In high school I learned how to play chess. Never would I have thought that it would help me so much on my Christian walk. (If you've never played chess before, don't worry this analogy doesn't go too deep into the rules.)
Chess is a strategy game. When playing, you have to be a few steps ahead of your opponent to win the game. This means that you don't just move pieces to move them. You have to be intentional and use each of your individual pieces together in hopes to overtake your opponent's king. You also have to pay attention and be aware of your opponent's strategy in order to protect your king.
Basically, this game is is all about attention, detail, and planning.
So how does this relate to spiritual warfare??
Well, our life is just a big chess game (in a sense).
The devil is VERY crafty and sneaky. You really have to pay attention and use your God-given discernment to recognize the tactics of the enemy. The devil strives to ruin you and take your future away from you. He's always plotting against you and the sooner that you accept your new reality the better off you will be.
So how does the devil attack?
I will be discussing 3 ways:
Distraction
Frustration
Delay
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Distraction
Definition: a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.
EX: Let's say you are trying to grow your relationship deeper with Christ. Right around the same time, you get a message from your ex that you KNOW is no good for you. This is a tactic of the enemy to get you distracted from deepening your relationship with God and focused on things that are going to eventually lead you to hell.
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Frustration
Definition: the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.
EX: You are getting ready to go to church in the morning. When you wake up, it's an hour before church time. You roll out of bed and realize that you still have to pick out an outfit. You ramble through your closet and scrounge together an outfit. This process takes 20 minutes. Then, you style your hair. This day, your hair is not agreeing with you. I mean showing out bad. However, you manage to tame it enough for Sunday service. After this fight is over, you have 20 minutes left to leave the house. Suddenly, you realize that you still need to eat breakfast. Half asleep, hungry, and pressed for time, you make the decision to eat breakfast in your church clothes. Yes, in your church clothes. BIG MISTAKE. Your breakfast burrito falls apart and gets all over your clothes. In this situation the devil is working hard to get you frustrated so that you won't go to church.
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Delay
Definition: make (someone or something) late or slow.
EX: God is telling you to start posting videos on TikTok. After God speaks, the devil comes and whispers in your ear. He fills your head up with all these lies about how no one will like your content, or that you can't edit well enough to make videos. Because you are already fearful, it leaves you more vulnerable to accept the devil's lies. If you make these lies your truth, it will lead to procrastination which is the delay of the very thing that God wants to bless you with.
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Remember, because you are now in Christ, you are immediately under attack. Like in Chess, the devil is you opponent, but instead of trying to overtake your king (because he can't defeat God) he's working to keep you from your destiny.
The devil is very crafty, but it's easier to fight against him if you understand his strategy. Don't sit back and let the enemy beat you.
Read the next chapter so you can know how to get up and fight back!
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Spiritual Warfare: Winning the Battle Against an Unseen Enemy
Spiritualhey! In this book, I will be breaking down spiritual warfare from a christian perspective and teaching you how to be victorious over the schemes of the enemy.
