Are you battling spiritual warfare today? Spiritual warfare is anything that can hinder your walk with the Lord. The spiritual warfare we face can be also physical, emotional, mental, or even financial. We all face spiritual warfare of some kind in our lives. And I want to share with you the story of David and Goliath. Reading and studying David’s story can teach us a lot about how to defeat our own spiritual battles. So let’s take a deeper look into David’s story and see how it can pertain to us.
HOW TO BATTLE SPIRITUAL WARFARE
You need to have an attitude of the fear of God.
1 Samuel 17:24 says that the Israelite army was frightened by the Philistines who threatened them every day. Having a fear of God doesn’t necessarily mean being afraid of him. It means to have an understanding that God is bigger than anything you could ever create or dream of and to be so in awe by that reality that you bow down in fearful reverence. God is bigger than any giant you may face. So you need to have an attitude of fear for the God who can do all and be all.
You need to train yourself by reading the bible and praying.
1 Samuel 17: 32-35 says that David had lots of training taking care of his father’s sheep and goats. And fighting off the lions and bears that would come to try and eat the sheep and goats. As David had his training, you too need to train yourself so that you can fight against your giants. Knowing the Bible and praying to your Lord and Savior is a great way to get you ready for battle.
You need to have confidence knowing Christ will get you through.
1 Samuel 17: 36-37 says David had confidence. David describes how he would fight off the lions and bears that tried to attack the sheep and goats he was tending to. He also says that if the Lord can rescue him from the lions and bears then he can rescue him from the Philistines.
You need to be wearing your armor.
1 Samuel 17: 38-39 says David was given some armor to fight the Philistines. But David was not used to that type of armor. So he took it off and chose to use his slingshot instead. In the same way, you are to use your armor which is prayer and God’s word to help you in fighting your spiritual warfare.
You need to have a sure cause.
1 Samuel 17: 45-47 says David wanted the whole world to know that there was a God in heaven. He told them that the Lord will conquer them and that he will give over their dead bodies to the birds and wild animals. David knew God would help him. And he wanted the whole world to know.
You need to know that you possess a true weapon.
Having faith that God will prevail is your true weapon. David used tools that seem useless like his slingshot and some rocks. His faith did not rely on the strength of his weapons but on the strength of his God.
THE 3 LEVELS OF FAITH
There are levels of faith that we all have. The more we trust in the Lord the more faith we have. The more faith we have the easier it is to fight off spiritual warfare.
The first level of faith is having little faith or restless faith. A restless faith is a faith that says I know God can, but he probably won’t.
James 1: 5-8 says this, If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
The second level of faith is having great faith or reaching faith. A reaching faith says I know God will, and I will trust him.
A good example would be this in Matthew.
Matthew 8: 5-10 which says this, When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, "Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain." Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." But the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, Go, and they go or come, and they come. And if I say to my slaves, Do this, they do it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, "I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel!"
And the third level of faith is perfect faith or resting faith. Having a resting faith says It is already done.
So how do you move from a level 1 faith to a level 2 or level 3 faith? Well, faith increases when you increase your knowledge of God’s word. It can also help to connect with people of great faith and of course you need to pray for faith.
CONCLUSION
Battling spiritual warfare can be a daily battle but we have a wonderful God who wants us to come to him for everything. He is the only one that knows us inside and out. And the only one who can truly help us in battling spiritual warfare.
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