How to Be a Spiritual Warrior | Saturday SOULfood

Happy Saturday, Friend.

Today I invited Susan Zurcher to share three things you can do to fight and win spiritual battles for your loved ones. We must never forget who our real enemy is! -Sarah Koontz

It was probably one of the most difficult seasons of my life.

My daughter was having health issues, and instead of the clear-cut diagnosis and treatment plan I was hoping for, I was met with strange looks and head scratches from various well-schooled specialists.

Admitting their inability to help, the doctors simply ushered us out the door and on to the next specialist.

At the same time, my husband was battling his own demons from the past and was unable to support me.

I was all alone. My world was unraveling, and I was losing mental ground quickly.

Panic attacks ensued.

It was about this time I learned about spiritual warfare and the power of praying and speaking God’s Word instead of my own.

I learned I did not have to think or believe every thought that dropped into my head—including the catastrophic thoughts bombarding me about my daughter’s health.

Ephesians 6:10-13 tells us we do not have a physical enemy, but a spiritual one.

Even though we live our day-to-day lives in the physical world, there is an unseen spiritual world as well.

This is where we fight the battle for ourselves, our families, and our friends.

Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons, and the weapons of our warfare are the very words of God (Eph 6:17).

The Bible is full of powerful truths to pray for ourselves and others. While not every promise in Scripture applies to everybody, many do.

Here are three simple steps that help me fight and win spiritual battles for my family.

Select Specific Scriptures

Whatever issue you or a loved one are battling, find Scripture that applies (i.e., anger, depression, anxiety, salvation, healing). Write the verses down wherever they will be easily accessible, in your phone, on a whiteboard, your mirror, a 3x5 card, etc.

Make a note of who the Scripture is for by placing an initial or symbol next to the Scripture. I like to use index cards secured with a metal ring placed strategically around the house, so I am always ready for battle.

Pray the Scripture Out Loud

Yes, that is right, out loud. Become a verbal warrior! It is vital for us to hear Scripture audibly and not just read it! It goes down into our hearts and penetrates our souls where it can transform our entire beings.

Personalize the Scripture prayer for whomever you are praying. For example, if the verse says, "fear not," pray "I will fear not…", "Susie will fear not…", etc.

Be Consistent

Do not give up if you do not see immediate results! Keep praying and keep trusting. God is always at work (Jn 5:17). While He is not a magic genie who grants wishes, He is our generous heavenly Father who gives good gifts to His children and longs for us to believe Him at His word.

When we pray and speak God’s Word out loud, we are not only waging spiritual warfare for our loved ones against the evil one, but we are also lifting them up to the throne of the only One who can truly help them. We are edifying them and glorifying God by believing Him while waiting in hopeful expectation He will be true to His word.

God did not miraculously heal my daughter overnight.

I continued to pray and research, and God brought a very wise doctor into our lives who could help her.

I am happy that she is now a healthy young adult, but the battle is not over. Until we see the Lord face to face, we have an enemy who will continue to wage war against us.

Be determined to fight the good fight with your most effective weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Do not ponder and believe the lies of the enemy as Eve did in Genesis 3:6.

Even if you do not see instant results or answers to prayers, resist the temptation to fall prey to his deception by lingering on lies and false accusations.

Refute them as soon as you are aware of the attack. This is an excellent lesson to teach our children as well.

"'No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation

raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their righteousness is from Me.' This is the Lord’s declaration." - Isaiah 54:17 HCSB (emphasis mine)

- Susan Zurcher