When you get discouraged, when you feel inadequate, when it feels like hope is slipping and inner pain tries to dominate your soul… recognize that your inner pain has very little to do with external circumstances or people. External circumstances like financial pressure, sickness and relational issues are manifestations of a spiritual attack aimed at your soul… your mind , your will and your emotions.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down ARGUMENTS (persuasive reasoning that contradicts the Word) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (the Word of God), bringing every THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Most spiritual warfare happens within – the strategy of the devil is to defeat us inwardly. The New Covenant reality for the believer in Christ is that the devil cannot harm you… that he is under your feet and that you have power over him and over all of his works. Because he cannot harm you, his only option is to attempt to get you to self-destruct, to give up, to give in and to buy the lies that he is selling.
The enemy attacks through toxic ‘thoughts’, deceptive ‘arguments’, unscriptural ‘reasonings’ and outright lies that he tries to plant in your inner man… lies about who you are, what you are capable of, who God is, how He looks at you… lies about others and lies about your future. These attacks are designed to break you and to hurt you and to defeat you on the inside!
WE ARE IN A WAR WAGED AGAINST OUR INNER MAN AND WE ARE BEING ATTACKED BY A DEFEATED FOE!
HE CANNOT DEFEAT YOU OR HARM YOU, BUT HE WILL TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO DEFEAT YOURSELF AND TO THROW IN THE TOWEL!
THE DEVIL WILL ATTEMPT TO USE PERSUASIVE ARGUMENTS, THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS TO DEFEAT YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
WE HAVE TO WIN ON THE INSIDE IF WE ARE GOING TO WALK IN VICTORY IN LIFE.
MOST SICKNESS, POVERTY AND FAILURE AT IT’S ROOT COME FROM INNER DEFEAT, HOPELESSNESS, CONDEMNATION, DEPRESSION, HURT FROM OTHERS AND EVEN TOWARDS GOD.
David wrote Psalm 42 and 43 while in exile from his son Absalom who found favor with the people, overthrew the kingdom and took his father’s place. Psalm 42 and 43 were later composed as a hymn and sung by David’s worship leaders, the sons of Korah.
Psalm 42:1-5 (TPT)
1. I long to drink of you, O God, drinking deeply from the streams of pleasure flowing from your presence. My longings overwhelm me for more of you! (As the deer pants for the water, so pants my soul for You)
3-5. Day and night my tears keep falling and my heart keeps crying for your help while my enemies mock me over and over, saying, “Where is this God of yours? Why doesn’t he help you?”
4. So I speak over my heartbroken soul, “Take courage. Remember when you used to be right out front leading the procession of praise when the great crowd of worshipers gathered to go into the presence of the Lord? You shouted with joy as the sound of passionate celebration filled the air and the joyous multitude of lovers honored the festival of the Lord!”
5. So then, my soul, why would you be depressed? Why would you sink into despair? (Why so downcast, oh my soul) Just keep hoping and waiting on God, your Savior (place your trust in God). For no matter what, I will still sing with praise, for living before His face is my saving grace!
HOW TO WALK IN VICTORY OVER THE WAR WITHIN
SPEAK TO YOUR SOUL
David did not just passively embrace his pain, he spoke to his soul, “I speak over my heartbroken soul, “Take courage - my soul, why would you be depressed? Why would you sink into despair? Just keep hoping and waiting on God, your Savior and place your trust in God.”
SPEAK LIFE! (SPEAK THE WORD)
Proverbs 4:21-22 (TPT) says. “Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.”
Speak the Word into your soul… the Word will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.
If you are broken hearted, (broken in your soul) you will be defeated in all areas of life. Do not be passive about this, speak to your soul, speak life, speak the Word and receive healing and wholeness in your inner man.
SPEAK ENCOURAGEMENT AND STRENGTH
In 1 Samuel 30:6 (AMPC) it says, “David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” David went through many ‘soul destroying’ things, but he would not allow them to destroy his inner man, David spoke to His soul, spoke the Word to his soul, spoke life to his soul and received healing from the Lord. David triumphed over the enemies attacks that were aimed at his inner being, and because he won that battle, he went on to be one of the greatest kings of Israel and one of the greatest men of God in all time.
SPEAK TO THE MOUNTAIN
After you minister healing to your mind, your emotions and your will through the implanted Word, then and only then begin to go on the offence against the attacks of the devil. As Jesus taught in
Mark 11:23-24, we have to SPEAK TO demonic mountains of deception, condemnation, discouragement and hurt, speak to these demonic mountains that have targeted your soul and say, “mountain (hurt, discouragement, hopelessness, condemnation), Be removed and be cast into the sea of darkness, and never come back, in Jesus Name!” When you speak in faith you will have what you say!
“SPIRIT OF DEPRESSION, SPIRIT OF DISCOURAGEMENT, LYING SPIRIT, SPIRIT OF HOPELESSNESS, BE REMOVED FROM ME AND BE CAST INTO THE SEA OF DARKNESS, IN JESUS NAME!
Whenever I ‘feel’ discouraged or challenged within, I immediately recognize that a spirit of darkness is trying to get me to self-destruct – when that happens I take action right away, I speak to my soul immediately and flood it with the healing power and truthy of the Word, then I speak to the spirit of darkness and command it to go from me, then I give every care to Jesus and move forward with faith.
This process probably only takes two or three minutes, five minutes at best…
When the devil knows that you are going to take immediate action every time, I find that he bothers you a lot less. As for me, the enemy only attacks, maybe once or twice a month. Years ago, before I started taking swift and strong action, I would come under attack several times a day, and sometimes continually – the more consistent that you get in responding immediately, the less you will have to deal with being attacked.
Make sure that you are continually filled with joy, peace, hope and faith inwardly, if anything interferes with that, take immediate action, and remember, you will prosper and be in health in every area of life, even as your soul prospers!
Blessings on you, Nick
