“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

2 Corinthians 10:4

It’s okay for Christians to fight, we simply need to learn how to fight in the right way! First of all, the war has already been won! The Cross brought victory to all of humanity! If you so choose to believe Jesus is the Son of God who saved you from your sins, you are already enjoying the spoils of war! Not when you get to heaven, but now! CHRIST IN YOU IS YOUR VICTORY! (See Ephesians 1:3, 2:6, 1 Corinthians 15:57, Colossians 1:27).

However, this victory only comes to those who make a decision of faith (see James 2:14,17). Head knowledge of Jesus being the Messiah means nothing without an act of faith–a one-time decision (see Hebrews 10:10). Even the demons know that Jesus is who He said He is, the only difference is they are not placing their faith in Him for forgiveness (see James 2:19). They’re already damned to hell. We aren’t. We still have a chance. So will you believe Jesus is your Savior? If the answer is yes, then welcome! Welcome to my Family! We have overcome this world through Jesus’ loving sacrifice!

Now, the enemy and his demons also know that our victory flag was firmly planted at the top of the Cross. Their goal, however, is to hide this fact from us. They want us to think God is weak, angry, frustrated, vindictive, and disappointed. They want us to believe the Cross didn’t work, and that they are still in charge! Our battle–not our war–is in our minds. Again, the war has been won, but there are still pockets of soldiers from the losing side all over the place.

Like a renegade group of sore losers, demons still take orders from their defeated general. They’ve been studying you from the time you were conceived and they know how to get at you the best. In the spiritual realm–in your thinking–they are fighting you, so please recognize this!

The good news is you can fight back! You have impenetrable armor! You have weapons! Our armor and weapons come from the Spirit of God indwelling us! (See Ephesians 6:10-17). SO BE CONFIDENT, LOOK FORWARD, SCOWL, AND DON’T BE AFRAID! We have complete power over the enemy! Jesus tells us so:

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19)

I believe Jesus was speaking spiritually when He said snakes and scorpions. Why? Because He spoke spiritually more often than not, and people thought He was crazy when He did so. Most of the stuff He said that was confusing, if you look at it spiritually it makes perfect sense.

However, in context for this verse, He was sending out people to give the world a prequel to the Cross’ effects. So He could have been speaking literally for them during that mission. But for us, on this side of the Cross, to apply this literally? To handle snakes and scorpions and say, “Nothing will harm me!”? We’re just asking for it and that’s not wise. 

There are some not-so-bright people out there–being influenced by the enemy–who actually handle poisonous snakes and scorpions up on stage at church while quoting this Scripture. A lot of them have died. So keep in mind, the Holy Spirit won’t lead you to do such things. Listen to Him.

But anyway, Jesus wants all Christians to know that the enemy cannot touch us! (See 1 John 5:18). Christ in us is our power! (See Luke 10:19). All the enemy can do is accuse us, bark at us, bring up our past, and attempt to knock us off course in our thought life. But we can fight back! We should fight back! We don’t have to stand there and take it! Here’s some tips on how to fight like a Christian:

1. Recognize the spiritual realm. We tend to blame people, money, the government, and religion for the problems in this world, but the power of sin and the forces of hell are hard at work. Yes, people make bad choices which impact us negatively, but if you’ll begin to think of all situations spiritually, you’ll start to react differently. I’m not saying become a religious fruit-loop, I’m saying do as Paul said and, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). Think spiritually. Recognize what you see is not all there is.
2. Don’t be so suspicious. There are demons in this world whose main job is to constantly tempt us to be uber-suspicious and hyper-critical. Friend, give people a break. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Everyone doesn’t have to be exactly like us, and just because they’re not, that doesn’t mean they’re secretly sinning. People’s sin is not our business anyway. If that sentence upsets you, then this paragraph is for you. Back off, and let others have a chance to breathe and live their lives. We don’t have a heaven or hell to throw anyone into. To combat suspicion and criticism, begin to think of them with love and goodness. Think. Remember, the battle is in our minds.
3. Overcome nagging thoughts, doubts, and fears with the truth and your testimony. Since the enemy can’t touch us, he works overtime accusing us in our thought life. In the book of Revelation he’s actually called the accuser (see Revelation 12:10). Most of the time, you should just ignore him like you would a barking dog. But other times, STOMP at his dumb butt and he’ll scamper off! Bark back! It’s good to speak the truth about who God has made you to be! Tell him, “I am the righteousness of God! I am a holy saint, set apart, spotless and blameless!” (See 2 Corinthians 5:21, Colossians 1:22). Also, give your testimony! Tell others what Jesus has done for you! (See Revelation 12:11). The enemy hates this!
4. Overcome hate with love, and evil with good! (See 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Romans 12:21). When the Holy Spirit revealed this battle plan to me, it took me a while to trust it and to pull it off. He currently has me on the 90-year plan of having my mind renewed, and I’m getting better each day. To be honest, I had a hard time finding a healthy balance with this because of my codependency issues. However, this is the atomic bomb used in spiritual warfare! JUST LOOK AT THE CROSS! MY GOSH! THE LOVE AND GOODNESS BEING POURED OUT BY JESUS DURING THAT HEINOUS ACT?! IT’S THE EPITOME OF THIS! The more you feel hated, the more you should love! The more evil that comes your way, the more good things you should be doing! This is how you fight back! Put up your dukes and FIGHT!

So today, my friends, know this: The best way to fight like a Christian is to love God, love others, and love yourself. People are not your enemy, yourself is not your enemy, and God is definitely not your enemy–the enemy and his crew is your enemy! The power of sin is your enemy! But both have already been defeated through Jesus who lives in you! SO STAND UP TODAY AND FIGHT BACK! Fight, BACK! Love! Forgive! Hope! Give! And be yourself, gracefully.

A prayer for you: Well good morning, Heavenly Father! It’s a great day today! I’m feeling good! When I get the chance to teach on spiritual warfare it excites me! This teaching is my way of fighting back! You and I both know that for so long I allowed the enemy’s lies to keep me in a state of low self-worth and fear. NOT ANY LONGER! I pulled his card and he’s done! HE’S SO WEAK! Thank you for teaching me this! Right now, I lift up all who are reading this, directly to you. So many of them have believed the lies of the enemy about you, others, and even themselves. Today I ask that you begin to show them how spiritual things work. Yes, it’s a mystery, but through your guidance, you teach us everything we need to know. You teach us the truth and how to fight back properly. Help us to stay focused on fighting like a Christian and turning from the wrong ways of fighting. Teach us more about the power that lies within us! YOU! In Jesus’ name I ask these things, amen. 

This devotional is from 60 Days for Jesus, Volume 3. Get your copy here!