Warfare or Common Sin?

There are definitely times when God allows us to go through trials for our own benefit, and there are times when we’re being attacked by the enemy of our souls and he brings a trial on us, but there are many times when we bring those trials on ourselves. In any of these cases, God can use the trial to make us stronger if we are willing to hear Him and obey.

How often do we hear people tell us they’re going through warfare? Certainly this is a reality for the Christian, battling the ploys of the enemy in our everyday lives, and Paul expounds on this greatly in Ephesians. However, we often bring on our own trials because of sin in our lives and no amount of commanding or taking authority over the situation is going to get rid of the problem in that case. The truth is that we have to face our faults and examine ourselves through the Holy Spirit or we’ll compound sin with neglecting to admit that sin and turn from it.

Everyday life is full of opportunities to fulfill our own desires and we can’t blame those desires on the enemy. The book of James says “every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire [lust, passions]” (James 1:14 AMP). So blaming the enemy when you have no lunch money for your child is not valid if you bought Starbucks on the way to work every day this week. And crying out to God for your spouse to spend more time with you…when you’re at a church event 4 nights a week while your better half sits home with the kids… is not an attack of the enemy. The enemy will use those situations and compound them, but you can command and speak to the situation until your blue in the face and it won’t change anything! It’s a condition of the heart that needs to be changed - it’s called selfishness.

There’s a scientific law which states ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.’ We have to see the cause and effect of what we do in our lives. Even though God gives great grace, we cannot take advantage of that grace. Its intention is to teach us to say ‘no’ to ungodliness and live for Him (Titus 2:10-11), in essence giving us numerous opportunities to repent even as we see the effects of sin in our lives. This is why regular time alone with the Lord in reading His Word, worship and repentance is so crucial to our lives. God will stop us in our sinful tracks if we get our hearts before Him and let the Holy Spirit convict us of our sin – this greatly benefits us and advances the Kingdom of God as a testimony of His goodness in our lives.

We must not be tools in the hands of the enemy because of our own selfish desires! Make a choice. Be honest with yourself. Get off of the merry-go-round of having the same old problems pop up in your life and face those things which are your fault. Stop the insanity and repent.