Spiritual Warfare – Persistent Faith vs Persistent Problems

The Bible tells believers to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12). It also describes faith as being the evidence of things NOT SEEN.

Today, I want to talk about spiritual warfare. The kind you engage in on a day-to-day basis – even if you’re not fully conscious of it. Jesus secured complete victory over Satan through His sacrifice of Himself at the cross. The war is over, but we still have an enemy and the Bible says it’s due to a lack of knowledge that God’s people perish. (Hosea 4:6)

Romans 5:17-19 AKJV
(17)  For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
(18)  Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came on all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came on all men to justification of life.
(19)  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

During the early part of my life I was a part of a denomination that placed a heavy emphasis on “being good” in order to go to heaven. They taught that we pay for our own sins to a great extent and there was no focus at all on the finished work of the cross.

I think these scripture verses from the Book of Galatians spells the truth out perfectly –

Galatians 3:1-7 AKJV
(1)  O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
(2)  This only would I learn of you, Received you the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
(3)  Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?
(4)  Have you suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
(5)  He therefore that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
(6)  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
(7)  Know you therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

The power of God can provide the solution to any and every problem a person can face in their lifetime. It can bring healing miracles and total deliverance from natural or even spiritual problems. There are times that God provides solutions before we even ask for help (Isaiah 65:24). And then there are the other times.

I’m talking about the times when problems seem to persist and we have to actively fight the fight of faith.

As I learned through personal experience – faith really can be a difficult fight at times, especially when the fear of loss challenges you in your thought-life from day to day. Great victories can come from these great challenges… or (as it says in the verses above) the suffering can be in vain if you have a “human effort based approach.”

Everything God has for you is free. Yet, it is only free to you because someone else has already paid for it.

The things that are God’s cost more than you or I could ever afford. You can’t buy the Holy Spirit. You can’t buy healing or miracles. When tests or trials persist, a common response is, “What do I have to do to break through this?”

The answer is, look to God and believe. Have faith. If something is keeping you from believing, keep looking to God and those obstacles (real or imagined) will be removed.

The other option is, try to figure things out from a limited human perspective.

There was once a very important meeting I had to attend. The outcome of the meeting was going to directly affect me and there were already several negative elements in play that were working against me.

In the days leading up to the meeting, I prayed whenever feelings of dread or anxiety popped up. I prayed a lot!

A few times I awoke in the middle of the night and suddenly found myself thinking about the problem again. Finally, I was able to trust the whole situation to God.

In the end, everything turned out well and even those who were against me were a peace with me.

If you’ve been a believer for a while, you’ve probably heard many teachings over the years about how people used different methods and prayed in different ways to get the victory in the midst of adversities. At the end of the day, all the methods being described all have the same common denominator in place. The people trusted God.

It’s so simple, people stumble over this truth.

Take the Word of God and choose to believe. Then, every day, you choose to believe again – one day at a time. Once you see the answer and have the experience, you move from “believing to seeing.” Once you see the answer, you don’t have to believe it anymore. The believing part is temporary. You won’t have to believe forever.

Deuteronomy 30:19 AKJV
(19)  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live:

James 1:12 CEV (Contemporary English Version)
(12)  God will bless you, if you don’t give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.

Here’s something to think about. Throughout the Gospels, only one person (a man with leprosy) asked Jesus if it was His will to heal him. Only one out of the multitudes is it ever recorded to have asked that question. And what did Jesus tell him? He said he was willing and then healed him.

If you can believe, and you can, all things are possible. (Mark 9:23)