Spiritual Warfare for Weight Loss Series
Spiritual Warfare Part 1
Spiritual Warfare Part 2
Spiritual Warfare Part 3
Spiritual Warfare Part 5
I read a shocking acronym for F.E.A.R. recently:
Forget Everything And Run
But right after that, I read another acronym for F.E.A.R. that teaches you how to respond to it:
Face Everything And Rise
Because you are Jesus' disciple, you are in a Spiritual battle. Your weight loss journey is part of that.
Our enemy is out to attack in any way he can - whether it is in the area of our finances, relationships, or health. His favorite fiery dart against us is a spirit of fear.
The good news is, God has given us weapons of Spiritual warfare to defend ourselves and fight back! And these are not weak weapons either. We have His power, His love, and a sound mind.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5),"
In this article, you are going to learn how to defend against the enemy's attacks with the shield of faith. This is one of the most powerful weapons of all.
First, let's look at the overall pieces of armor again:
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17);"
Did you notice that the scripture says "above all" before directing you to take "the shield of faith"? That tells you how important this is!
The enemy does not want God's plan for your life to be fulfilled. Jesus told us his strategy: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
We often say, "The devil is a liar." While true, that is not all he is; he is a thieving, murderous liar. The world believes and follows him.
It is sobering to realize at times, we Christians do too. That is because we either don't know God's word or don't believe it. So the enemy keeps on stealing, killing, and destroying us. His primarily field of attack? Our minds.
Your belief in God and that His word is true is paramount to your Spiritual defense. If you doubt that God's word is true or don't believe His plans for you are good, then you will have a puny little faith shield. That little shield will provide little defense against the enemy's fiery darts. You don't want that!
So let's look at your faith shield in more detail. Hebrews 11:1 says:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
When God places a vision of your better future in your heart, that is like a Spiritual mold. To have that vision come to pass, the substance of your faith must fill up that mold!
James 4:7 tells you how to raise your faith shield: "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
The first step is to submit to God. Remind yourself that you are under God's authority. You are not your own, but you were bought at a price. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Therefore, you believe God's word, affirm your identity in Him, and submit to God's plan for your life. Can you see yourself healthy, healed, and whole? That is what God wants for you. Take some time to write down a vision of yourself in that state. As you continue "seeing" that vision, speaking that vision, and creating core habits that are consistent with the vision, it will come to pass!
Holding on to your faith will help you be able to do the second step, which is to resist the devil.
A smart strategy here is that you do not want to fight any unnecessary battles. So I almost always pray daily that I am not led into temptation, including leading myself into temptation!
The enemy is always looking for opportunities to attack us. Deny him that opportunity. Scripture makes it clear that if we will resist, then he will flee. This is an If/Then proposition - it requires that we resist first.
If you are always believing the enemy's lies and obeying his suggestions, then he will keep on tormenting you. But it doesn't have to be that way.
When you are tempted, God promises to give you an escape route:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13)."
Now that does not mean that the enemy will flee forever. Even when he departed from tempting Jesus, scripture says that he departed until an "opportune time (see Luke 4:13)." That means the enemy looked for opportunities to come back!
Here is a strategy I practice in the weight loss arena: I know that I have weaknesses for specific foods, like sweets and chips. So I choose not to keep them in our house. I do not want to give the enemy "opportune times" to tempt me with food fights.
My daily practice is to focus on my core habits, ensuring that they are ones that support my health. I suggest you do the same.
So put up your faith shield and do not allow the enemy to use you for target practice!