hours of talking to her I was emotionally, spiritually, and even physically drained and I think in the future I will be more careful

about praying to fight in the unseen battle!

 

As long as I live here on earth there I know there will always be a battle to be fought and it reminds me again how important it is to study the Word of God deeply and thoroughly and to hid God's Word in our hearts by memorizing, for it is only through His Word that we will have the victory.

 

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful,

 and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.