The Dragon and the Sword of Praise in Spiritual Warfare

"Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;"

Introduction

     The Main purpose for writing this post is to emphasize the power of praise in spiritual warfare, an expression of one of the highest forms of faith, prayer, and worship, and described in God's Word as a "two-edged sword" for the saint.

     The best way for me to demonstrate the power of praise in the believer is by sharing my own experience, which in a moment of praise, opened the floodgates of heaven and delivered me out of trouble. We can often feel abandoned in this life and question our faith in the love of God as we witness the exercise of evil in the world. However, what I hope to be a major source of encouragement to the readers of this post is to share my glimpse into the heart and glory of God and to say "yes" as believers, we are seated in the heavenlies with Christ.

     Secondly, there are those who have an affinity towards Christ, but struggle to understand how sin is a part of their human nature and for this reason put off their decision for Christ. I believe this post will also help to answer that question.

     The setting from which my story emerges begins at my workplace. An occult group began to surface and grow, and I believe their practices opened a porthole of negative influences for the powers of darkness to operate. For example, there were reports of strange animal behaviors toward some of the workers. Even a casual mention of the “blood of Jesus” caused an unnatural reaction in some of the occult members. Although it is not unusual to hear about daily tragedies, loss of life, and sickness, this seemed to increase in frequency for those associated with this workplace, as well as in-house fighting and backstabbing. Coincidence? Perhaps! However, it was under these circumstances that led to one of the greatest spiritual battles of my life, but also to the greatest experience of the love, faithfulness, power, and glory of God! The promises of the Lord are true, and I do testify that,

Isa 59:19 " . . . When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."

The events I am about to share transpired (approximately) over a 3-month time span, therefore I cannot include all the details in this post. This 3 month period would include the events that led up to my situation, as well as, during the time of the Lord's intervention, and immediately afterwards. I will focus on the works of God versus the works of the devil, especially due to the accessibility of the internet to various age groups. I would like for those who read this post to meditate on what God can do versus any fear on what the devil might do. I will share points of spiritual significance in spiritual warfare, and hope that this information will be an inspiration and comfort to many. As God states in His Word,

1Pe 5:9 Whom [devil] resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

This post will cover: the power of prayer in both petition and praise, an unveiling of the heart and power of God, and important spiritual warfare principles we need to know in our quest for victory. My story begins with a simple but earnest prayer to God.

A Prayer of Petition for the Lord’s Help!

I could no longer suppress an awareness of my unceasing, rapid heartbeat as I went about my daily routine at work. That evening, a repugnant stench of dark chaos hovered about, as conflicts arose and people fought. I closed my eyes in opposition to the cold and demanding ambiance, and envisioned myself surrounded by the warm glow of a burning hearth. Recalling the verse, “The effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Ja. 5:16),” and with an understanding of my righteousness in Christ, I prayed a very simple but deeply, heartfelt prayer, “Lord, help me and make a way of escape, something is wrong.” However my physical symptoms increased and my heartbeat continued to race. I didn’t feel the hot cup of coffee slip from my left hand until it landed on my foot, and there were times I would wake up and didn’t recognize my own bedroom, just to mention a few of the physical symptoms that occurred during this time. I addition, I felt very physically drained, that all I wanted to do was sleep. However, the Lord answered my prayer in a dream by the end of that week, and showed me in detail a way of escape that would be presented to me from my current situation at work. The next day, every detail of this prophetic dream came true, and I was immediately assigned to a special project, however, my physical symptoms worsened and a series of medical tests were scheduled.

A Prayer of Praise Opens the Floodgates of Heaven

Feeling somewhat down, and confused about God’s miraculous answer to prayer, and yet realizing the peril of my present circumstances. I turned the radio on to distract my mind and happened to tune into a sermon already in progress, a pastor, who was sharing his story of victory over an evil entity through the power of praise. He clapped his hands and praised God in a strategic plan to defeat an evil presence, an intrusion that he discerned to occupy an area of his new church building. Inspired, I dug deep into my heart and rehearsed all the reasons for my faith in Christ, and decided to openly confess these beliefs in praise. I began to clap my hands and praise God for His Son, Jesus Christ, Who suffered the cruelty of the cross and shed His innocent blood for me, and most significantly, I praised Him for His glorious and triumphant victory!

An Unveiling of the Heart and Power of God

Suddenly! Like an unexpected squall, the magnificent glory of God filled and overflowed my entire being, as well as what seemed to be the entire room. I was amazed and jubilated beyond measure, His peace so incredibly tangible; I stood awed and continued to praise and thank Him for His absolute goodness. Like a gentle spray of healing balms, this experience continued intermittently for days and weeks. His power penetrated the right side of my head, my blood, and on one occasion, it felt as if something shifted in my chest. His love was so pure and holy, and feeling so overjoyed by His perfect love, I felt a deep compassion for the Lord, as I realized my inability to love so completely and unreservedly. Knowing now by experience that He is worthy of so much more. His light gave me light, and it is this experience that impacted me more than all the others. Without the Spirit of God, we miss the mark of spiritual perfection, regardless of how good or righteous we think we are, and believe that we are without sin. Sin is not just a wrongful act, it is a nature, a state of imperfection, in which we were born and have our being. It is only through salvation in Christ that we are made whole again. We receive God's Holy Spirit with a new nature, a heavenly birth for eternal life, and we look forward to our full redemption in the manifestation of spiritual perfection that can and will live eternally in the kingdom of God.

1Co 13:12: For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known.

The power that I experienced during this time was not exclusively physical, but God also protected and empowered me against evil, spiritual attacks that immediately ensued. This is where the entire situation becomes suspect. It was not just physical symptoms that I encountered, but I was thrown into spiritual warfare, in which these attacks were meant to intimidate, cause fear, and steal God’s work. Although for now, I will not be going into the details of these attacks, instead, I will share the most important lessons that I learned during these intimidations, and I hope others will find these useful. However, there were direct, as well as, the more disguised manifestations of the enemy and yet so spiritually apparent. But the power of God is greater, and as we put on the whole armor of God in spiritual warfare, this armor will become a tangible experience that is beyond our imagination, and a mighty fortress against the enemy in times of trouble. Many of these intrusions occurred at night while sleeping, but the presence and power of God always sent the forces of darkness running. We need not be afraid because God's power is greater in us than he who is in the world. If anyone is experiencing nightly intrusions, pray for God's protection every night, and get God's Word deep in your heart so that you are ready to speak God's Word (our sword of the spirit) in any given situation in faith. To be honest, there was one particular time it felt as if there was a war taking place right over my bed. Doesn't the Lord say in His Word,

Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

A Time of Spiritual Warfare

Aside from verbalizing the name and blood of Christ, declaring the Word of God and equipping ourselves with the whole armor of God, below is a summary of some of the most important principles I learned in spiritual warfare.

1. If you are unsure if God is directing you in a certain situation, then ask Him for a sign (silently in your mind not verbally). He always confirms His guidance.

2. Remain diligent and watchful against the schemes of the devil, especially after winning a victory, this is when you become the most vulnerable.

3. One remarkable technique the devil uses is to get us in the flesh. He wins these battles and is his means of distracting us by catching us in a snare. We cannot lean on our own understanding, or give in to our emotions, or fight back with our carnal nature. We need to stay on track and trust God in these situations. We become more skilled with practice. When we fail we don't dwell on our failures, but we learn from them.

4. The devil has his minions all over the world, we may even meet one or two on a bus, a train, or a street corner. Remember that the eyes are the mirror of the soul. One might encounter an evil that doesn't reflect anything we know of a human soul. Pray and praise God for His protection and move on, and if need be rebuke that presence under your breath using the name of Jesus Christ.

5. Always look to God and not your circumstances.

6. Don’t be surprised if a disproportional number of misunderstandings occur in some social situations.

7. Never! Never! Never! tell anyone what the Lord is planning to do in your life, because then, you just told the devil too!

8. Always be sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit within.

9. When you feel that you are under an attack “praise God,” praising God in faith is a two-edged sword in your hand.

10. When your not sure if you are under attack, or if there is really an evil presence, then praise God and if there is an evil presence you will know it in some way.

11. Do your best and trust God to do the rest.

12. Every worrisome thought that crosses your mind, give it to God in prayer and let His peace rule your heart!

13. Understand that God’s power is according to the situation at hand, if you are experiencing great power then you are also experiencing a great task.

Finally, all ended well. The physical symptoms and spiritual attacks ceased and my health was restored. It could be possible that I was physically ill and simultaneously fell victim to a spiritual attack. Could it also be possible that these entities found an open door to afflict me, both spiritually and physically, perhaps this was the case; however, being a seasoned Christian, there was nothing that I could correlate this situation to, but what is important is to know that God is our refuge and strength in times of trouble, and that spiritual warfare is very real, but so is the power of God and our victory in Christ.

Pro 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Then, it was as if God took me by the hand and led me to discover Psalm 149: 5-6:

"Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;"

14. The sword of praise in the power of God will never fail!

The Word of God in the spirit of praise is a mighty and great weapon in the hands of the saints, and our means of victory.

Psa 21:13 Be thou exalted, O Jehovah, in thy strength: So will we sing and praise thy power.

Psa 22:26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: Let your heart live for ever.

Psa 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him For the help of his countenance.

Now and then I have heard people say that heaven might be boring; well, if a small portion of God's glory could bring such overflowing joy in trying circumstances, then I would think that "boring" is not a word in God's vocabulary!

GOD BLESS YOU!
Magdalene

Other Links:

Battlefield of the Mind - Part I: Prepare your Heart for War

Battlefield of the Mind - Part II: Spiritual Armor of God

Principalities, Powers, Rulers of Darkness, Wickedness

What is Salvation and How to Know if We Are Saved?

(Updated for clarification -04/02/2008)