By Reverend
Mark Hunnemann
I
want to demystify or simplify spiritual warfare, without coming across as
simplistic. Here are four principles which may
change your life, and you can use for the rest of your life. The mind is where
the action starts and progresses; and by
action I mean problems, temptations, and sin.
First,
we must distinguish between guilt and guilt feelings.
If we don’t, then Satan can have a heyday with our consciences. In Psalm 51
David confesses that he has sinned… first and foremost against God, even though
he had murdered Bathsheba’s husband and committed adultery with her. The
horizontal sin was most certainly real and significant, but all sin is primarily
cosmic treason against our holy God (vertical rel.). “Against You, You only,
have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. V4” He incurred objective guilt before the Ultimate Judge. As the psalm progresses, David reveals
that this objective guilt has caused seriously distressing guilt feelings—in v.8 it is compared to the pain of broken
bones. In the relativistic age like
ours, scores of folks hustle to secular mental health professionals to deal
with guilt feelings, which they can only put a Band-Aid on. Part of the beauty
of the gospel is the realism; it diagnoses accurately both cause (guilt) and
affect (guilt-feelings), and then if offers the only solution—Divine
forgiveness and consequent cleansing of conscience. 1 John 1:9 wonderfully captures
this, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you struggle with guilt feelings, examine
your heart for unconfessed sin—once confessed/forgiven, it is your
responsibility to not let the guilt feelings fester. How?
To
be effective in spiritual warfare we must first recognize the lies in our minds…sometimes
we feel guilty for something we have not done or have been forgiven of.
Throughout the day thoughts bubble up, and they seem to always have “I”
attached to it, but it may not necessarily be coming from me. It sounds like my
inner voice, but it may not be. When tempted by the world, the flesh
(indwelling sin), or demons they don’t take on an ominous inner voice tone—we
hear what sounds like us speaking to us. Some of these thoughts can be awfully
destructive can’t they? We need to recognize these thoughts for what they are
and not ignore them; acknowledge them and expose them to the Light. If you have
thoughts that say you are: worthless, loser, ugly (fill in the blank please),
then do NOT ignore those thoughts. Just as guilt is distinct from guilt
feelings, we need to make a distinction between temptation and sin. Jesus had
all kinds of nasty, brutal, and depraved stuff projected into His mind by
Satan, but our Savior never sinned. Please do not feel guilty for being tempted
with, say, a lustful thought popping into your mind. It is only if you dwell on
it that it becomes sin. If you did something for which you feel shame, you need
to expose it to the light by acknowledging it; or if it was done to you this
shame needs to be named. Submerging it will only give the demonic a foothold in
your mind. Often this exposing to the light is all it takes to be delivered
from self-destructive thoughts.
If
that is not enough, then verbally renounce the lie. James 4:7-8 tells us that if we submit to God
and resist the devil, then he will flee from us. What lie do you currently
believe about yourself? Is
it guilt, fear, shame, condemnation…? Be specific…as specific as you can. Oftentimes,
there are multiple lies. The bible says that the power of life and death lie in
the tongue, and some of us have been wounded or scarred by something our parents,
spouse, or some other significant person said to us: “You are ugly….you will
never amount to anything…stupid…and so on.” BTW, what is the ratio of
compliments to criticism in your marriage or with your children or friends?
Then, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what specific lie is causing these
self-destructive thoughts. Once you have a handle on what specific lie you have
been entertaining in your mind, then you should say out loud, “I renounce the
lie that I am a failure…stupid…” Occasionally you may sense the presence of the
demonic, and you will need to rebuke it verbally as well. They need to hear it
because they cannot hear your prayers or silent rebukes. May I suggest that some, if not most
temptation/destructive thoughts, emanate from our flesh or indwelling sin, and
not from demons. (James 1:14-15; Gal.5:17; Rom.7)What I do insist on is the
cruel insanity of people like Bob Larson who tend to label these
negative/condemning thought patterns of Christians as evidence that they are
demon possessed. A thousand times NO! Whatever the source, renouncing it
verbally will be helpful (especially if demonic in origin) and cannot hurt.
Even when I do confess my sin mentally, I learned long ago the benefits of
saying, “Thank You” to the Lord out loud—it reinforces the reality of
the fact of my being forgiven. Plus, I think it only appropriate that we
express gratitude to our Forgiver. May I suggest that you give that a try? So,
I ask again, what lie/s do you believe about yourself? Renounce that lie specifically
and verbally.
Lastly,
in order to be effective in spiritual warfare we must speak biblical truth over/to
ourselves. If you feel worthless and have renounced that lie,
then say, “I am not worthless because God shed His precious blood for me…I am
worth something because God loves me and has forgiven me…I have value because I
am made in His image…and so on” Or better yet, quote relevant scripture: if you
are feeling accused or condemned say, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1) It is important that you find the
exact biblical truth to take captive the specific lie you are being besieged
with. Don’t look to worldly remedies,
but speak God’s truth that gets right to the heart of the matter.
The
psalmist in Psalms 42 and 43 is discouraged, but he moves from fear to faith by
talking to himself, instead of letting inner, disquieting thoughts speak to him.
Speaking to yourself is not the first sign of insanity! Speaking biblical truth
to yourself is essential to being an effective spiritual warrior. We must
intentionally address ourselves and the lie with the liberating truth. Hurtful
thoughts come unsolicited, but mental assertiveness is necessary to overcome
this negative inner monologue…then, we
will begin to possess our possessions in the Lord.
Again,
hiding the source of current shame, and not countering it with biblical truth,
only gives power to the lie. Like kudzu, the lies
will rapidly grow and wrap its tendrils around your heart—choking the life out
of you. I tread gently here because you might have some horribly painful memory
that you have suppressed. This process is not to replace biblical counseling in
the case of dealing with a trauma. Diagnose where/what the problem is in the
mind, and speak truth directly to it. The heart of spiritual warfare is not
sensational—like rebuking some manifesting demon-- but daily acknowledging the
lies, renouncing the lies, and speaking spiritual truth to the lies that are
joy robbers. These are principles that you can practice for the rest of your
life.
If
we are not feeding our minds daily with God’s truth about Him, then our minds
are being fashioned by something else…mostly lies.
”Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your
mind…” (Rom.12:2 see 1 Peter 1:13-16) Living in a fallen world can be painful
at times, and all around us are non-biblical remedies being shouted at us. I
was divorced 13 years ago, and due to circumstances beyond my control, I was
unable to live with my own precious children for most of that time. The guilt,
shame, worthlessness, and sadness I wrestle with on a daily basis are sometimes
unbearable. “I’m a failure as a dad.” is what I hear over and over in my mind,
and I desperately wish I could turn back the wheels of time, but I can’t. I
live with this wide-awake nightmare every day, and especially at night when I
am alone. But this I know…our Lord brings beauty out of ashes, and causes ALL
things to work together for our good. I am thankful that I am not just
whistling in the dark when speaking God’s truth over me. What burden/lies can
you lay at Jesus’s feet, who is gentle and tender-hearted to your sorrows? What
truth can bind up that bleeding heart? “Cast all your anxieties on Him because
He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) May the Lord continue to heal you from the
inside out in order that you might be increasingly effective as a mighty
spiritual warrior. Amen.
