Some Silent Spiritual Warfare Strategies 101

“After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.
Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)”
-2 Chronicles 20:1-2 NLT

 

Some persons think that the Bible is outdated and irrelevant for what we are going through today BUT the truth is that whoever you are, whatever you are going through, the Bible not only has an answer for your situation, but more often than not, already has a prototype of your situation that was recorded in the Bible.

 

I have mentioned on the blog and on my social media pages that I am currently working on my third book; “Making A Difference With Your NYSC Year” and the plan was simply to go to orientation camp and speak/get it out to the youths.
It seemed like a simple enough plan till the letters I had written to Oyo State got missing twice and Ekiti State where I served kpa kpa seem to be denying me entry.
And I was confounded about this situation.
I know that I have been praying (maybe not enough?) and that I woke up with a word on “open doors” on Saturday but didn’t really look into it because… long story.
But still, I was confused because I generally walk in the atmosphere of favour and grace. I mean, generally, when I ask for stuff like this, I get a free pass… so I didn’t see this as normal and have been praying about it. I asked my sisters in TWTW to pray along with me as well.
As I knelt down to pray yesterday though, I was taken back to 2nd Chronicles 20.
And I found some very silent step by step principles to apply when you are faced with trying situations.

 

So let’s do this step by step, bringing out principles all from 2 Chronicles 20 (you should be reading that passage by now):

 

(1) The first thing we must understand is that being faced with war/battles is not peculiar to you. It’s almost a normal way of life for every believer.

 

“After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.”

 

And you don’t have to do anything to be faced with challenges, it’s just the way our terrain is designed to work.
I was asking myself after seeing the bill for book printing and then the work to go around camps in front of me and the seeming mountain of closed doors I had to face, “but could there be an easier path? Could there be a path that I will have no issues with and I can just glide on?”.
The answer is an emphatic NO.
John 15 (whip out your Bibles) talks about remaining in Jesus because without Him we cannot bear fruit, and what challenges/battles do for you is that it makes you burrow deeper into Jesus, in recognition of the fact that you can’t do this walk on your own.
And this brings me to step 2 of warfare principles.

 

(2) You look unto God for help.
“Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord ’s help.”
-2 Chronicles 20:3-4 NLT

 

When you get ill reports, this is not a time to start running to your uncle, Aunty, and all the connections you have, this is a time to declare a fast if need be, fast from social media, food, friends, etc, lock up yourself and say “God I need your help!”

 

(3) You set yourself to pray and report this issue to God…

 

“Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord.
He prayed, “O  Lord , God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name.
They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’
“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them.
Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance.
O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
-2 Chronicles 20:5-12 NLT

 

You know how you lay down doctors report, university report, friends and family report, colleagues report before God?
This is the time to do so.
Most times, we are already crying when we get to this stage.
“Lord see, I cannot even afford to make my hair…I have been called a pauper by even the poor, and I serve you…
Lord see, I still have no child after 8 years, my colleagues at work mock me everyday… and I serve you…”
This is the time to lay down your pain before God.
Don’t form sophisticated, lay on the floor if need be and cry out… you know where it pinches.

 

(4) Wait For God to Speak…
“As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.”
-2 Chronicles 20:13-14 NLT

 

Don’t just leave your place of prayer like that, you came here to talk to your Father, and you must determine to hear what He has to say about this matter.
When you have laid it all bare before Him, wait for Him to speak, maybe with a Bible passage as He did for me yesterday with this passage we are studying now, or with a gentle word whispered in your ear, or with comfort in your soul… whichever way He wants to speak to you, wait to hear Him speak.
(5a) Do not be afraid or discouraged in the face of the battle before you…

 

“He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army…”

 

One of the first things God would do for you when you cry out before Him is to infuse you with faith.
Faith in His word and faith in who He is.
He would fill you with His Spirit of boldness and emphatically tell you to worry not and this is important because satan uses the tool of fear and wields it for His purposes.
(5b) Recognize that the battle isn’t yours and so it’s not yours to fight…

 

“for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
-2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT

 

Kenneth Hagin says in one of his leaflets I read that we Christians have not been called to do battle – the battle isn’t ours but the Lord.
But most of us will then say, so why does Ephesians 6 say that we should put on our armor then?
Well, did you see anywhere where it says to put on a physical sword and start killing the demons?
The battle isn’t physical and the battle isn’t ours to fight, it’s fought by God on our behalf.
So what can we do then?
We can do all what Ephesians 6 says to do and more importantly, #Rest and not have worries about the issue.
Some of us don’t want to leave the battle for God to fight, so we drag and drag it and have no peace because we think witches and wizards are always pursuing us.

Don’t get this wrong, there is a part that you play in this battle, on your knees, declaring the word, being vigilant and sober, aware of the wiles of satan…
Do your part with prayers, and let God fight the way only Him knows to do.

 

(6) Get the strategy to conquer this battle from the Lord of Lords.

 

“Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord ’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!””
-2 Chronicles 20:16-17 NLT

 

Sometimes the strategy God gives to you will be to declare the word night and day.
It maybe to pray in the Spirit every day for an hour to two hours.
It maybe to just sing and clap your hands.
It maybe to jump and dance.
God works in different amazing ways! Get what He wants you to do at that time and do it.

 

(7) Start praising!

 

“Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord . Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord , the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord ; his faithful love endures forever!” At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.”
-2 Chronicles 20:18-19, 21-22 NLT

 

Some persons want to see God work before they start praising.
Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not the way spiritual battles work.
After you’ve poured your heart out to God and have gotten your word, deem it as settled even if you’ve not seen results and praise Him.
Notice that at the very moment they started to praise God, God started fighting on their behalf.
Could it be that God is waiting for your praises for Him to start working on your behalf?
*Food for thought*

 

(9) Stand still and watch God work…
“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness…”

-Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT

 

Some people think that standing still means that you are not to do anything but that’s not true.
Immediately after saying “stand your ground”, it says “putting on the belt of truth…” and goes on to talk about our spiritual armour.

 

But I have also realized that standing firm is an amazing thing if we stand and sing praises all the way.

 

“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!
The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.”
-Acts of the Apostles 16:25-34 NLT

 

See Paul and Silas, not doing anything but just singing hymns and praying in their seeming helpless state.
And suddenly… suddenly, look what happened!
With eternal spoils being recorded, a jailer and his household saved!

Talking about spoils brings me to another point…

 

(9) After all this, your work is simply to gather in the spoils…both physical and eternal…

“So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.”
-2 Chronicles 20:24-26 NLT

 

You see?
When you let God fight your battles, your work will simply be to gather in the blessing (after using the strategy He tells you of course, prayers, praise, declaring the word, etc)
He is the Lord of heaven’s armies, have never lost a battle and won’t start now… neither will He want to lose His reputation starting with your small issue.

 

(10) Don’t forget to praise, praise and praise…

 

“Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.
When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.”
-2 Chronicles 20:27-30 NLT

 

Praise before the challenge is brought down, praise when it’s being brought down, and praise after its brought down.

 

Basically, God opened my eyes to see that in this battle we face day in and day out, praises are our biggest weapon.
After you have poured your heart out, you have prayed and prayed, start dancing and singing and jumping and shouting.
Don’t wait for the physical manifestation, it’s a spiritual something.
You tap into it with your spirit and eyes of faith.
Have you been facing one challenge or the other this year, this week or even today?
Stop all the running around from your uncle to the next, start from the top of this post… better still pick up your Bible and pick out YOUR strategy… do your part and let God go to work on your behalf.
I await our testimonies.
Prayer:
Father I surrender this issue (name it) unto you.
I confess that I have no power of my own to conquer or subdue this.
You are all I have/hope on.
Lord, fight my battles for me.
Go forward on my behalf.
You are God and there is no other.
You reign and will forever reign in the heavens, the earth and under the earth.
Everyone knows this truth and trembles.
Thank you for reigning over my life and this circumstance (name it).
I thank you Father for the eternal spoils that shall arise out of this.
All glory belongs to you Lord.
Thank you Lord, in Jesus name I have prayed, amen!
Remember, stay praising!
Stay jumping!
At the moment you start singing, God is working.
It don’t matter if it comes to light this moment or in the next one year/eight years.
He is working!
Stay praising!

 

And just one final strategy I deliberately skipped up there, that’s so important, that will hold you up in any waiting period:

(11) Believe…
“Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
-2 Chronicles 20:20 NLT

 

Your faith and your trust in God’s power is your biggest weapon here.
Don’t lose it.
Don’t lose it.
satan would throw darts at it.
Don’t lose it.
If you wanna add steps to this list or simply have a prayer you want us to agree on with you, the comment box is open.
As you drop yours/see others, lift up your fellow brothers and sisters in prayer and thanksgiving also.

 

 

Till our next #OnlineBibleStudy,
Love,
Frances.