Spiritual Warfare:

Introduction:

Spiritual warfare is real, and sometimes it can be scary—especially when there is a sudden shift in the atmosphere. Life is going well, and then out of nowhere come depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, comparison, and more. Or maybe you’ve been on fire for God—reading your Bible, staying out of sin, and pursuing Him with passion—yet suddenly you barely feel like opening your mouth to pray.

Why does this happen?

When we are spiritually immature, we often blame ourselves for how we feel or for the sudden shift, not realizing that a spiritual battle is taking place—a battle we cannot see, but one that absolutely manifests in the physical realm.

Question:

If someone walked up to you and slapped you unexpectedly, what would you do? Most people would react physically. (If that's not you, praise God—but some of your sisters are still showing up like Paul, lol.)

The same way you would respond physically is the same way you must respond when you’re being spiritually attacked: you have to get active spiritually.

Take it as a sign of warfare when there is a sudden shift you can’t explain or when something feels “off” and you can’t shake it.

What Happens in Warfare:

Spiritual warfare is where we, as believers, stand in victory—because this is where God reveals His true power. But it is also where the enemy tries to play.

When spiritual warfare hits, so does doubt, division, distraction, and mental or emotional attacks.

When the enemy succeeds in warfare, it impacts our faith more than we realize. He will place doubt in your mind and cause things to go completely left—even when you know you’ve been doing right.

I experienced this myself. The enemy placed so much doubt in my mind that it weakened my faith—meaning I couldn’t hear God clearly!

We are instructed to put on the full armor of God. Why? Because we face spiritual battles every single day.

Let's Think About War & Compare to WWOF:

Nobody enters a war unprepared. Soldiers go through training to learn how to fight, shoot, and operate their equipment. And they do not enter battle unless ordered by their captain.

If a soldier enters war unprepared, they might misunderstand orders—or be unable to fight properly at all.

If every day is a spiritual battle, then the fighter—you—must prepare. Scripture tells us that the armor we need includes:truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God.

So what happens when you are unaware of this preparation, and doubt creeps in (especially if doubt is a familiar spirit for you)? You cannot fight properly.

1. You won’t hear or understand God’s (the Captain’s) orders clearly.

2. You won’t be fully clothed in the armor, so you’ll get hit—because your enemy is strategic.

In conclusion, if the enemy can make you doubt, he can weaken your faith. Faith is required to fight spiritual battles. Without it, you cannot fight the way God intends.