Warfare Over Worry
By Ciara McDonald
As the year 2020 comes to a close, I’ve been thinking about how this has been a year of fear and worry for so many people. It has become my focus to wage war against worry!
The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
We need to know who our enemy is, and how to recognize his tricks that can steal our peace. Here are some ways I have experienced worry and fear threatening to steal my/my family’s peace:
- Disunity in the home. One great threat to peace we’ve experienced in our home is disunity. Whether rooted in selfishness, lies, or trauma, disunity and the inability to prioritize God’s Word and the needs of someone else causes separation and disunity. For women, I see a lot of threat to peace in the home stemming from worry and fear. It can fuel other behavior such as the need for control or elevating children in an idolizing way.
- Not trusting God. The Bible says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love,” - (1 John 4:18). I’ve heard this passage over and over again. One day it hit me that “fear has to do with punishment” means I’m not trusting who God says He is. Fear can lead me to think He’s a God who isn’t good, that he’s not a God who wants to take care of us. We worry about and spend our time and money on providing food, clothing, and the other aspects of our lives that won’t go with us into eternity.
Matthew 6:25-33 talks all about these things, and in verse 34 even instructs (not suggests) that we are not to be anxious about tomorrow. It says “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” I suddenly realized that might be missing moments where we should be praying through battles for the day, because we’re thinking about battles that may come tomorrow. We can miss out on victory because we’re planning for potential issues — which may have no bearing on eternity— that “may” arise tomorrow. When I think of it that way, it sounds like wasted opportunity!
- Mental anguish/unrest. There have been really lean times financially when I’ve struggled with worry. I’ve been full of faith to do the things God is asking me to do…yet when the implementation comes and I’m already immersed in the situation, I’ve let fear and worry wrack my brain. It has only been combatted by seeing Him come through and reminding myself of that. Digging into His Word and having people around me praying has also helped restore my mental peace.
My Weapons of Warfare Against Worry
I share below some weapons I’ve been equipped with to combat fear and worry. I hope these are helpful for anyone reading this who is struggling with worry.
1) Remember the battle is spiritual, not in the flesh. We are not taught this in earthly ways of dealing with troubles and challenges. The Bible tells us that though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and we are to take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” -2 Corinthians 10:4-6 ESV.
2) Put on the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-20. Since our weapons are not in the flesh, we need to know what, exactly they are. The belt of truth, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sandals of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the spirit (God’s Word) are things that can guard worry, or spiritual attacks manifesting in worry. How? When we remind ourselves morning by morning that we are not fighting flesh and blood and that we have supernatural coverings, described as real things we can imagine putting on. There is a powerful thing in envisioning something when getting ready for battle. Praying while “putting on” the armor is a powerful place to start!
3) Be trained in the study of spiritual warfare. I have found this to be essential! I think I was a little skeptical of “all that” before I saw the fruit of these kinds of tools in my family’s lives. Though the Bible told me about this area, I think I chose “ignorance is bliss” even though I wasn’t ignorant of what He says on the matter of the supernatural. It was more of “ignoring is bliss,” but we all know we’ll be held accountable for what we do once we know what God says on a matter. I’m blessed to have a family that grows together. Over that last few years, we’ve leaned into God’s power through prayer; we have waged war against worry, fear, and many other things like sickness, jealousy, complacency and addiction. We’ve seen God WIN because we have gone to war with Him and did not allow the enemy to come after us without recourse!
4) Remember that Satan is defeated. When you lean into this side of the power of God, be warned that the enemy may try to come at you harder. But HE IS DEFEATED! It’s important to know who will bring doubt to the table in this area, too. Surround yourself with kingdom people that Holy Spirit brings, who will encourage you in this area rather than bring skepticism to the table. You want soldiers in the army that are willing to go to battle -- not question whether the sword you carry is made of iron or silver.
5) Verbally combat lies with Scripture and replace the opposite spirit. This is the best tool to use ‘in the moment,’ when lies are trying to infiltrate and manifest in worry. Take authority verbally; use Scripture to bring the light of truth that pushes back darkness. I have been known to call out whatever spirit seems to be plaguing a moment and tell it to LEAVE! I then ask Holy Spirit to fill that space. For example, I might sense a spirit manifesting in fear about one of my children when I’m lying in bed, so I verbally say “spirit of fear, get out in the name of Jesus! Holy Spirit, come in and bring peace.” Replacing with the opposite spirit has been a powerful tool to remember to practice.
6) Surround yourself with Christ-centered people. It's important to have others to pray with or to ask for prayer in the battle. Surrounding ourselves with God-centered brothers and sisters who have the fruit of faith in their lives (things that show they believe and do what they claim) will yield less doubt and more opportunity to see God move. Some would call commanding a dead person to get up “crazy?!!” Others understand it is doing what Jesus did when He came to earth, and He told us to do the same and even greater (John 14:12). I have many text threads of prayer partners I call on in dark times. Do you find yourself saying "…but I don’t know how to pray?" This “God and My Girlfriends” platform has a great reSOURCE for you! It’s called Pray-day, and you can join in each month [see reSOURCEs at bottom].
7) Kick the doubters out of the room. In Mark 8:38-42, we see Jesus set an example for us on how to pray and see miracles happen. It involves kicking doubters out of the room! "They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when He had entered, He said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at Him. But He put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with Him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand He said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement."
When Jesus said the girl was not dead but sleeping and some laughed, He put them OUT. Then He and her parents and "those who were with him" went into the room and witnessed the miracle. Following the example of Jesus, when we're believing for things it's important to kick out the doubters (those with disbelief about healing, deliverance and freedom in whatever way God deems) from the room! There is no place for doubt in this scenario with Jesus. He declares the truth. Some laugh. He asks them to leave. Then He takes those who "are with him" into the room and shuts the door. I once heard it said, "It's important who you have in your 'room' with you." That resonated and stuck with me.
About Ciara McDonald
As a daughter of Honeybee Ministries (Iowa) founder Melissa Doll, Ciara McDonald has grown up learning “Kingdom” understanding from her mother’s gifted teaching. Now a wife and mom of 3 herself, Ciara has also embraced a calling to share life through music with the world. Check out the song she co-wrote “Country Mile Love” now playing on some radio stations!
Ciara’s reSOURCEs
God and My Girlfriends PRAY-day: Follow on Instagram and Facebook to join in on community FRIDAY prayer time on of this girlfriends’ group I love being a part of!
Song of encouragement over worry: “Sparrows” by Cory Asbury
Stephen Chandler at The Belonging Co: The Anatomy of Fear