“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:16-18).

Spiritual warfare is part of the Christian life. Psalm 144:1 says, “Praise be to the Lord, my Rock. Who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” Exodus 15:3 says, “The Lord is a mighty warrior; the Lord is his name.” We are living on earth and in enemy territory, and, therefore, we experience spiritual warfare. We must always be on the alert. The enemy comes in like a flood, trying to fill us with doubt and discouragements. But our God always has victory when we trust in Him.

You and I want to be healers and helpers in battle. We must be clad in His armor, by the grace of God. We must have a strategy to rescue those taken hostage or left wounded on the battlefield. We must understand the seriousness of war. How can we walk in victory and maintain our peace right in the midst of personal, and sometimes unrelenting, spiritual warfare? How can we be joyful in war?

It is possible to walk in a level of joy and peace even when things on earth seem to be getting worse. We can bring peace wherever we go. Below are two important ways to maintain peace in the midst of warfare.

Ways to Maintain Peace in Spiritual Warfare

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17-18).

• We must be a lover of God first and then a warrior – Jesus must be our all in all. We must concentrate on our relationship with Him, and abide in that intimacy always. The busier we are, the more we must cultivate our relationship with Him.  The enemy is crafty, and he knows where your power lies. We must develop a life of praise and worship. Worship is powerful warfare. When I go to the nations, I bring my worship music. I play it and pray it over countries. I find that this to be of my greatest strategies in seeing breakthrough in the nations. Prayer and worship open the way for everything else. God opens the door for His grace to come pouring into the nations.

  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)

“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge… The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior” (Psalm 18:1, 46).

• We are here to fight, and we must take a stand – The enemy is intent to stop us as we move forward. We need perseverance. Nothing good happens without perseverance. We are all living in enemy territory. We are called to destroy the works of the devil. To take our stand against the enemy means that we refuse to give him ground and that we will not retreat. We settle that in our hearts. We are not going to retreat or depart because of enemy pressure, but we are going to go on from glory to glory to victory. God’s grace is sufficient. We resist the enemy, stand firm in the Lord, and do not give way (James 4:7-8).

  We worship and praise God right in the middle of the difficulty. Satan will not give us territory without a fight. We are taking ground in heavenly places, even if we do not see it. We must not relax our vigilance. It doesn’t mean that we are frantic, nervous and anxious. We walk in that supernatural perfect peace that is totally possible only as we abide in Him. This is the amazing truth of the Christian life and especially for all of us entering into the harvest in the nations. We are living a life that is not of our own strength.

  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:10-13).

Times of Testing in Warfare

When we were going through months of endurance and spiritual warfare on our missionary ship where the trials seemed endless and without any let-up, I would go out on deck during a voyage (feeling seasick and tired), put on my headphones and worship God for a period of time. Before long, the clouds in my own mind and heart would clear, I would see light on the horizon, and my perspective would change. The devil will always try to steal our hope. But God gives us hope when we spend time with Him. He would give me hope again and again; hope that He would finally break through, hope that the seas would one day be calm again and hope that God would turn my very trial into something supernatural and good.

When we are in the midst of a difficulty, this is how we are to handle it. The enemy brings in discouraging thoughts, false reasoning, doubts and disappointments. He will try to steal our peace. We choose to worship and acknowledge God, grow intimate with Jesus, and the clouds have to lift. The perseverance is all part of the testing time. We are being stretched. It’s part of the package of how God plans to train and work through us, bringing maturity and victory. Now I thank God with all my heart for every day that He had to stretch me. I have spiritual muscles I would never have had before, and it is so worth it. I see now that it was all part of love, and I never knew it quite so fully at the time. And God loves you. This is why you are going through whatever trial you are facing. It is for your good. He is making you a worker of great stature and purpose, and you shall not be disappointed.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
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