{"id":1243,"date":"2017-04-20T11:25:21","date_gmt":"2017-04-20T15:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barbaralardinais:8888\/pray-there-yet-warfare\/"},"modified":"2017-11-09T14:25:08","modified_gmt":"2017-11-09T19:25:08","slug":"pray-there-yet-warfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hannahscupboard.com\/pray-there-yet-warfare\/","title":{"rendered":"Are We There Yet? Checking for Signs of Victory (Spiritual Warfare)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"praying<\/a>“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”<\/b> (Matthew 11:12)<\/p>\n

Some spiritual battles are long – way longer than we ever anticipated when we first became engaged in them. It’s possible that we question ourselves: are we on the right track, does this match God’s heart, will we ever see results?<\/p>\n

The first thing to realize in a long term spiritual battle is WHY it is long term. If it were going to be easy it would have been over long ago. Whatever your battleground is – the stakes are high. They are not just high for you but they are also high for the devil who wants you to give up or lose. Why? Because if you WIN, he loses territory that he is guarding tenaciously. Which of you is going to “take it (this territory) by force.”?<\/p>\n

Let’s say you refuse to give up and losing is not an option you will entertain. You are holding fast but you are weary, stunned and numb. How much longer is this going to take? I can’t pretend to understand or explain all the holdups we encounter. And we must always remember to mix God’s timing and God’s sovereignty into the equation. Still, there is a sign that I have noticed which usually precedes victory. It is this: things usually become much worse right before the end.<\/p>\n

Lately I have been reading a small book about life in the South during the Civil War. There were many bloody battles during the war – most of them on southern soil, but in the beginning the day to day life of the people was somewhat undisturbed. For awhile they continued to plant and harvest crops and maintain their way of life. That was not to continue.<\/p>\n

As time wore on, the fighting became more intense and everything and everybody was affected by the war. When the Confederate side began to fail they had to become more bold and daring in strategy and forcefulness. Toward the end, they launched some all-or-nothing campaigns hoping against hope to turn things their way. They lost and at an unbelievably great cost.<\/p>\n

Satan and his demonic troops will likewise launch all-or-nothing campaigns when your victory is within reach. They can see how the battle is going – they see your prayers forcefully breaking through – they watch as angels protect you and aid your efforts. They scream every time you praise God in the midst of your circumstances or humble yourself to forgive an offense or overlook a fault.<\/p>\n

All that hastens the time when their stranglehold on the situation is broken. They will do anything to prevent their loss of ground. So what are some of the things you will encounter that represents their last ditch efforts?<\/p>\n