How do you view yourself in God’s kingdom? Are you still a sinner saved by grace who has no power and still needs the Father or Jesus to step in and fight for you. Are you united with Christ and drawing from Holy Spirit who lives inside of you? How you answer these questions is vital to becoming a confident and victorious Christ-follower.
Fifty-five percent of Christians in America believe Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is nothing more than a mystical force that might work on our behalf if “it” is so inclined (think Star Wars – “May the force be with you”).
If Holy Spirit is just a thing, how does one grieve “it” as the Bible warns in Ephesians 4:30?
One scheme the demonic realm employs is to attack our spiritual identity, so we question our intimacy and genuine relationship with Holy Spirit. He is the source of resurrecting and miracle-working power made available by God to indwell us when Jesus bodily left the earth.
We are sons of daughters of the King, and the Kingdom of God is not far away but dwells within us because the King lives there. He has given us His power and authority to be Christ’s body here on earth. That includes power and authority over the demonic realm – to discern, resist, and drive out!
Demons Challenge Our True Identity
One of the first concepts we teach clients deals with the spiritual reality of how the enemy tries to confuse and diminish our God-given destiny. When we get stuck in an area of our life, we focus on negative feelings, complicated relationships, or defeating life circumstances instead of understanding the agenda the demons have against us.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds: “we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world…”.
Our understanding often ends there. The demons have lost the war, but if they can keep us from fighting battles, we will cease glorifying God, attracting others to Christ and fulfilling our calling.
If the devils can keep us from understanding the spiritual world, they can keep us from walking in our God-given power and authority to overcome their obstacles.
Many believers do not give thought to the reality of the spirit realm as it affects them.
Pastor Henry Wright in his series “Spirit World Realities” explains we are first a spirit (and God is the Father of all Spirits), we have a soul (mind, will, memory and emotions) and we live in a body. That is our makeup as men and women created in the image of God.
Our spirit man lives for eternity. It is this part of us that goes back to God when we pass away. The other concept that is hard to get our minds around but is vital to realize is that the spirit realm is just on the other side of what we can see – it is closer than we realize! Since God is the Father of all spirits (Hebrews 12:9), we have the backing of His authority. Why is this important to grasp? Because it is in the spirit where we fight our most significant battles.
Tony Evans says, “Understanding how to tap into the heavenly places is crucial to waging victorious spiritual warfare.” We access our blessings in heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
In spiritual warfare, we can only access our blessings and walk in His power and authority if we correctly understand who we are in the spirit realm. We need God’s help who helps us win our battles. Knowing that we are seated with Jesus in heavenly places, at the right hand of the Father, helps us find the help we need.
This is why understanding your true nature is critical to success. While your body, which is wasting away, exists here in the earthly realm, part of you, your spirit man, through the conscious actions of your mind and will, can access heavenly help in an entirely different place.
Spiritual Warfare With a New Revelation
I have seen clients wake up to this understanding and realize they can fight the enemy on a whole other level.
Jane, a recent client, struggled with torment, rejection, abandonment, and unworthiness from the trauma of childhood molestation and incest. She gained the revelation that the thoughts, feelings, and memories did not define her, but they were spirits that had no right to torment her. There was another kingdom behind the lies that were on constant replay in her mind. The veil of deception had lifted, and she became aware of the enemy’s strategy.
She woke to the fact that as a born-again spirit being. She learned that when troubling thoughts come, she has access to heavenly places beside Christ (Eph 2:6). This revelation became the key to her breakthrough. She did not see herself as worthless, fearful, and unlovable but as a favored, blessed, loved child of the Most High God.
When you learn to think in these terms, you’ll be better equipped to fight spiritual warfare on a higher level. You will be able to discern the enemy’s tactics in battle, and you will be more effective at gaining victory over demonic attacks.
Here are three action items to help start you on this journey:
- Practice awareness that you are first a spiritual being – You’ll have a more significant connection with your Heavenly Father and more confidence as you battle the enemy.
- Remind yourself of the spiritual benefits you can access as a son/daughter of God: a heavenly perspective that encourages you to rise above your circumstances, greater revelation, and more discernment.
- Practice separation: question where your thoughts are coming from so that you can replace the enemy’s lies with the truth found in God’s word.
Need help sorting that out? Helping clients gain a fresh revelation of who they are in Christ is one of our favorite things.
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