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How Do You Prepare For Spiritual Warfare? · Arise Women of God

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  Hey, my friend, have you ever wondered, how do you prepare for spiritual warfare?
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  Because you know the battles are real, but when a sudden storm hits your home, maybe you feel caught off guard, unprepared and scrambling for spiritual life.
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  This is an exhausting, stressful situation because perhaps you want to know how to build a reservoir of faith before the crisis struggle strikes.
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  Well, my friend, don't worry, because you are in the right place.
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  And by the end of today's episode, you'll know how to gird up the loins of your mind, how to gather the daily drops of oil for your lamp, and how to find God in holy stillness.
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  And this will help you be prepared.
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  Stay tuned.
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  Ordinary women, extraordinary faith.
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  When God calls, we say yes.
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  Hello and welcome to the Arise Women of God podcast.
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  I'm your host, Tamara K.
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  Anderson.
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  And joining me today is the wonderful Amy Johnson.
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  Amy is a fantastic women's ministry leader, a mom, a grandma, and a whirlwind of warmth and laughter.
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  And the great thing about having Amy here is that she has walked through seasons of intense busyness, learned how to stand still with God, and she's here to share that battle tested wisdom surrounding preparing for spiritual warfare with
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  us today.
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  All right, here's what you can expect in today's episode.
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  First, we're going to talk about the power of stillness and how Amy learned during COVID that spiritual readiness comes in quiet moments of just being.
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  Second, we're going to talk about girding your mind and gathering the loose ends of your thoughts so that you are battle ready.
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  Third, we're going to discuss gathering daily oil and we're going to dive into the parable of the 10 virgins, specifically about preparing your lamp before midnight and what it means for us as we prepare for Jesus's second coming.
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  All right, let's begin for looking at how we prepare our spirits.
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  We live in a frantic and busy world, and so we often think preparing means doing more and running faster.
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  But let's listen as Amy shares a profound lesson God taught her about learning to stand so still.
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  And the other day my husband came home and I had to go to a meeting.
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  And I was just laying on the floor on my back in our bedroom looking at the ceiling.
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  And he came in, he was like, are you okay?
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  I was like, yep, I'm good.
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  And he was like, what are you doing?
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  Just being.
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  He was like, okay, I'm gonna go start dinner.
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  Okay.
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  I wasn't on my phone.
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  I wasn't thinking about all the laundry.
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  I just took five minutes, probably.
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  Maybe 10 to myself to just stand on my back.
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  I was just being.
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  And it was during COVID that the Lord taught me that being is really important.
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  And so if you really want to take God, which is the only way to do spiritual warfare, as your partner, as your general, you need to be still five minutes a day.
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  Just be still and imagine what it would be like if God was sitting next to you.
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  You don't even have to talk to him.
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  I don't.
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  I just sit there and feel.
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  And I promise, in the stillness is where we find our Father in heaven.
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  And that is what we need.
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  In the stillness we find our Father.
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  It reminds me of that powerful verse of Scripture, be still and know that I am God.
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  We come to know him in the stillness.
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  When we slow down, we are taking the time to gird up the loins of our mind, as Peter invites us to do in 1st Peter 1:13.
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  In the ancient world, men wore long, flowing robes.
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  If a soldier suddenly had to run or fight in a loose robe, he could easily trip over his own fabric and be instantly defeated.
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  So before going into battle, a soldier had to gather up those loose ends, pull them tight, and tuck them securely into his leather belt so that he was unhindered and focused.
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  We gird up the loins of our mind the exact same way, by gathering up our loose, anxious thoughts and handing them directly to Jesus, and by anchoring ourselves in him so that we are battle ready.
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  Whenever I feel anxiety or worry creeping in, I close my eyes and enter into a prayerful meditation.
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  And then I gather their every concern and burden that is threatening to destroy my peace.
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  And I humbly bow before the Savior and hand them to him in return.
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  He takes that weight and floods my heart with his peace.
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  I step out of that meditation grounded in my divine identity as a daughter of God and a warrior of light linked directly to Jesus Christ.
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  I have found that focusing on that divine worth shuts down the spiraling thoughts and silences the adversary.
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  Oh, my dear sister, my dear friend, you can do this exact same practice today.
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  When your mind feels chaotic, I invite you to close your eyes, gather those scattered worries, and hand them to Jesus Christ.
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  He is mighty to save and eager to help you prepare for your future battles.
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  When you walk in peace and confidence, the enemy loses his power to shake you.
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  So how else do we prepare for spiritual warfare?
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  The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 gives us a powerful blueprint.
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  Right before sharing this story.
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  Jesus warns us in Matthew 24:44 to be ye also ready.
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  In biblical times, wedding guests were expected to bring lamps because their light was a symbol of joy and happiness at the celebration and wedding of the couple.
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  In the parable of the Ten Virgins, when the sudden midnight cry rang out, the Five Wise virgins were ready because they had proactively packed extra flasks of oil.
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  The foolish virgins begged to borrow some, but you cannot borrow someone else's personal store of fuel at midnight.
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  What do those daily drops of oil represent for us today?
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  They are your daily prayers, your scripture study, your quiet moments of service, and the personal relationship you build with Jesus Christ every single day.
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  You can't lend your personal relationship with Jesus to your children, your spouse or your friends.
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  They have to build their own store of oil through their own time and effort.
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  But as you consistently add those daily drops to your lamp, your faith will burn bright and show others the way to the Savior so that when the spiritual battles hit you and hopefully they too will stand unshakable.
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  If you are ready to prepare your spirit, clear out the clutter and build a daily armor routine that brings real peace into your home, we at Women warriors of Light want to put a powerful practical guide directly into
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  your hands.
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  It is our A Mother's Spiritual Defense Guide 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home and Family and believe it or not, you can get it for free in the show notes below.
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  Just simply click the Download button when you get your copy.
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  Check out Step number two, the Catalyst Principle.
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  This includes our popular not to do list to help you prayerfully eliminate the distractions so that you have energy for stillness and connecting with God.
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  Also check out Step Number six, the Power of Remembering.
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  It shows you how to start a Miracle Moments Journal to log God's interventions and build a reservoir of faith for your future battles.
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  If he didn't leave you alone, then he surely won't leave you alone.
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  Now go ahead and download your free copy and start gathering your oil today.
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  You, my sister, are an amazing warrior of light.
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  May you shine brightly with your lamp for full of oil as a symbol of your connection to Jesus Christ.
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  Until he comes again 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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  It helps us grow and ensures heaven's whispers stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.