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Why Does Spiritual Warfare Happen? · Arise Women of God

• 0:00
  Hey, my friend, have you ever looked at the sheer amount of chaos hitting your home, family or personal life and asked the gut, honest question, why does spiritual warfare happen?
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  Like, if God loves us, why do we have to deal with this constant exhausting friction?
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  This is so difficult, my friends, because when you're in the thick of a spiritual ambush, it's easy to feel like you've been abandoned.
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  Stay tuned.
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  You are in the right place.
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  And by the end of today's episode, you'll understand the cosmic history of this battlefield, the divine reason God allows us to face opposition, and how a divine promise ensures that you will never face this fight alone.
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  Stay tuned.
• 0:51
  Ordinary women, extraordinary faith.
• 0:55
  When God calls, we say yes.
• 1:01
  Hello and welcome to another episode of the Arise Women of God podcast.
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  I'm your host, Tamara K.
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  Anderson, and I am so thrilled to be with you today as we tackle this perplexing question, the whys behind the spiritual battles we face day in and day out.
• 1:18
  And to help answer this question, we are talking about three critical truths today.
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  First, the historical eviction and the battlefield that we're in today.
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  I'm going to share the biblical story of how Satan was cast out of heaven and why that matters to us today.
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  Second, how we were known premortally and how this life is like a wilderness.
• 1:43
  And here we're going to unpack some beautiful verses in the Bible about how God knew you before you were born and also why he allows mortality to test us us so severely.
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  Third, we're going to look at the refiner's fire and the messy process of how gold is refined, as well as an ironclad promise from God that leaves us victorious.
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  All right, let's kick it off by understanding exactly where we are today.
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  If your home feels like a spiritual combat zone, it is because Earth is the literal terrain where the cosmic war landed.
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  Lets look at Revelations, chapter 12, verses 7 through 9, which reads, and there was a war in heaven.
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  Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not.
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  Neither was their place found any more in heaven.
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  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world.
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  He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him.
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  So, my sister, my friend, we have come to Earth and it is a literal battlefield for our souls.
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  The war that started in heaven did not end, it simply changed locations.
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  The enemy is Satan and he is real.
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  And his target is you and your family.
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  Because of the potential inside of each of you.
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  So you may be wondering, if the enemy is here, why does God allow him to throw fiery darts at us, his beloved children?
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  To understand that, we need to dive into God's ultimate purpose.
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  You see, you aren't here by random accident.
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  You lived with God before you were ever born.
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  In Jeremiah, chapter 1, verse 5, the Lord reminds us, before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee.
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  And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee.
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  God knew us individually and our strength in heaven.
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  But mortality is where that strength is proven.
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  God's purpose in allowing opposition is to answer a foundational question.
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  What will we each choose to do when we are faced with the darkness?
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  Will we continue to love, trust and serve the light?
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  Or will we follow the darkness?
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  Look at how the Lord explains this in the testing ground of the children of Israel, the wilderness.
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  Let's read in Deuteronomy, chapter 8, verse 2, where it says, and thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness to humble thee and to prove thee, and to
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  know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep the commandments or no.
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  So, my friend, the wilderness we are each walking through right now, whether it be a wayward child, financial stress, physical health problems, mental heaviness, exhaustion, it is a proving ground.
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  It is not a sign of God's anger.
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  It's a validation of who you are and your training.
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  He wants to show you what is truly in your heart.
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  So, my friends, once we understand that we are being tested, the idea of spiritual warfare shifts from random cruelty to a process of divine refinement.
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  In the story of Job in the Old Testament, we see a person who was severely challenged and tried.
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  But here is what Job boldly declared in Job, chapter 23, verse 10.
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  But he knoweth the way that I take.
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  When he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
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  Oh, what a faith filled declaration.
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  Let's pause and talk now about how gold is truly refined.
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  It isn't made pure by sitting in the ground.
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  Gold has to be thrown into intensely scorchingly hot flames, like in a furnace.
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  And as the heat turns it white hot, all the hidden impurities and dirt and all the junk in the gold rises to the top.
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  This is what the Bible calls dross.
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  To you and I, this would look like an absolute bubbling mess.
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  But the master refiner sits patiently by the fire, watching the liquid metal slowly scraping off the dross as it rises to the surface.
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  How does he know when it's done, though he knows the heat has cleared enough of the impurities when he can see his own reflection in the metal itself.
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  Sister the spiritual warfare you are fighting is melting away the dross of fear and self doubt and worldly reliance.
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  The enemy thinks this heat will destroy you, and perhaps you feel that way too at times.
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  But God is simply using the heat to make you pure.
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  In James, chapter one, verse 12, we are promised.
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  Blessed is the man or, or I'll add woman, who endureth temptation.
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  For when he or she is tried, they shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to all them that love him.
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  You, my friend, are not burning up.
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  You are coming forth as gold.
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  But hear me on this.
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  The master refiner never leaves his furnace unattended.
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  Why does spiritual warfare happen?
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  It happens because the stakes are eternal.
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  But God has given an absolute guarantee that you will never be left alone to fight this war with your own muscle.
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  Think of the beautiful promise in Psalm 91, verses 11 and 12, where it states, for he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
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  They shall bear thee up in their hands.
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  Our Father has also promised that he will be on your right hand and on your left, completely enveloping your family in his protective care if you invite him in.
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  And if you ever feel like the Savior has forgotten the battle that you are waging in the quiet hours of the night, listen to his deeply personal promise found in Isaiah, chapter 49, verse 16, where it says, says,
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  behold, I have graven thee on the palms of my hands.
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  Thy walls are continually before me.
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  Think about that.
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  The walls of your physical home, the very perimeters you are trying so hard to protect from the adversary, are continually before Jesus Christ's eyes.
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  And every time the Savior looks at the scars on his hands, he sees your name and your family and loved ones names.
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  You, my friend, have full celestial backing on the battlefield.
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  The war is real.
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  The adversary is real.
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  But your general has already overcome the world.
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  Invite God and his angels in every single day to make sure that you are covered, never alone.
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  So, my friend, the next time you find yourself wondering why the battle is so fierce, remind yourself of your royal identity.
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  You were known by God before the world was ever formed, and you were trusted to step forth on this very earth and its battlefield so that you could come forth as pure gold, to help you stay steady in
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  the fire and practically protect your home and family when the enemy launches an ambush.
• 10:05
  We have a gift for you.
• 10:07
  It's our mother's spiritual defense Guide six Empowering Steps to Fortify Home and Family, and it's free at the link below.
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  When you get your booklet, I invite you to turn to the back to the bonus section where we have our Scripture Power Statements.
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  There you can turn beautiful verses like we've shared today into powerful declarations to remind you of God's faithfulness.
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  Don't back down in the furnace, my friend.
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  May you stand tall and stand strong next to the Savior, and until next time, may you arise.
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  Do it God's way.
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  God Strong.
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  If today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe.
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