The battle and the war.
There is a thin difference between a battle and war although they look pretty much the same. A battle is a struggle to succeed or survive while war is a struggle between opposing forces. A war first starts as a battle then things quickly escalate and before you know it you have a full-blown war in your hands. There is no target enemy in a battle because the goal is to succeed.
Anything for survival. But when war sets in, there is a target on the other side. The goal quickly shifts from surviving to focusing on defeating your enemy.
If this is the case with physical life, how much more about our spirituality?
The world is our battlefield and we fight many battles. We lose some and win others. The focus is on the battles that we lose. A battle against depression, loneliness, thoughts of self-harm and suicide, shame, and many more.
These battles manifest in the physical yet they originated from the spiritual realm. It could begin as a thought and we tell nobody about it. When we later decide to break free from its bondage, the mistake we make is cutting the stem of the problem.
After some time, the problem resurfaces because it had time to regenerate itself. This time it is no longer a battle but war and it could be much stronger than the previous encounter.
Every battle has spiritual roots which must be dealt with to completely secure victory. Here are some spiritual battles and how to overcome them:
1. Sudden troubles and extreme persecution.
You must have experienced this at one time in your life – persecution from all sides. Problems arise out of nowhere and they drown you even as you try to swim out of the mess you find yourself in. It could be losing your job, slow business or something that hits the nerve.
There could be a lot of factors to blame but it boils down to something being wrong in your spirituality. When you crack this riddle open and everything will fall in place.
Believe.
All you have to do is believe that the storm you are going through shall subside. Nothing lasts forever. Stand your ground and do not be shaken to abandon your faith. Things will fall further apart when you doubt nature’s ability to exonerate you from what you are going through. Faith is the sword that will help you win this battle.
2. Life-threatening loss.
A life-threatening battle puts you at edge leaving you with few choices. It could be a disease or terminal illness, infections of whatever nature or something that causes you physical harm. It is not accidental for you to fall sick.
Of course, there are medical reasons for falling sick and the don’ts that you must observe as preventive measures. However, most life-threatening losses are spiritual and must be addressed as such. The universe has good plans for you more than anyone else. This battle you are fighting is not nature’s plan for you.
Make necessary adjustments.
First of all, follow up on medication (in case of sickness). This will heal the signs and symptoms you are having. Next, you need to make necessary adjustments in your spiritual life. This is majorly to align yourself with your destiny.
There is always a punishment whenever you stray. It is disobedience in black and white. The battle you are fighting will stop when you are back on track.
3. Temptation toward sin and wrong choices.
Do not consider temptations normal. They have not and never will be. The temptation toward sin is meant to weaken your spirituality and make you vulnerable. Another red flag is the attraction toward making wrong choices. It mostly comes out as “a normal part of growth” but things hardly return to normalcy when you entertain this trend.
This is a silent battle many go through even without realizing it. Indications that you are in this battle include: choosing bad friends, developing misleading desires, and lust NOT love for the opposite gender.
Use spiritual gifts.
This is the point where you badly need spiritual gifts to help you discern the genuine from the fake. This is a silent battle and one wrong move will completely mess you up. You know what you do with an aerial when there is poor network reception – you raise your antennae. Similarly, your spiritual antennae should be up if you want to win this battle.
4. Feelings of fear and despair.
What goes on in your mind when you sit somewhere alone? Do thoughts of fear creep in on you? This is a battle that most people go through. It pushes them to always want to be with people and they dread ever being alone. Being alone is not bad.
On the contrary, it gives you a chance to meditate and reflect on the direction of your life. However, having to struggle with anxiety and eventual depression is not a good thing. Some people even consider committing suicide.
One sign that you are in this battle is always feeling defeated and desperate. The universe considers you a winner that is why you are here in the first place.
Be encouraged.
Sometimes somebody else can come forward and encourage you. But at other times, you need to encourage yourself. Draw inspiration from success stories you know. If they made it, you shall also make it. Associate with the optimistic and you will heal from any negative thoughts you may have.
5. Confusion and guilt.
Guilt and confusion are meant to separate you from nature’s gift of happiness. Even so, many are having this battle and instead of coming out of it, they seem to be getting deeper into it.
The worst part of it is that you blame yourself for things you had no control over and dullness dominates your life. It is not okay to take the fall for others. You make independent choices and live with their consequences. But until you understand that, this battle will take a toll on you.
Open your eyes.
Open your eyes to see the bigger picture. You need to develop self-confidence and move past blaming yourself. It is not easy, especially because you are the one in this battle. You need to believe it is possible to overcome feelings of guilt, shame, and worries.
Winning spiritual battles is a deliberate project you must undertake. Even though you may need help, the initiative must come from you. Do not despair or see yourself as a lost cause. You can make it!
