Tag: confusion

Christians: Experiencing Spiritual Warfare?

When I hear news of current events (political, within nations, globally, etc.) it often seems like we are living in a movie set during production with all the weird, unusual and horrific things that are happening. It seems like this can’t be real! But it apparently is real. Because of the level of evil that has transpired over the past 3 years, the only thing that makes sense out of this is spiritual warfare, in my opinion. Unfortunately, spiritual warfare is real. I didn’t think it was real until I started seeking God in my own life; and in hindsight, I believe I experienced quite a bit of spiritual warfare when I first asked God to guide my life, but at the time I didn’t realize what was happening to me. I just thought I was having “bad luck”- well I don’t believe in “good luck or bad luck” any longer, I believe “luck” is actually the spiritual influences on our lives.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

Because this is true, Christians need to know how to successfully respond in a spiritual war. How?

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Ephesians 6:13

I believe that every person will experience spiritual warfare to some degree when surrendering to God/accepting Jesus. Why?

The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10

Unfortunately, those who don’t believe do not have access to the “armor of God” which is available to those who are “in Christ,” born again: born of the water (repentance) and born of the spirit (receiving the Holy Spirit). Until we believe, we are “prisoners in bondage” to the evil spiritual realm. All of us start there, some will stay there and some will make the decision to become “born again,” also called “a new creation.” It’s not an easy choice to make because it involves a true willingness to repent/change, many people will feel a strong resistance to do this, but it’s available to all, and it’s worth everything when you consider the eternal consequences of this decision!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

I watched a video about breaking demonic strongholds, the information is biblically supported and informative on this subject, I’ll include the link to the video at the end. The video is over 2 hours long and most people find it hard to listen for that long. I did listen and took notes, so this next part of this article is a summation of the video (but to fully comprehend this information, it may be necessary to watch the entire video.) Here is the summary:

WHAT ARE THE 10 MOST COMMON EVIL SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS?

  1. Indoctrination (believing a false religion, one that believes we can earn salvation through what we do, one that denies Jesus)
  2. Accusation (believing we are not forgiven for a past sin when we have repented)
  3. Temptation (the evil spiritual realm is all about luring us into temptation that is a struggle for us)
  4. Intimidation (having fear, anxiety)
  5. Depression (experiencing sadness when we should be joyful, depression can be caused by life experiences too)
  6. Distraction (interrupting us as soon as we begin to pray, read scripture, or make plans to go to church)
  7. Confusion (when truth vs. lies is competing in our mind- it’s easier to confuse someone than for them to believe something contrary to their core beliefs, ego plays a factor also)
  8. Affliction (mental torment)
  9. Isolation
  10. Addiction

HOW DO EVIL SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS HAPPEN?

  1. a LIE -this is how it starts, a lie comes into our mind: if we don’t believe the lie, the stronghold doesn’t work, but if we believe the lie, then we are deceived.
  2. Deception doesn’t happen until we believe the lie. Deception then becomes:
  3. a Mindset through which other thoughts become processed. Our future thoughts are then “warped”, not reality. This becomes:
  4. a Filter for all of our thoughts, which affects:
  5. our Feelings, which influence:
  6. our Actions, which determine:
  7. our Habits, which creates:
  8. a Cycle (then we are “on repeat” and stuck in this stronghold)

HOW DO WE BREAK THE STRONGHOLD?

  1. TRUTH: To break from this cycle, we need to identify the lie and replace it with the truth found in scripture, God’s word. Jesus did this when he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness after Jesus’ baptism. Jesus quoted truth from scripture against every “lie” Satan presented. (Read Matthew Chapter 4) Jesus also said “truth will set you free” (Read John 8: 31-36) If we are not reading scripture, thereby knowing the truth, we are easy prey for evil spiritual attacks. The evil spiritual realm is convincing, cunning, manipulative, deceptive and effective in their works. Demons often use: a) deception, b) sickness and c) violent people to accomplish their mission. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be guided to truth and given wisdom as we read scripture. This is what is happening when we “discover” something new reading the bible, even when its been decades of reading the bible (people still claim to continually learn something new, see something they saw before but didn’t comprehend until that moment).

Use the Armor of God. What is the Armor of God? (Read Ephesians 6:10-19) This is for the Believer: ALL can be defeated by this biblical strategy! A summary of the Armor of God:

  1. Prayer (First Step always)
  2. Know the Truth (through scripture, which is the word of God, the Holy Spirit and sound teachers- meditate on the word)
  3. Righteousness (Obedience to God’s way, obey the word, scripture, God’s teachings)
  4. Peace (that comes from knowing the Gospel Message)
  5. Faith (in God)
  6. Salvation- Living in God’s future kingdom, a new earth (the promise of God, received through Jesus’ death and resurrection)

These strategies will make a difference in your life! I personally experienced this in my own life and know because this worked for me.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

The video is worth watching in entirety when you have 2 hrs 25 min! Here is the video:

by Categories: bible study, Face Fear, FAITH, God, Healing, Improvement, prayer, RELATIONSHIPS, spiritual warfare, suicide, WellnessTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Should We Trust our Feelings?

Should we trust our feelings? My guess is anyone reading that question will have a number of reactions, such as: “YES!!!!“or “NOOO!!!!” or “I have no idea; I’m confused, help!” So what is the Truth? How do we know which answer is the correct one? These answers are provided below.

  1. Should we always trust our feelings? The Truth is NO.

2. Are there times we should trust our feelings? YES. Then, when? See below.

3. What if we are confused? How can we determine the correct answer? See below.

When Trusting your Feelings is Wrong:

Let’s be honest. Since the day we were born, we started out selfish, self-centered, right? All of us were born that way. If and when we grow and mature (emotionally, not in years), we become less self centered/selfish, but it takes intention and effort to grow and mature, it doesn’t come naturally, just like growth in anything else (such as working out, eating healthy, growing a business, relationships) : “no pain, no gain.”

So a simple question to ask ourselves is: Is my feeling motivated by self-centeredness, selfishness? If the answer to this is “yes” then trusting your feelings is wrong. Spend time being honest with yourself about the answer to this question. Don’t lie to yourself, be honest.

When Trusting your Feelings is Right:

With the same question above, we can know if trusting our feelings is right. Is my feeling motivated by selflessness, driven by loving , contributing to or helping others? If the answer to this is “yes” then trusting your feelings is right.

What if the motivation behind the feeling is selfless, driven by love, contribution or helping others but FEAR is holding me back? Fear can a blocker to something good or it can be something that protects us. If the reason behind the fear has to do with a life or death situation then trust your fear! But if not, do not let fear guide you, it is BLOCKING YOU from growth. Say you are motivated for the right reasons and you don’t submit to fear, you proceed, then something doesn’t work out as you planned? That was still the right thing to do because it is growth. We grow when we go through tough times, we come out better! As many say: if we’re not growing, we’re dying! We can’t be doing neither, think about it. Don’t let the wrong kind of fear hold you back.

When your Feelings are Confusing you:

This is the hardest one! Confusion is telling us to: WAIT, HAVE PATIENCE, but most of all PRAY! If the answer isn’t clear after reading the above testing question to know if trusting our feelings is wrong or right, then our situation is more complicated (based on the bible, confusion occurs when unrepentant sin in involved) and we need may need forgiveness and guidance from God. Waiting does not mean do nothing, it means slow down, pause, be patient but take action in prayer right away. Talk to God about it from the deepest most honest, vulnerable part of ourselves. This is between you/me and God alone, no one else. God will give us clarity eventually. But don’t “do nothing” during this time of “waiting and patience” pray about it often until clarity is received, not “a feeling,” but unquestionable clarity. Confusion is due to sin, according to the Bible. So where do we get this clarity? From God’s word, the bible. This is the coolest, most awesome thing to discover! It seriously has all the answers to the complicated questions and it is the truth.

I wasn’t taught to go to the bible for answers to questions until recently. I didn’t use it as a resource (ever) quite honestly, but once I discovered this, I am so thankful because it answers so many questions. Today, there is no excuse for not having this resource, if you have access to the internet. Some of the bible is hard to understand the first time reading. To truly know the meaning behind a quote you see, you need to read it in context so you get the full understanding. Even when you do that for the first time, there may be questions. This is where other people can help. Not necessarily by giving their interpretation of the bible, but by directing us to other passages that answer our questions. Be VERY cautious of people who interpret the Bible, don’t take their word, but ask questions, pray about it, then you will know. There are many people today who give their opinions, don’t trust “opinions” only trust facts. Facts are found by reading the bible and through prayer. Many people are misguided but can be convincing so they will give us the wrong information and lead us down a path of destruction. Sometimes people truly have good intentions, but are still not correct. Look for answers in the bible and through prayer.

I hope considering these simple questions helps. I’ve added resources and references next:

RESOURCES

A few different FREE online bible resources (check them out to see what you like best):

Selfishness “Wisdom” from the Bible:

THE “RIGHT” FEELINGS TO FOLLOW ARE MOTIVATED BY SELFLESSNESS AND LOVE- FROM THE BIBLE:

FEAR ADDRESSED IN THE BIBLE:

HOW TO DEAL WITH CONFUSION AND TIMES OF CONFUSION (CAUSED BY SIN) – FROM THE BIBLE:

FIRST SEEK GOD – FROM THE BIBLE:

by Categories: Dating, Face Fear, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIP, God, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, Marriage, priorities, RELATIONSHIPSTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment