Spiritual warfare can take on various shapes and forms. When dealing with a manifesting demon, I know he’ll only respond to the authority I have as a child of God to drive him out with no mercy.
In my daily prayers, I speak directly to demonic forces that are trying to block me, our church, the work of God in the world, and in any other area that I am concerned about. I bind them up and have no fear about confronting them head-on because I’m not using the authority of my own goodness or spirituality, but the authority of the Lord Jesus, who has graciously given all His children the right to use His name. But in everyone’s daily activities, demons continue to try and pull us down, to dismantle our faith in subtle ways, and that’s when other forms of warfare are important as well.
The way we treat our family, our coworkers, the thoughts we entertain, the humility we have before God to keep seeking His wisdom even in doing simple tasks such as driving or household duties, is all a continuation of our specific prayers and requests. Actions speak in the spiritual world, showing that we’re either full of the joy of the Spirit, or weighed down by worries, full of determination that an answer to prayer is certain, or discouraged because nothing has happened yet, full of love for unlovable people, or resentment and irritation at people who we don’t think are worthy of our attention. The condition of my heart will always show whether I live my faith or not. These simple choices to live in mindfulness of the Lord we serve have a powerful effect on defeating the demons that attack.
It’s a mindfulness that’s focused on the spiritual world and not the physical. When you are gracious and kind to the nasty remarks of a family member, even when your instincts are primed to attack back, it’s because you see that a spirit is working through their words and should be annihilated in a spiritual manner. Annihilating the person who spoke those words hurts both them and you, emboldening the demons that instigated it all. So instead, you do the opposite of what the devil wants by responding in humility and kindness to that person, while inwardly rebuking the demons behind the incident. Humility and kindness become a spiritual weapon of destruction, which is why the devil does all he can in moments like that to make you explode in anger. He hates your weapons, but if you don’t even know how they work, you’ll always default to selfish sinful habits and give the devil more permission to degrade you. Then, you’ll wonder why your deliverance is taking so long…
So the next time you make strong prayers to rebuke the devil, the next time you determine to use bold faith against the evil in your life, be on the alert in the hours and days to come to show extraordinary love and kindness, gentleness, self-control and goodness to others both in and out of church — especially when they don’t deserve it. As you show yourself worthy of the gospel of Christ in your daily lives, your enemies (the devil and his demons) will clearly see the sign of their own destruction and defeat. It will also be proof that you are truly His and no demon can steal that from you. We’ve been called into battle and to suffer attacks for Jesus’ sake, an honor that only brings blessings, and we need to be wise and not locked into only one form of prayer or one form of battle. Living out the fruit of the Spirit may not feel like a weapon of destruction, but trust what God’s word says and watch what happens.
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether or not I come and see you, I may hear of your activities, that you are standing fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. Do not be frightened by your adversaries. This is a sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and this from God. For to you it was granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. (Philippians 1:27-30 MEV)
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