Spiritual Warfare In The Family

Spiritual battles are real, and when they enter a family the damage can be devastating. We can encounter problems in our family via curses and spiritual attacks. We also may encounter loving discipline from God that feels like a battle.

Battle #: 1 Curses

Scripture teaches:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Gal 3:13)

God doesn’t place disease, poverty or spiritual death on anyone. He is perfect, sinless and pure. There is no sickness, poverty or spiritual death in His kingdom. All these curses originate from Satan. We must remember that not all personal hardship is from our own sin, the sin in the world affects multitudes.

Blessings And Curses

In one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Deuteronomy chapter 28, God outlines the blessings that come from obedience and later the curses that come from disobedience. The curses in biblical times were linked to long term rebellion and can be summed up in: Personal hardship from various origins.

Scripture teaches that salvation from the consequences of the curse can be found in Jesus alone. When a person rejects Jesus as their Savior, they remain under the weight of sin’s effects. This is because they have declined God’s mercy via Jesus. Apart from Christ, we stand under judgement, but in Christ we find forgiveness, freedom and new life.

“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”(John 12:47-48)

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written: “Cursed is everyone hanging on a tree” (Gal 3:13)

Curses Cast By The Occult

Some curses are cast on us by a practitioner of darkness. These people call themselves witches and are from the pagan “religion” of Wicca. Many people dismiss this idea, but it’s true. Many individuals involved in the occult harbor deep hostility towards Christianity. Their goal is to actively fight Christians.

I became more aware of this perspective after hearing the testimony of an elderly woman in my Bible study. She shared her experience with the occult and had intentionally spoken curses against Christians. She knew that she was affecting them negatively and felt a sense of power in doing so.

How do we know curses are real? We can look to the book of Exodus, where we read that Pharoah’s magicians were able to replicate some of the same miraculous signs God performed through Moses. (Exodus 7-8) You can read more about it here.

The Bible points to Satan and his demons as the source of counterfeit spiritual power that opposes God. The bottom line is that Christians are engaged in an unseen spiritual war every day of our lives. Those who follow Jesus and are vocal about their faith can be pinpointed. We must be aware of the spiritual battles around us and be equipped to stand firm. People may hate a Christian without understanding why- they just do. But it’s the spirit of darkness in that person that hates the follower of Christ.

Regardless of differing views on this topic, Scripture consistently directs believers not toward fear, but toward faith in Christ’s authority given to all followers. We can use Scripture to stand against any form of spiritual opposition.

Evil people self-destruct;
those who hate the godly are punished.
The Lord rescues his servants;
all who take shelter in him escape punishment.( Ps 34:21-22)

Generational Curses

Generational curses are things like uncontrolled anger, alcoholism, sexual perversion, poverty and disease of any type. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the answer. When we invite Him into our hearts to be our Lord and Savior, and follow His way, no matter what we will break the generational curses. You can read more here

Example Battle strategy for a curse: ” I renounce the curse of addiction for it is written: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, “Cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree”. ( 1 Cor 9:24) Therefore, I plead the blood of Jesus over my life.

Battle #2: Spiritual Attack

A spiritual attack comes at a time of spiritual milestones, in other words a closer walk with God. It’s from Satan or demons trying to undermine our faith and witness for God. They produce problems in order to cause us to stray from God. Their purpose is to remove our peace and cause anxiety.

We must fight against spiritual attacks as well.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”(James 4:7)

Throughout my life, I have experienced what I perceive as spiritual attacks. A few years ago, this prompted me to begin a nightly ritual of asking the Holy Spirit to call to mind any sin, whether known or unknown, from that day. This gives me the opportunity to reflect, repent, and ask for His strength to walk more closely with Him. Is this easy? No. Do I fall short? Yes, daily. But this is how I seek to remain confident under God’s protective covering- in other words, keep the Breastplate of righteousness on.

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;”( 1 John 3:21)

We are righteous by accepting Christ, this is called imputed righteousness. However, we also must live righteously so as to not walk away from our protector.

“He that doeth righteousness is righteous..” (1 John 3:7)

I then fight the spiritual attack with Scripture, using a verse that pertains to the situation and speak it out loud. Speaking or “saying” is a powerful tool in spiritual warfare.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; (Ps 91:9-11)

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.“(Mark 11:23)

The Remedy When Spiritual Attacks Come

When a spiritual attack comes, the remedy is to take the higher road. We shouldn’t fight against evil being spewed from another person. All evil is from the powers of darkness, aka demons. Our defense is to pray. The most powerful prayers are Scripture based prayers declared with boldness and confidence.

We, as Christians know that God cannot lie, and we will see a victory if we do not give up. Rebuking Satan causes him to flee. But, we must remember, Satan will keep tormenting our minds and thus our lives, until he knows that we won’t ever give up. We will win as long as we remain praying.

Persistence Wins The Fight

This persistent battle plan was first taught in the Old Testament through Moses. As Israel prepared to engage in battle, Moses went up on a hill and lifted up the staff of God. When Moses’ hands were lifted high with the staff, a symbol of God’s authority and power, the Israelites prevailed. When his hands grew weary and lowered, they began to lose ground.

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” (Ex 17:11 NLT)

Today the staff of God’s power is the Word of God. Jesus modeled how to use it with spiritual attacks. After fasting for forty days in preparation for His ministry, Jesus was confronted by Satan and He answered each temptation with the authority of God’s Word, beginning with:“It is written…” then declared a verse of Scripture. This powerful tactic is exactly what Jesus authorizes believers to do in order to shut down Satan. This is  the key to live the overcoming life.  We can indeed overcome the enemy’s suggestions and intimidations and bring God’s promised blessings from the spiritual realm to earth.

Example spiritual attack Battle strategy: I rebuke Satan on my family in Jesus’s name; it is written “No weapon formed against me will prosper…” (Is 54:17) This means no weapon formed against my family will prosper, in Jesus’ name!

Battle #3: Spiritual Training or Loving Discipline

Loving discipline from God can feel like a battle. We may find ourselves in pain because of some situation that suddenly struck our life. Yet God, in His mercy, can allow the consequence of our sin or from simply living in a fallen world to draw us closer to Him. His purpose is not to harm us, but to refine us. Through difficulty, He invites us deeper into His Word and into greater dependence on Him. As we grow, we become better equipped to stand firm in the face of future battles. What once felt like defeat becomes training to overcome.

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12:11 NIV)

When God disciplines us, we can ask why. And if we are truly willing to follow whatever He asks of us, we will receive an answer. I can certainly vouch for the fact He answers this prayer.

After going through painful periods on and off for several years, I finally asked God the reason. The very next second, this sentence landed in my mind with unmistakable clarity: “I want you to know who you are without me.”

It was an unexpected answer. I had believed I was harboring some unknown sin or fighting off a spiritual attack. Instead, I began to understand that God was showing me something deeper, that every talent I have, everything I’m able to do, comes from Him. And just as He gives, He can step back and let us live life without His help.

Diagnosing The Root Of Our Struggles

We must allow the Word of God to diagnose our struggles, by spending time with God and listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. This will provide wisdom to understand the root of our problem. Are we living in some sort of ongoing sin? Have we obeyed all that we have learned thus far in Scripture? Or are we simply hearers of the Word and not doers? If that is the case, we may be experiencing a season of loving discipline.

On the other hand, are we winning souls for Christ? Are we stepping out in faith, being vocal at work about our faith no matter the cost? If so, Satan is on high alert, keyed in to our solid Christian stance and waiting for the perfect moment to attack us personally or attack our family.

Jesus Followers Aren’t Defensless

Jesus followers are not defenseless. Scripture teaches that we overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.” Therefore, as we place our full trust in Jesus as our personal Savior- following His teachings, we can use His powerful Words to stand strong against the enemy.

It is only by soaking in Scripture and doing what is says that we showcase our full trust in Scripture. This surrendered heart posture is the substance of faith to receive our answered prayer.

“Now faith is the substance of what we hope for and the evidence of things unseen.” (Heb 11:1)

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”(Is 55:11)

Spiritual warfare is a common occurance for families who walk with Jesus. And if Satan can’t get to the strong Christian adults, he will aim his darts at the children. That is why it is never a good time to minimize prayer and Bible study. Cover your family in prayer daily, walk according to the Word and keep the victory of the cross in the forefront of your mind.

Food For Thought,

Lisa