This is my gentle approach to warfare that guarantees the win.
Jk, with Jesus, we’ve already won. Here’s how I stay well and at ease in the process.
I have a fairly casual approach to warfare. This may be contradictory to the scripture that says, “the Kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12
But it works for me.
I grew up in churches where adults screamed prayers of deliverance for hours, only to go back to the same life of lack and perpetual abuse.
If you are like me and went to white garment churches with you’re prophetess mom, then you knew church was where you went to go to sleep. But you never really got any because who can actually sleep with all that hollering?
This is my truth.
Today, as I prepare to do a live with my girlfriend, Cadedra, a self care lifestyle coach hosting a virtual retreat all month, I started to wonder if I was the right person to speak on the subject.
Because my approach to spiritual warfare is much different than what comes to mind for most.
‘Why?’ you might ask.
Well, because I know my authority.
The Word is incredibly powerful. It quite literally pierces through flesh.
”For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
That being said, it can do a lot more in a few words, than hours of hooting, hollering and pleading. God gives us authority with the power of His Word.
Now, say what you want about the Bible and who wrote it, and what they had in mind. And I will agree. There are absolutely parts of the Bible that make me raise an eyebrow about the original author’s intent. Or the intent of the editor’s over time who abridged and augmented it along the way.
What I also know is, that thang is powerful. And that’s how powerful and wonderful God is. That after generations of human manipulation, God can still come through it, bringing power and peace.
Are there other books as powerful? Perhaps. But I’m pretty preoccupied with the goodness of this one, so I haven’t been curious enough about the others to the extent that I would forsake this one. That is my truth.
Where am I going with this?
The word of God is living, it’s breathing, it’s all powerful. It cannot lie. This has proven to be the case in my life.
I dare you to make it the case in yours too. Commit to reading it daily with a fresh heart, asking God to reveal what He wants through it. God can speak in a lot of ways, but the Word of God makes it easy. That’s why He gave it to us.
This fall, I will be releasing a book of daily practices to help you draw closer to God by giving you prompts for daily reflection and application. The idea is to retreat from the world and back to yourself. By doing so, you make more room for the miracles of God in your life. It’s loaded with scripture that have helped me in my seasons of warring. It will also give you strategy to apply in the physical world because in warfare the two go hand in hand. The book is called, “Your Daily Check-In,” and it’s a project I’m very proud of. Be on the look out for it’s release.
Going back to what I said earlier about my experience growing up in loud churches. It wasn’t that their form of warring was not right. It’s not enough that we war out loud. You war in the spirit and you apply the practical in the present (physical) world. Your life does not need to be loud in order to war in the spirit. That can actually become a distraction.
War in the war room. And live a life of balance, ease, and simplicity so that God can release it into the natural world.
The two go hand in hand.
My approach to spiritual warfare is calm because I recognize that I need to be silent enough to hear the strategy God releases as the war ensues. He is a gentle God and the battle is not ours it’s His.
So while the war is going on violently in the spirit, and I’m silently spewing darts at the enemy in the form of scripture, I’m also observing what is taking place in the physical realm, and able to respond to it with wisdom, knowing the battle is already won.
Whatever you are going through today, God has a very specific word for it. And His word does not lie. It is a sword that will pierce the hearts of your enemies in the spirit realm. So don’t forget to use it. It shortens the battle.
And THEN do what you need to do in the physical realm to align with the victory. Because this also takes action on our part. Whether it’s repent, forgive, clean up those financial habits, start a new project, open your heart to what you’ve been desiring, there’s something in the physical that should be attached to our spiritual warring.
I share 7 ways of aligning so that you can experience your deliverance with more ease in a 7-day devotion I created for Cadedra’s Virtual Self care retreat. I am not one who subscribes to formulas. So these are just simple ways to align in however God leads you to.
Even if you don’t tap into the retreat and order a booklet, I am dropping them here so you have them too:
- Start the Conversation
So often we enter warfare without first consulting with God on the matter. We just dive into pleading for what we want, and miss what He had in mind, thereby prolonging the process.
He actually cares about and wants to be in communion with you daily, so start there. Life is one war after the next. Stay in communion with Him, and you’ll be a step ahead every time. - Pray for your Enemies
This is a GREAT way to get into alignment with God. At the end of the day, He loves them too. The person who’s heart is aligned with Him will get the most desirable outcome. So rather than put yourself in the position of judgement, align with God and pray for them. They need it.
But don’t just pray for them, pray for everyone. Watch how this changes your heart on the matter and resolves a lot of issues that operating in ego cannot. - Let go of the Past
This is simple. God is doing a new thing. Let it go. Holding onto it, could be putting us in the seat of judgement. It could also be blocking you from receiving what you’re actually praying for. So the turmoil could be heaven trying to make you uncomfortable and disrupt the pattern, in order for you to receive what you actually want and deserve— by force. What a good God. He has better, I promise. Make it easy, let it go. - Love Yourself First
Aligning with yourself is a great way to align with God. This is why He asks us to take care of our temple. It’s where He desires to dwell. When we neglect ourselves, He has nowhere to dwell. This is when we start to feel the most distant from Him. Take time to make yourself feel great and being alone with yourself and thus Him, will be something of enjoyment. This is why times of fasting, resetting are so important. How often do you serve yourself in order to make room for Him in a whole, clean and healthy heart? - Anchor Yourself to Christ
By this step, you’ve cleared most of the other idols out of the way. Believe it or not, we make our enemies our idols by dwelling so much on them. And we make others our idols by putting them over our love for ourselves. And we certainly worship the past by holding onto it. So we had to get those out of the way first. Now anchor yourself in Jesus. He knows the way. All you need is Him. - Acknowledge that God is Working on Your Behalf
Now to the good part. The part where He does it all because you’ve aligned. We may not see it, but we can trust it. Because look at His track record. He has yet to fail. Do your part, and let Him do His. Worry not. Focus on what He’s asked whether it’s repentance, letting go, forgiving, doing something big and scary, or just moving about your day as usual. By now, you’ve spent enough time in conversation with Him, you’re at ease and willing to obey. - Trust His Promises
Ok, I know I said #6 was the good part. But this is too. His promises are so good and rich. And the Bible is laden with them. Pick a few and hold onto them. What do they mean for you? What do they look like in manifestation? A lovely one to start with is Psalm 1:3. You will be like a tree planted by waters, that bears fruit in every season. Even war season. The only gag there is not being untangle with unrighteousness. So yes, God’s favor comes with conditions. Read more up on that in Psalm 1.
BONUS: PRAISE THAT THING THROUGH! This is a given. Do it every day. Even when it doesn’t quite look like the victory, praise until it does.
This is a virtually full proof plan to getting through seasons of warfare.
I’ll say one last thing. I don’t acknowledge Satan when it comes to warfare, or really at all anymore. Why? Because he it, whatever that represents is not my master. God is my commander in chief. Christ is my defender. That system works really well for me. Whatever it is, God allowed it, so I’m going to go to Him first. I’ll ask, “God why are you allowing this?”
Oh, I need to repent? Oh, I need to be still and wait for it to pass as you deal with them? Oh, I need to pray for so and so?
Sometimes it has nothing to do with us. Sometimes it has everything to do with us and something we need to do or stop doing. How do you know? By being still in His presence. He will give you the word as a weapon. And He will give you the strategy.
Sometimes the noise and complaining and wailing we do in warfare is actually a distraction from what we know we don’t want to admit or let go of. Or it’s simply a distraction from hearing exactly what we need to do. Most times God answers quickly. We have to be willing to listen. Even in sickness.
The bottom line is this: the enemy has very little power in these circumstances. Especially when confronted with the Word. It’s that powerful.
One of my favorite scriptures to pray during warfare is found in Colossians 2:15.
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
I loveee to lay back and imagine Christ making a public spectacle of the enemy. And He’ll show me exactly how it’s going down in the spirit realm, so that I can walk in confidence in the natural realm, knowing it’s already being handled. And I won’t do anything to let the enemy have an extra foothold, thereby prolonging the war that Christ is handling. So this is where fasting can be really handy in warfare. Because let’s face it, a lot of times warfare comes due to our lack of discipline. Fasting is key in realigning with discipline. Limiting distractions or sin’s access to our lives this way clears the way for a smooth battle.
The Word says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James4:7). So fasting is a great way to shut him out. And that punk has to flee from you. He’s just that a punk. So when fasting, spend less time on him and more time in the word.
The Word is your weapon, and it confuses the hell out of him.
You know what else does? PRAISE! So praise your way to the victory. It’s a mighty weapon as well.
But mainly, do what God is asking you. That’s where the real strategy comes from. By being still and listening to Him.
So this my friends, is my “casual” approach to spiritual warfare. It may appear calm on the outside (or in the physical), but in another world it’s violent and bloody and none of my business. My duty is to activate it (war) with the Word and watch for the next move according to His lead. He prepares me for it all. And He’s got you too.
He’s given us the war strategy. And it’s all found in the Word as well as in His presence.
Selah. (Felt right to say it here lol)
XO,
Bex
If you’re on IG at 7pm tonight, tune into our live discussion on Spiritual Warfare at: here.
You can also access the 7-day devotion for this week by registering through Cadedra there on her page.
