As deadly attacks of terrorism and violence appear in our news headlines now on a daily basis, it’s ever more clear that the spiritual battle of darkness is increasing in our world. In general, I’ve noticed that people (both believers and non-believers) are responding in three primary ways: 1) fear and stress; 2) frustration, anger, and offense; and/or 3) apathy, giving up, doing nothing, waiting for Yeshua’s return. What is critical to realize, however, is that justified or not, none of these responses are from God! Rather, they are all from the enemy, and when we respond in these ways, we are actually aligning with him and thereby increasing the enemy’s reign on this earth!
Oftentimes it’s easier to see the spiritual battle heating up in the news headlines than in our own personal lives. However, we need to wake up to the reality that in these last days, the enemy is “turning up the heat” on all fronts — including our relationships, bodies, thoughts, emotions, attitudes, etc. If you don’t have eyes to “see the unseen,” Satan has you just where he wants you – proclaiming to be a believer in Yeshua, yet at the same time increasing his reign of lies and darkness.
Your enemy also wants you to believe that you are powerless in these last days. You look at the world and think, “There’s nothing I could possibly do to make a difference!” However, that’s a flat out lie, just like every other message from the enemy – the father of lies! You have more power than you realize — in fact, with every thought, emotion, word, attitude, and action — you have the power to increase G-d’s reign or increase the enemy’s reign on this earth. That’s right, you possess that power right now, and you exercise that power in your life every minute of your day whether you realize it or not!
Now the enemy always works in darkness, so he would love for you to remain blinded to the fact that you possess this power. God, however, always desires to bring what’s hidden into the light. He is calling you now as a believer to WAKE UP to this power that you have, and to take responsibility for it by using spiritual weapons of warfare which will increase His reign on the earth.
So, for example, the next time you see news headlines of terrorism or deadly acts of violence, you must choose how you will respond. That is, you can respond with fleshly weapons of warfare — such as: fear, stress, panic, worry, anger, frustration, blame, complaining, criticizing and bashing others, hiding, giving up, or doing nothing. When you respond with these fleshly weapons of warfare, first you will look just like anyone else who is not a believer. Second, you will not be able to stand strong and unshaken in the face of persecution, uncertainty, or the coming tidal wave of deception. Third, you will not be able to partner with G-d to release His plans and purposes for these times.
Alternatively, you can respond with spiritual weapons of warfare such as: prayer, fasting, blessing others, worship, praise, thanking G-d in advance, declaring scriptures, dwelling on who He is and how He sees you, focusing on intimacy with G-d first, dealing with stronghold lies about God and/or about yourself, and/or dealing with negative emotions. I strongly believe that God is calling believers to take responsibility for the fleshly ways they have been reacting to the uncertainty and turbulence in our world, and to confess and repent of responding in fear, frustration, anger, offense, apathy, giving up, and doing nothing. Again, these responses are all rooted in lies of the enemy, and so when you choose these ways of reacting, you must recognize that they are sin and need to be dealt with as sin, or else you will remain in bondage to them.
We can all say we want and pray revival for our country and world, yet we forget that repentance comes before revival, and that repentance has to start with us! Ask God today to show you how your responses to the uncertainties in your life and in the world have been aligning with the voice of the enemy. Confess and repent of what He shows you, and commit to responding with spiritual, rather than fleshly, weapons of warfare. Choose today to take responsibility for the power you possess, and use it to increase God’s reign on this earth!
