Fighting Spiritual Battles with Praise

 

By: Sarah Geringer 

Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to God. I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God’s Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I’m king of the mountain! 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 MSG

For two months, I've been facing terrible spiritual battles. But I learned a new way to fight back this week, and it's truly working.

My friend told me that Satan hates two things: the blood of Jesus and praise to our God. He will run from these things because they both prove he is a defeated foe. So she instructed me to praise God when I am tempted to obsess about my problems.

For several days, I've been praising God every time a thought related to my trauma enters my mind. As soon as I praise God for being in control of the situation, and list one of his characteristics that is worthy of praise, I truly feel better for several minutes.

Since I'm in such a fierce fight, I'm tempted dozens of times per day to worry, criticize, stress or give up. But over the past few days, I'm now praising God 50 to 100 times a day, each and every time my tempting thoughts harass me.

This strategy is really working to decrease my stress and increase my peace. I'm surprised and delighted that such a simple thing - praising God in prayers, words and songs - is such an effective tool against the enemy's schemes.

I have also gained more power over the enemy by singing praise songs as loud as I can when I'm driving. The secular music playlists can wait for a while. For now, I'm singing praises without worrying about other drivers watching me at stoplights. The songs of praise are like a force field around my mind, protecting me from the enemy's arrows as the songs move from my heart to my lips.

If you are feeling discouraged in a spiritual battle today, I encourage you to fight back with praise. Though your situation may seem hopeless, as our focus Scripture describes, you can still sing joyful praises to God. You can even turn cartwheels of joy in front of the enemy, declaring that you know the Lord of Heaven's Armies has already secured the victory.

Since we can count on God's Rule to prevail, we can always find reasons to praise him, even in the fiercest battles. I love returning to the names of God in Psalm 18:2 and praising him for those attributes. They infuse me with strength, and then I'm prepared for the next round of attacks. I can see the victory I have in Jesus much better when I cover the battle with praise!

I hope if you are fighting spiritual battles today, you will use praise as your primary weapon. Try it and watch how your stress decreases and your peace increases. I'd love to hear your testimony of how praise helps you fight your spiritual battles - just leave a comment below!

Need more help fighting spiritual battles? Check out my popular posts on spiritual warfare HERE.

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Have a blessed weekend!

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

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