Are You Prepared for Warfare?

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” – Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

Are you facing unexplainable trials and challenges in your life and business? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the daily trials of life and business? Are you aware that you are at war?

When someone running for president of a country wins the election, in preparation for them to take office, they begin to get access to highly classified information about the threats facing the nation. Information that the general public may not be fully aware of. Information that if many knew, they would live with fear each day. This information is kept from the public as an attempt not to bring fear and panic to the citizens and ensure that daily life is not disrupted. Good governments work 24 hours a day to ensure that their citizens are not terrorized and are therefore able to plan their future, invest in the local economy, have children and enjoy daily life. If many knew what their government really knew, they would live in fear. This however sometimes creates a false perception of peace and safety. The lack of civilian awareness of the threats facing them every day creates complacency which can make us very unsafe.

Before 9/11/2001, Americans felt very safe and secure. Terrorist attacks only happened in other countries. America is the safest country in the world, we all thought, but 9/11 reminded us that there are people in the dark plotting every day to kill us and destroy our way of life even at the risk of destroying their own lives. They are children being raised with one single purpose: destroy the United States of America or any other country that aligns with the United States of America. Several years ago, I was in Isreal and despite being in a bad neighborhood with real threats on every side, it is one of the safest places on earth for one single reason. They are fully aware of the threats facing them and every citizen is informed and prepared for war at any time. They live defensively and on the offense.

As citizens of heaven, our government has not withheld the reality of the threats we face from us. The Bible makes it very clear that we are at war and our enemy is working day and night to destroy us. The Bible declares in 1 Peter 5:8 that we ought to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”. And in John 10:10a it states that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” It is clear that we are at war and the enemy is determined to destroy us at all costs. This is spiritual warfare.

Spiritual warfare is the daily spiritual battle between good and evil that we are caught in between. It is the devil’s attempt to hinder God’s plan for our lives. It is the cosmic war between good and evil, the unseen yet felt battle between good and evil. The spiritual battle that takes place within us using external tactics to draw us to sin or pervert God’s plan for our lives. This war is real whether we feel it or not. It is real whether we see it or not. It manifests itself in different ways but it is the same enemy. This war is waged often not within the four walls of the church, but in the four walls of our mind; not in religious settings, but in the marketplace. It is waged where we live, where we work and where we do business. Just as the terrorist’s goal was to destroy the economy of the United States, the devil’s goal is to destroy God’s economy.

This is why when Jesus began His public ministry in His teaching on the sermon on the mount, He addressed economic issues like our attitude towards money and our concerns about what we are going to eat, drink and put on. When He was recruiting His disciples, He met them where they did business and demonstrated to them that He had the ability to defeat the enemy of their prosperity. He took His ministry to the street, to ensure people in the marketplace that the devil does not own the market nor does he control the economy. God is the master of the marketplace. He addressed issues like sickness and diseases which robbed people of their savings, He addressed witchcraft and sorcery which promised false prosperity. Spiritual warfare is real but many marketplaces either operate like Americans did prior to 9/11 or are not equipped to address it at all.

How prepared are you for the war you face daily and the greater war coming our way?

My prayer for you today is that God will give you the grace and wisdom to arm yourself so you may overcome spiritual warfare to realize the plan that God has for you in the marketplace.