By William S. Smith

man addicted to crack desperately tries to free himself from his destructive addiction but cannot overcome. A husband and father who is in a bitter dispute with his wife is now looking at losing his entire family. He feels hopeless and discouraged with nowhere to turn. A Christian mother sees her daughter drifting into the dark side with a male she knows is not good for her, but the more she says against him, the closer her daughter draws to him. What can she do?

Spiritual warfare operates on many fronts in our day-to-day activities and relationships. Three enemies work consistently to separate us from Jesus, hinder our spiritual growth, and bring us to ruin in every area of our lives. These enemies are: sin, self, and Satan.

Sin is an enemy we inherited at birth. The Word says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, KJV).

Self is that part of us we inherited at birth that desires to walk independently of God’s leading in our lives. Isaiah 53:6, NLT says, “We have left God’s paths to follow our own.”

Satan is the one for whom the Scriptures warn, “For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12, KJV).

To be a victor over these three enemies, we must be closely connected with God. It takes the Spirit to fight and win against another spirit. When we allow the Holy Spirit to come in and lead out in our lives, He will help us and show us the right strategy to use in whatever battle we find ourselves throughout each day (Luke 11:13).

Humility

I once heard two, proud young men boasting about their abilities to fight the devil. One said, almost bragging, “I was built for spiritual warfare to fight the devil.” He struggled with alcohol and immorality for years to come. The second young man said, proudly, “I’m ready. Let the devil give me his best shot.” He had a great fall that caused him great humiliation. We can’t do it without God, and humility recognizes that.

A person with a healthy sense of humility knows, “I need God. I can’t make it alone. I have no righteousness, wisdom, strength, and goodness without God.” Even Jesus was humble, feeling His desperate need of His Father every moment. He said in John 5:19, KJV, “The Son can do nothing of Himself.” In James 4:6, ISV, it is written, “God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.”

Prayer

Remember the man who struggled with crack addiction? He eventually humbled himself and turned to God with heartfelt prayer. Alone for 30 minutes, he pleaded for deliverance, and God performed a miracle. He felt something heavy move off of him and immediately he noticed that he had no desire for crack, alcohol, cigarettes, or profanity. God had performed a notable miracle in his life.

Prevailing prayers are the kind of prayers you pray until God’s peace and strength kick in. Pray until you get the breakthrough God has in store for you! Pray until you know that Satan is not only trembling but evacuating the premises of your life. Constant prayer brings Jesus in and keeps Him in your life. The Word of God declares in James 5:13, NIV, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.”

The Word of God

The father and husband mentioned earlier couldn’t overcome the demons that were depressing and oppressing him. He was afraid to even go into his own house alone. He would sleep outside in his car. But after seeking counsel from God, he began to read the Word of God consistently at 3:30 a.m. Why 3:30 am? Because at 3:30, he found that there was no one awake to communicate with but God. He found out that as he simply opened God’s Word and began to read, the depression left and peace came in. Joy came in. Fear left and he slept well until morning. He turned from a victim to a victor in Christ! Jesus said in John 6:63, KJV, “’The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’” Jesus used the Spirit and life of God’s Word to win three crucial battles against Satan in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:4-11). As you look to, and rely on, the truths in God’s Word, they will give you a divine strength that will overcome any negativity in your life!

A Spiritual Support Team

The Christian mother whose daughter was going astray was led to ask a support team to pray for her daughter, consistently every day. With the help of others praying, the Lord broke the charm that the young man held over the daughter. God put enmity between the daughter and the young man, and led her from the darkness into Jesus’ marvelous light.

God declares in Isaiah 49:24-25, NLT, “Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant let his captives go? But the Lord says, the captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children.”

It’s true! Jesus is the undefeated, undisputed, all-time heavyweight Champion of the Universe!

Trust Him.

William Smith is the director of Publishing Ministry for the Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and is responsible for ministry that uses the printed page to reach people. Smith writes from Atlanta, Georgia.