Navigating Spiritual Warfare: The Power of Authority, Battle Buddies, and Closing Your Gates | Ep 9

Battling against discouragement, distraction, division and deception can be exhausting, but what if you had the right tools to stay strong? Imagine having a spiritual army by your side, prepared for this unseen warfare, echoing the infinite authority of God. This episode is a conversation about that very prospect. We put the spotlight on 'battle buddies,' those companions in faith who stand by us during times of struggle. We share scriptural insights and personal anecdotes, highlighting the power of community and the comfort of knowing that God and His heavenly army are with us. 

Next, we explore the ABCs of spiritual warfare - Authority, Battle Buddies, and Closing Your Gates. We dive into the importance of recognizing God's ultimate authority and the power of spreading His word. With worship music as our shield, scriptures as our sword, and a prayerful community by our side, we can counter the enemy's tactics. Remember, every day is a good day to fight, for the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. Tune in, and discover how to stay secure in your faith as we share practical advice and tools to help you navigate and triumph over spiritual adversity.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Finding Peace in Spiritual Warfare
• 10:03 Tools, Community, and Faith

Transcript

Announcer: 0:00

Welcome to In His Hands podcast from women for women. We're here to help you find peace in knowing you are in God's hands. Our goal is sharing the Word of God in simple conversations. We're here to help you thrive every day. And now, here are your hosts.

Tiffany: 0:18

Good morning. I'm Tiffany Windsor and I'm Mary. Today we have a strong conversation. We want to talk about battle buddies.

Mary: 0:28

I'll start it off. I'm going to start in prayer, lord, being a warrior brings fear and it also feels like we could be unprepared for the battle. But like you did with Elisha and his servant and showed the servant the glorious heavenly army surrounding the enemy that was surrounding the city, we need not fear because you are with us and you prepare us and you go before us and beside us and behind us. So in Jesus' precious name, we say yes, yes and amen.

Tiffany: 1:05

Amen. Thank you for starting us off that way, because I think we need to do that more often. That's going to help set our openness, our listening and our trust in whatever message comes through today. The reason we're talking about battle buddies today is that we were both very inspired at church. We were given little, tiny, little plastic army men to remind us of this moment. I think what I want to share to begin with.

Tiffany: 1:37

Well, the theme today was the invisible war, and there's so many layers of what's going on in the world and what goes on for us personally. There's so many interactions that happen during the day and the week that may be with friends or family, spouses and such that we don't realize that it may be the enemy trying to sneak in. And some things are very clear when you can go oh boy, I can see the enemy here. And there's others where we just get defensive or words come out of someone else's mouth and it sets us off. Our first thought is not necessarily oh, that's the enemy here. We put it with the person what did you get out of that?

Mary: 2:23

That is so true because there's a verse I can't put my finger on where it is we don't battle flesh and blood, but the enemy, the dominions of this world, which is Satan, and I love the pastor mentioned he's outnumbered, he might have dominion over this world, but it's two to one God's army against him. And when I start having stink and thinking that's the only way I can think of it is I start growl, saying and coveching and carrying on and I'm like, wait a second, counting my blessings really helps. The other thing I thought was interesting is my little army guy. He's walking with his gun ready, so my posture needs to be weapon ready and I thought yours was so interestingly different. Your little soldier guy was leading the way and of course I had no idea, as they were handing them out to us that they were all different.

Tiffany: 3:13

It wasn't until we sat down and you showed me yours and it's like oh, let me look at mine.

Mary: 3:20

And it's so funny because I recognize that immediately in yours. And I didn't want mine because I'm battle weary friends, I didn't want to be keeping in the battle, but in the weariness God is speaking to me too. He says just do what I'm asking you to do, because it's all the other things I'm doing that he's not asking me to do that are making me weary.

Tiffany: 3:39

One of the things I wrote down is my God is surrounding my enemy, so that gives you power. In that moment of understanding, you have to put on the armor so that you remember how to fight, but you don't have to take on the full battle for God.

Mary: 3:55

And we got in the car this morning on the way to church, and it was rescue Lauren Dagle. And what are the lyrics? I've told you that's, that's the way to go.

Tiffany: 4:04

That's. That is definitely one of my warrior songs, and when I was low and I first heard that song, of course the tears were just flowing and flowing because the fact that I do not have to take on the battle myself. Part of her words are I will rescue you, I am there. You have an army behind you. Here's something else that I wrote down, which was the devil is a schemer and drawing up plays against our lives, obviously to try and derail us, but what's really interesting is that the playbook is not very extensive, so you can know that God gives you a lot more direction and battle readiness and plays to execute against evil.

Mary: 4:49

And I liked how pastor pointed out the enemies for most used playbook things and it's discouragement, distraction, division and deception. And we know these and yet I still need such the reminder today about especially the discouragement, how discouragement can lead to depression and suicidal thoughts potentially. If the enemy can take us out of the battle by ourselves, then he's succeeded and we have to fight against those thoughts. We need our battle buddies to help us in the trenches.

Tiffany: 5:21

That is so true, because what's the first thing that we tend to do in that moment is we isolate ourselves and we don't have the tools to pull ourselves out of that space with our thinking. And so you do need to surround yourself with the community and the friends and the battle buddies who can speak the truth to you and help move you out of that space.

Mary: 5:45

Right, and this wonderful tool to use is to pull this up and remember that you're not alone and the enemy wants to convince you that you are, and he's a liar and he's a cheater and it's not true and we have to stand on that truth.

Tiffany: 6:02

The enemy, in being the liar, is always trying to wear us out, wear you down, wear you out. One of the things I loved that I heard today that I need to do because I haven't done this. I do play worship music in my space, but we were reminded play worship music at night on a loop, so that's the last thing you hear and it can be the first thing you hear when you wake up. We have to have our battle tools ready. What else can we recommend? Of course, worship music, reading the word, spending time during the week.

Tiffany: 6:37

I jumped right into another prayer journal and this one's 40 days of prayer, because I was so blessed with the 21 days of prayer. That's what's taking me. Is that commitment every day to say I can't miss a day? That's what I'm finding. Is, if I don't have one, two, three, four, five counting the days for me, I had not been making that commitment. Now, with the 40 days, I know every day because this is day nine and it's a certain date. The cool thing about I'm using the circle maker it keeps it so light If there's information that pours out of you that you want to write on the page, but it can be as simple as writing a few words in a circle. That's on this pre-printed page for the day, and I love that, because some days those words don't flow as quickly.

Mary: 7:24

I like that. It's the consistency, probably, and training. Another thing that works for me, too, is a group of us have set our alarms at 730 and we just pray. I love that. Pray for each other and so join us. Set your alarm for 730 Pacific Standard and that's all. Pray for each other. Saturday was the first day and breakthroughs already, and it was just because of that, because we invited each other into our mess and our successes, but also knowing that we need each other and being authentic and vulnerable and that's okay because we really are and the Lord knows it, and that sometimes we forget to put our armor on, but our friends are there to help protect us and pray us through.

Tiffany: 8:11

I love that I'm joining, join, and we invite everyone else who listens to this because we'll be there praying every day, we are so much stronger in numbers Be praying for everyone at 730.

Mary: 8:26

Yeah, and I just want to encourage you that I might not know your name, but God knows your name and so you might listen. Or maybe the liar is speaking really loudly like oh, maybe I'm not praying for you exactly, but I am. I am because God knows everything and he knows what you need and he hears our prayers and he has you in his hand.

Tiffany: 8:53

When we're talking about spiritual warfare. I loved these notes because there are the ABCs of spiritual warfare. Number one is authority in Christ. The authority in Christ gives us that armor and allows us to start pushing back the darkness. Even when I am deeply immersed in my prayerfulness during the week, listening to my worship music, writing in my prayer journal, it can be very easy to go into the negative thinking. So now that we have a few more tools today that we're sharing with everyone that are as simple as the ABCs A is authority in Christ. B we've already been talking about which is battle buddies coming together and be together. Here's what I love that I wrote down. We have a herd to protect us. I can't impress upon everyone enough to know that and you just said this that we're here, even though we may not know you by name. Whoever is listening to us right now, we are praying for you Because in our prayers that covers everyone. That just feels so good. I just love that.

Mary: 10:00

That's so true, and you might be more. I don't know, like me, where I know the tools. I had the tools and I've forgotten the tools, or I don't use the tools. I think that's another tactic of the enemy. That was the second D is distraction. Distraction from what I know is true. I think what I'm coming around to is I might know the tools, but I need to have more community, I need to spend more time in the herd, I need to step out in faith, and that's a scary step because it looks like it's a step out onto nothing. You know there's no solid ground underneath, but that's actually a lie. It's the most solid ground I could step out on. So, knowing those true things and walking in them and acting on them that's where I'm struggling these days.

Tiffany: 10:49

Well, the struggle appears to be real, but when we put on our armor for that spiritual warfare and we have these tools we are so armed with the truth that things will change. Just like you said, you just started praying with a group and look at how quickly you were seeing prayers answered, Answered prayers.

Mary: 11:11

I just wanted to include the C of ABCs, which is, close my gates and have the personal authority, the thought over those three things the authority, battle buddies, and closing my gates is claiming Yeshua's authority.

Tiffany: 11:26

And.

Mary: 11:27

I get caught up with. Oh, I don't feel strong enough, or I'm the battle weary, but it's not my strength and it's not my authority. It's Yeshua's and His is infinite. He's won already, so it's not even a question.

Tiffany: 11:44

And one of the notes that I wrote down is what does it take to close the gate? Big question mark Jesus gave us the victory, but our job is to fight, and it's a good day to fight the enemy.

Mary: 11:55

Every day is a good day, every day is a battle. So we're either engaging or we're losing.

Tiffany: 12:02

One of the notes that I wrote been closing my notes here was a reminder to speak up and share the good news, and that's one thing that spoke to me Tell everyone the good news. We may not think in some moments that we have some good news to share, but we do and we need to speak our truth and tell everyone the good news.

Mary: 12:23

Amen. It is good news. Even if it feels like it might be overwhelming or you don't have an answer right away, there is good news on the way. Fear not, for our Lord is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.