A Christian’s War

December 1, 2015

by: Ciara Leilani

For the average Christian, strategy in how to stay alive is not a daily request during prayer. It’s a common misconception amongst the evangelicals, and quite frankly unheard of amongst the practical thinkers. “Ask for strategy, who me?” Yes you, ask the living Spirit of God, the Spirit of Wisdom for strategy on how to survive daily attacks from the unseen enemy. The enemy spoken of is the enemy of the Christian faith, satan.

Long before I knew I was in the middle of a war, I understood there was something not quite right with the way I’d handle certain matters. I would respond too quickly with emotions that seemed to stem from an offense unbeknown to me, was somehow festering within me. How could I justify my actions if I did not know the source? Fast forward, now I find myself asking the Holy Spirit for counsel on a host of matters involving my most inner self. It’s within the confined fibers of the human heart where the combat zone dwells while the battlefield rages inside of the mind.

A Christian’s war begins in the spirit realm and ends in the spirit realm. While many evil mannerisms may manifest in the natural world we live in, I assure you each battle, offense, and devastating blow originates in the spirit realm. What must take place in every Christian household is the surrendering of self-will and adopting God’s will. You and I can never make an impact for the kingdom of God without supernatural strategy and sincere humility. The world will eat a self-centered, arrogant, ungrateful fool alive then spew them out for another to do the same. God’s kingdom works oppositely of that.

In this blog, I’d like to share a few methods of strategy for the Christian truly devoted to serving Christ in a fallen world. The strategy only works if it leaps off of the paper and into your brain for use. So take notes, and get ready to apply the knowledge being given.

First-you must commit yourself and your home to serving one God. If your God is Jehovah then great you’ve made it past the first step. Many homes are secretly divided because of the many gods that dwell within the safety of the residence. There may be the god of pride who sits on the throne of the heart of any unsuspecting person or the god of mammon who controls the reigns of the marriage. The god of disunity or strife may rule with an iron fist while the god of unforgiveness nestles safely under the sheets. There is only room for one God if you want to be on the winning side of this war, and he is Jesus Christ.

Second-you must have accountability within your life. One of satan’s greatest strategies in defeating Christians, is to pin them againstone another as well as everyone else while isolating him or her. Have you ever considered how a sheep herder captures an individual sheep? He isolates the single sheep then corners him off from the rest in order to subdue the frightened and lonely sheep. We are wired to have community in our lives. It is the way God made us. When isolation settles in, it creates a breeding ground for depression, anxiety, heaviness and fear. The enemy, satan will then introduce a follow up bait in the form of self-abusing gateways such as drug and alcohol use, binge eating, and sleeplessness in order to ensnare you further. Do not get cut off from the rest of the pack, i.e. Body of Christ!!! God wants for you to have someone you can count on to hold you accountable of your actions and words. Look at the example of a wedding ceremony. The entire purpose for a ceremony is for the “cloud of witnesses” to bear evidence of what they must hold the couple accountable for. The purpose of vows is to make a public declaration of what each other swears to uphold before those chosen to hold them accountable to. Not having accountability in your life as a Christian, is similar to keeping your front door opened during the passing of a tornado storm. It’s stupid, dangerous and invites trouble.

Third-you must die to yourself daily. Once you accept Jesus Christ inside of your heart, living is no longer “just for you.” The idea that life somehow revolves around the arrogant one seems to be just another example of how narrow-minded sin makes humans. Living with others in mind is kingdom business. This is how the kingdom of God operates. Being a servant-leader is not just a fancy title given to the popular missionaries of our times. No, on the contrary it was a privileged title given to Jesus himself and has been passed on to those who exemplify such characteristics. Let me ask you these questions to help direct your focus on whether or not you can be considered a servant-leader or a self-pleaser.

• Do you pray for others outside of your household?
• Do you wait until a special holiday before you sign up to serve others?
• Can you remember the last time you missed a meal for the sake of blessing another?
• Who do you bless with your “free time” other than your own hobbies?

These are simply a few questions, that I’ve had to ask myself when determining if I was a servant-leader in the Body of Christ or was I still a self-pleaser. The hard questions get asked over and over again until the answers line up with the Word of God.

Fourth-you must remember that your steps are ordered to follow His. Never once did Jesus say, pick up your cross and figure out which way to go. He said,

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 NLT

Knowing that Jesus gives the exact path to freedom and total redemption why then, do so many individuals remain locked away in darkness even after they’ve accepted Christ? One answer, they’ve never learned how to stay saved after getting saved. The walk of a Christian disciple requires much more discipline than a Christian believer because becoming a disciple of Christ requires dedication of self. Understand that belief is nothing more than acknowledgment of what is known to be true. Demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God, it says so in James 2:19, that does not mean they are saved. They simply believe. You must be better than the unclean spirits by living a life worthy of representing the Name that is above every other name.

Grow daily by reading the Word of God, and applying what you’ve learned. Mature your spiritual strength by refusing to agree with every suggestion presented to your mind-the battlefield of war. Surrender your limited certainty for Christ’s omniscient guidance, in order to win the war that rages all around. It is time to take your Christian walk serious by setting up a fortress of defense within the heart and mind of your soul. Talk to Jesus daily. Listen to the voice of God without allowing the voice of reason to interrupt a holy conversation. Give God credit publicly for what he has done privately. It is time to take your Christian walk to a higher level of faith by reminding yourself and others that truly,

“Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Ciara Leilani

www.ciaraleilani.com