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Transcript

How to Avoid Spiritual Attacks · Arise Women of God

• 0:00
  Hey my friend, have you ever wondered how do I actually avoid spiritual attacks?
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  Because perhaps you are tired of constantly fighting fires, feeling spiritually ambushed by toxic contention or maybe heavy dark feelings, and you want to know how to stop the enemy from getting a foothold.
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  In the first place, this is a tiring situation because you don't want to live in constant fear.
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  You want proactive peace.
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  Well, take heart, you are in the right place and by the end of today's episode, you will know how to spot the adversary's traps before they spring, how to conduct a simple darkness audit on your home, and how
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  abiding in our Savior Jesus Christ creates an impenetrable shield of light over you and your family.
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  Stay tuned.
• 0:53
  Ordinary Women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes the Arise Women of God Podcast hello and welcome back to the Arise Women of God Podcast.
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  I'm your host Tamara K.
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  Andersen, and today we are focusing on proactive spiritual defense, learning how to close the doors on darkness and fill our homes with light as we talk about avoiding spiritual attacks.
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  Here's our battle map for today's episode.
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  First, we're going to talk about the power of the detour and what Proverbs and the wise men teach us about spiritual foresight and dodging unnecessary battles.
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  Second, we're going to talk about the darkness audit and how Ephesians 4:27 guides us to eliminate the subtle open doors in our media social feeds and habits.
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  Then we'll talk about the true vine and how Matthew 7 and John 15 show us how to proactively flood our lives with daily light.
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  And finally, we'll talk about confronting conflict clothed in light.
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  This is my personal story of navigating an antagonistic situation with prayer, angels and some powerful background music.
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  But first, let's begin with the biblical concept of the spiritual detour.
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  When we think about spiritual warfare, we often imagine like hand to hand combat.
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  But true spiritual wisdom knows the best battle is the one you never have to fight.
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  Look at Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself.
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  But the simple pass on and are punished.
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  And Proverbs 4:14 15 reinforces this Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil.
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  Men avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
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  Notice that Scripture does not tell us to flirt with temptation or see how close we can get to the edge of darkness.
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  True wisdom takes a detour and stays on the path.
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  We see this beautifully illustrated in the story of the Wise men in Matthew, chapter 2, verses 1 through 12.
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  After worshiping the young child Jesus, they planned to return to King Herod.
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  But they were warned by God in a dream.
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  So they didn't march back to the palace to argue with Herod.
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  They quietly departed into their own country.
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  Another way avoiding an attack is simply obedience to God's divine detour or whispers.
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  I remember my parents teaching me as a teenager to avoid places, crowds, and situations where darkness dwells, especially late at night.
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  That simple principle saved me from countless heartaches.
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  You do not have to accept every invitation, enter into every hostile environment, or walk into spaces where the spirit feels uneasy.
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  When do you sense a bad vibe or a spiritual red flag?
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  Honor that prompting and turn the other way.
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  The second major key to avoiding attacks is eliminating the gaps the enemy uses to enter our lives.
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  In Ephesians 4:27, Paul gives a blunt command Neither give place to the devil.
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  The adversary cannot set up camp in your home or your heart when he is given no space.
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  He looks for the subtle chinks in your armor, maybe unresolved anger, bitterness, gossip, or perhaps unwholesome media.
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  Think about your daily intake and do an assessment.
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  First, look at online contention.
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  God's goal is unity in Christ, while the adversary's goal is division.
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  When you scroll through social media and see bitter arguments, how does it make you feel in your spirit?
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  It feels heavy and contentious, right?
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  Mute the accounts, unfollow the groups that drain your peace, and simply step away.
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  Second, look at your media and entertainment.
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  Are the shows, podcasts, or music you consume building your faith or feeding your doubt and cynicism?
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  If a show portrays immorality, vulgarity, lying, or violence as normal, it slowly desensitizes your spirit and dims your soul's light.
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  I encourage you to sit down with the Lord and pray, father, help me do a darkness audit on my life.
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  What is one baby step I can take today?
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  To eliminate something that is draining my spiritual power.
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  And don't forget to teach this to your children as well.
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  Our kids are constantly bombarded with secular media that calls evil good and good evil.
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  Help them do their own media audits, comparing what they listen to and watch against the standards of God's word.
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  Now, avoiding darkness is only half the battle.
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  The most powerful way to avoid spiritual attacks is to proactively flood your life with divine light.
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  In John 15:5, the Lord Jesus Christ says, I am the vine and ye are the branches.
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  He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit.
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  For without Me, ye can do nothing.
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  When you are deeply grafted into Jesus Christ, his life, his peace and his strength flow through you continuously.
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  In Matthew 7:7 the Savior commands, ask and it shall be given you.
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  Seek and ye shall find.
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  Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
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  We must actively ask for and seek God's presence.
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  For me, this looks like daily touch points with God, morning prayer and intentional scripture study, pondering and short prayers throughout the day, or asking God to surround me and my family and home with His Holy Spirit and disp
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  ministering angels to guide, shield and protect us.
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  And if you make a mistake like we all do, friends, repent quickly.
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  Asking for forgiveness from God leaves darkness behind and brings light back in again.
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  Life is a journey of ups and downs.
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  Just keep moving forward towards God.
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  The more light you bring into your soul, the sharper your spiritual eyesight becomes.
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  Darkness becomes more recognizable, making easy to steer clear of.
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  Now you might be asking, does staying close to Christ mean you will never face opposition?
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  No, of course not.
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  Following Jesus actually puts a target on your back because you represent him and his light.
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  But because you are attached to the true vine, you will never battle alone and you carry the capacity to command darkness to leave in the name of Jesus the moment it approaches.
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  So what do you do when a difficult situation or an antagonistic person cannot be avoided?
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  You let God set the battleground.
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  Not long ago, I had to have a difficult, potentially contentious conversation with someone who was being antagonistic.
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  I didn't rush in defensively.
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  First I went to God in prayer, pleading for his wisdom to guidance and angelic support.
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  Then the Lord inspired me with a simple strategy.
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  I arranged to meet in a safe environment where I had control over the atmosphere and I was able to have soft instrumental worship music playing quietly in the background.
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  The good news is Darkness cannot comfortably operate in an environment saturated with worship and prayer.
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  I started with prayer with this person, and because I prepared my heart, God helped me guard my words and I invited the Lord's presence into the room.
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  The entire conversation went smoother and more peacefully than I could have ever imagined it would.
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  But when you walk into a hard conversation, clothe yourself in Christ's light first and let him lead the way.
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  There have been many times when difficult situations are thrust upon me, and in those moments I have to say a quick prayer in my mind.
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  God, please be with me.
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  Help me know what to say.
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  Help me know what to do.
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  And sometimes those are very difficult.
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  But trust God that He will help you and lead you to know what to say and how to say it oh my dear Sister, Avoiding spiritual attacks comes down to a simple daily choice.
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  What are you seeking and what are you allowing through the doors of your home and heart?
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  If you're ready to run a thorough spiritual audit on your household, set up some clear boundaries and establish an atmosphere where God's spirit can thrive.
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  We at Women warriors of Light have created a free tool to help you do exactly that.
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  Check it out down in the show notes below.
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  You can click the link to get a free copy of our A Mother Spiritual Defense Guide 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home and Family.
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  It's amazing.
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  Once you get it, turn straight to the Home Sanctuary Audit.
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  You'll find a checklist to help you evaluate your media, your entryways and your daily habits so that you can close those open spiritual doors.
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  You'll also find our not to Do List template where you will learn how to prayerfully eliminate good distractions so you can focus on the best spiritual priorities.
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  Download your free copy today by clicking the link below.
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  Oh my dear sister, you have been given the power to discern and the power to guard the sacred ground of your heart and home.
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  Cling to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
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  Choose His Light in the small daily decisions and trust that as you walk in his paths, his peace will guide and protect your every step.
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  Thanks for joining us today and until next time, may you arise and 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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  It helps us grow and ensures heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.