Trust in Spiritual Warfare rather than Hand-to-Hand Combat—R Fritz
Too many people believe we should fight our battles in the flesh (man’s ways), that is the farthest thing from the truth. That shows we do not trust God and we think we know more than God. That is pride rising in us. I understand why the people of the world believe that because they do not know God but what it also shows is the people of God do not believe in him either. Our thoughts and ways are not like God’s. Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” We are talking about our God who made us in his image and knows us completely and knows our thoughts. We on the under hand do not know God nor do most people even take the time to know or understand anything about him, yet we trust ourselves over God.
When I first choose Jesus, I had spiritual battles one after the other, so I fought in the flesh because I did not know any better. People around me would tell me to fight in the spirit and when I asked them how to do that, they could not tell me. I found out how to fight in the spirit going to a Christian bookstore and reading spiritual warfare books there. That was the start of me learning how to fight in the spirit. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit a few months after going to the bookstores. One thing I see is the results from the teaching from the Holy Spirit are still ongoing and whether it is similar or different situations requires wisdom from the Holy Spirit as things are happening. This is the thing most people do not understand every person’s situation involves different people with diverse needs and different outcomes at various times with God’s timing being at the right time in their life. We cannot see that because most people cannot see in the spirit through the Holy Spirit. After fighting in the flesh in a spiritual battle and getting the tools to win I asked to fight the spiritual battles for God. It was a learning experience to teach other people to engage in the spirits that other people cannot or do not know how. The thing we need to understand is we let the Holy Spirit through us to do the fighting. We must be careful we are not fighting the spirits on our own account. Acts 19:11-16 says “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the disease departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, we adjure (command) you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcome them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.” This is where somebody that did not have authority to use the name of Jesus, and the spirit did not know him. Spirits know who has the Holy Spirit and authority.
We might ask what this has to do with me. The answer is everything, we deal with spirits everywhere we go. People have either the Holy Spirit or spirits of the world. Spirits affect people whether they choose to do the right thing or the wrong thing. Remember spirits speak to people and we hear them through our thoughts plus the words we hear, and actions people do affect our feelings which we act on if we do not hear the Holy Spirit tell us what is going on. They are in most places where we do not know they exist. Most people do not have the ability or have not been taught by the Holy Spirit what is going on in the spirit world right in front of us. That person who irritates us that we want to punch or get even in the flesh with hand-to-hand combat should be dealt with in the spirit. We need to deal with the spirit which this person possesses or influences them and will change this person. We are not going to change the person or the situation fighting in the flesh or hand-to-hand combat because our feelings were hurt, immediately we should be praying and listening for the Holy Spirit to deal with the spirit or words given to speak to diffuse the situation. This seems like a lot is going on, but the Holy Spirit is doing it all. I am speaking of what goes behind the scenes with most people will not see. We feel our hurt feelings need some justice including myself sometimes. I look at the situation from a different view.
We need to love the person and hate that spirit that manipulates the person. In other words, this person deserves God’s love and as well as ours. We do not know what this person has gone through in their life. God’s love through those that have the Holy Spirit change this person through love as well as the words spoken in love. How many people will think about somebody else when our feelings are hurt, and we want this person to pay a price for that? Not many. Luke 6:27-28,36-37 says and this Jesus speaking “But I say unto you which hear, love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. Be ye therefore merciful, as your father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:” Spirits manipulate people, I was in a building years back when I looked up and saw a spirit above a person’s head as this person was angry and later, I told this person what I saw, he said yes, he also sees them. I knew why this person was angry because I saw that spirit.
We should be merciful and love people, hate that spirit or the words or actions they may have taken. We do not always understand or see what is going on in somebody’s life when they lash out. One thing I learned after going through these situations many times is I always lose the battle when I fight in the flesh. We are spiritual beings, spend time with the Holy Spirit, listen to the words that the Holy Spirit says while we are in these situations and remember to think before we speak and remember our past and how we needed somebody to hear us and love us. God Bless.
