Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is generally defined as the rebellion of Satan and his angels against God, and the means he uses to do so.

For whatever reason, darkness in our minds is rarely recognized as warfare in day to day life in the States. The human battle against Satan is disguised more as materialism, pride, common anxiety, etc. There is no doubt that Satan works just as hard to cause weakness in America, but the ways he chooses to go about this simply match the American heart. 

My first night in India, my team decided to go to bed around 7 pm local time. We had been fighting jetlag around the world for over 2 days and wanted to attempt to catch up and be well rested for the day ahead of us. We passed out fairly quickly, but about 4 hours into our sleep, my roommates and I woke up simultaneously with a mutual unease about our rest. The two girls in my room shared that they had both been under the impression that there were voices in our room that night, and assumed that the other two were having conversation in inability to sleep. I admitted that although I didn’t hear anything, I could’ve easily been sleeptalking as I’ve been known to do so. We also all noted the paralyzing physical darkness in the room. Our power was out and there was no sign of light except our phones nearby. We agreed that we felt a deep heavy force in each of us, stemming from the discomfort of the situation we faced, unsure of why this was happening. There’s a natural instinct in animals that tells them to run, and this night I learned that humans are no exception to this. I wanted it to be light so that I didn’t have to go back to sleep, but we still had a huge chunk of time to sleep, so we decided to pray and dedicate our space to the Father before we attempted to rest again. We then all fell asleep again, and although I didn’t rest completely soundly, I was able to fall in and out of sleep until around 4 in the morning. I had dreams that night that took aim at some of the things I was most distracted by at the time, and they all based themselves in fear of rejection or a mistake I had made, two of the most universal human anxieties I’ve faced. 

I woke up with substantial, lasting apprehension that stuck through the hours I spent alone, waiting for my team to wake up. I was unable or possibly unwilling to try going back to bed, in obvious fear of the things that had been used to stir this unrest  into my soul. 

I wake up with anxiety all the time at home, and this experience caused me to meditate on why it happens so often around when I come out of sleep. It became fairly clear to me that I face so much trouble around sleeping because the enemy knows that I use sleep to peacefully escape the turbulence of the world. He sees that I value rest, and he comes to take away. 

My experience with spiritual warfare wasn’t ”intense” by most standards, but it affected me in a way that was particular to me alone. I felt unsure of my step for hours, fighting to gain the spiritual tranquility I needed to face my first day in India. 

The war inside humans won’t be limited to any one method, and it will surely outlast my own time on earth, but thankfully(!) choosing light and freedom is just as timeless. Recognition undeniably fosters power against metaphysical evil, and so I share this in the hope that others will choose to follow the deliverer and receive endless opportunity to be bathed in supernatural peace. The truth has proven itself time and time again for me and I can only hope that I, alongside others, am able to abide in the light forever!