Mama Warriors
You know the old joke where you put a sticky note on someone’s back with a message and they walk around ignorant with others secretly laughing at them? As missionaries for 18 years, there have been many times we’ve had a target painted right on our back – by Satan. A few times, when things got unusually bad, I felt that target stuck there and took it off through prayer, prayer, more prayer, praise, thanksgiving, and faith.
Unfortunately, more often I ignorantly went on with my life, pushing forward as a wife, mom, caregiver, missionary, striving to make headway and often having it sabotaged. When you know that sticky note is there, it can be easy to take off. When you don’t realize it’s there you go on ignorantly struggling against all the wrong things.
I'm grateful for Naomi Brubaker and her insights on spiritual warfare . It's real. Yes, it can be over-hyped. But that doesn't make the fact that it is a reality in some instances any less real. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I’ve often been more guilty of being naïve to the influence and reality that Satan and his minions have in my life, family’s lives, and our circumstances and then I didn’t counter his influence.
If that’s true of you, I’d encourage you to spend some time praying for insight into areas of your life where Satan may have a stronghold or influence and then praying for God’s protection over your lives and booting Satan out. You’ll likely have to do that repeatedly in different areas, different ways, different times and circumstances. He is not a gentleman. Just because you told him to get lost doesn’t mean he’ll never try attacking again. If you’ve claimed Jesus as your Savior, you have the upper hand. Satan can attack (just ask Job) but you can counter and win through prayer!
Prayers that win spiritual battles include some or all of these:
1. Praise – of God and who He is (SO POWERFUL!)
2. Thanksgiving – to God for what He has done and good things He has given
3. Truth:
a. Acknowledging the reality of sin or wrong thinking in your life
b. Standing in the truth of the Word of God and countering lies with it
4. Faith – in God, who He is, His power, His authority, your standing, rights and authority in Him
5. Word of God – it is your sharpest sword and is what Jesus used against Satan’s temptations in the wilderness. Read it, speak it, pray it!
Lastly, if aren’t making headway or gaining victory on your own, and haven’t already, ask others to stand and battle with you in prayer! Sometimes it takes an army.
Let’s be mamas who stand up and fight for ourselves, for our husbands, for our kids, for our families, for our friends! We have powerful weapons, we just need to wield them!
Written by Sarah McGuire
