THE UNIQUENESS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN FAMILIES (2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5)
The Very Rev Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Provost.
Our families are unique because of differences in our belief systems and tribal structures. Each one of us needs to understand the spiritual mapping of your families before you attack the strongholds. The assurance is that however strong they are, Jesus defeated them on the cross and in him we have victory. If we are in Christ, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life and we are heaven bound. But we should never forget
that every believer is in a spiritual battle between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness because Satan seeks to hinder the work of God in our lives. According to Ephesians 6, we are called to resist the devil by standing firm in the power of the Lord.
Through His ability, believers can overcome temptation, even when facing difficult circumstances.
In spiritual warfare we need to understand that the battle is spiritual, personal and real. Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says that although we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons are not worldly; they have divine power to demolish strongholds. This assures us that a spiritual battle can only be dealt with in the spirit with spiritual weapons filled with heavenly authority and power. In Ephesians 6: 11-12, Paul
speaks about “forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (v. 12). Though Satan can’t change our eternal destiny, he’ll do all he can to interrupt our relationship with God while we’re on earth, drawing us away and making us unhappy and spiritually unproductive.
This battle is personal; we fight every pretention that sets itself against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. When you arrive at the scene of warfare where you are sure that they are very difficult, it could be a meeting, or one gets married in a family and realizes they are very wicked. All you do is to ask the Lord to capture their minds and thoughts and put them under His leadership. When they begin to
speak, self-expression gets lost because they are captured by Christ, their carnal weapons are no longer functional, Christ is reigning over their thoughts, and they are powerless.
Pretense is a personal matter. It is hard to know that one is telling a lie. As Jeremiah 17:10 asserts that the heart is so deceitful beyond cure. Therefore the battle requires personal responsibility through acknowledgement that there is a problem, self-surrender to the Lord for deliverance, openness that you need help, personal prayer and repentance. Paul says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12). Struggle here can also
mean wrestle, indicating one-on-one combat. The devil attacks and tempts each of us individually.
The battle is real. One of Satan’s tactics is to convince people that he doesn’t exist as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:4. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” With such deception, the devil can easily execute his strategies of destruction. Although the Lord allows Satan to bring adversity, the Holy Spirit can enable us to walk through it victoriously, and even joyfully, as we trust in Him (James 1:2-4).
Many people give in to the devil because of ignorance, denial of Satan’s existence, lack of training, inadequate biblical instruction and the devil’s propaganda which makes us concentrate on goals, pleasures and possessions and finally lose our soul. Your family is unique with unique battles, will you turn and seek the Lord for victory. God bless you.
The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye,
Provost.