Winning

This devotional, properly applied, has the potential to change your life in a simple yet significant way: it can help you win the spiritual war. Before you can achieve victory in your life, you have to first win the spiritual war. Although it might seem strange, you’re probably not that unfamiliar with the underlying concept.

Let’s say that over the course of the next several months you begin to develop an unknown sickness. You’re lethargic, you’re losing weight, maybe you develop a persistent cough or weakening eyesight. Whatever it is, on the outside you may look like there’s nothing wrong, but you know that there’s something wrong inside of you. You can’t see what’s wrong, but you can sense it. Even though it’s unseen doesn’t mean it’s not real. So what do you do? You go to doctor after doctor and run test after test until you figure out what’s causing your malady. Once the problem is diagnosed, then you can begin to treat it.

In the same way, whether you know it or not you are constantly engaged in spiritual warfare. Like a sickness or disease it is unseen but very much real and can bring untold heartache to your life. Over the course of the next several weeks my prayer is that it will help you diagnose your spiritual warfare and give you practical tools to win the spiritual war. When you’re sick, you’re not good for much else. A strong sickness will take the legs out right from underneath you. In the same way, spiritual warfare can make you spiritually imprisoned and ineffective. But it doesn’t have to be that way. As believers we’ve been given specific weapons to win the war in the spiritual. Let’s start winning those battles together.

ON THE COUCH WITH GOD

1. What’s the worst sickness/illness you ever encountered? How much potential does something unseen have to wreak havoc on your life?

2. How spiritually aware are you of the spiritual warfare raging all around you? Can you sense it, or does the spiritual world seem like blankness, like nothing’s out there? What do you think is affecting your spiritual sensitivity?

NEXT STEP

UTake a moment and try to diagnose your spiritual health at this moment. Try and be as specific as possible. If this is a new concept, don’t stress, just give it your best shot. Take a minute and write it down.