The Weapons of our Warfare

                    Written by Caroline Lanette Alderson

    The first thing a real leader has to learn is to

be able to admit when they let the enemy in, and then

to teach others how it happens and how to prevent it.

Some preachers don't want to appear weak so sometimes

don't want to reveal their struggles with the enemy.

However, its not the struggles so much we are showing,

but the struggle and then how God instructed us to

deal with it to get free. If preachers and leaders

won't reveal to others how they struggled and fought

with God's help, against the enemy, then how is anyone

supposed to learn? I've always said, I would rather be

right by admitting I'm wrong, so that I can now be

right, than to cling to my right to be wrong, just

because I don't want to appear weak, because then I

remain wrong. How stupid is that? Pretty stupid, and I

don't want to be stupid. I want to be wise in all

things. Besides, that’s the spirit of pride. Pride is

another spirit from the dark side.

    To get started, I'm going to compare a little

something to something natural so that it can be

better understood. You know how in Star Wars,

sometimes a good Jedi will get turned to the dark

side, hopefully only temporary? Yes, I know that's

fiction and all. But, that's what came to my mind. 

   I opened the door, or I let my shield of faith

down. Just like in Star Trek, if the enemy shoots at

you, sometimes he can take out your shield. That's

what happened to me this weekend. I got in strife with

someone I love dearly. When I did, I let my shield

down, and that spirit of strife sneaked in. And that

sneaky, no good for nothing scoundrel brought in four

of his buddies unbeknownst to me. I discovered them

later with God's help.

   I'm sitting here listening to Jerry Savelle, and

nothing is getting in, and its been an hour. I'm like,

what is going on?? I always get something when I

listen to preaching. Why isn't anything getting in? I

have been pouring in the word of God for the last two

months, and think and talk and do the word of God.

Yet, something is clearly wrong here. I have darkness

in me, where I had only Light. What has happened?? I

was sensing the strife, and the darkness, and the

bitterness, and the criticism, but I would just try to

shake it out of my head, and on my own strength. I

would attempt to control my thoughts and my words on

my own. I did have a measure of success, but the

darkness was still there. Granted, I was working hard

not to feed it, but because the darkness was still in

me I would accidentally give into it. And then something

happened with a totally different person, and now I

have jealously and envy, which isn't like me at all. 

   Tonight, Billye Brim was on live at a church and

they were broadcasting it on media player and I'm

listening to it even now as I write this. And she got

in, even with the darkness in me. I asked God to

instruct me how to get rid of this darkness. I pretty

much knew when it came in, but I needed His help and

His weapons to get them out. And no, I wasn't

possessed or anything lol. They weren't in my spirit.

They weren't really in me, I don't think. I think they

had just moved into my house temporarily and was

bugging me, and obstructing me from receiving all that

God had for me. 

    As God instructed me, I took His weapons which

belong to me as a child of God, and I kicked the enemy

out of my house. I said, "I bind you spirit of strife;

I bind you spirit of criticism; I bind you spirit of

bitterness; I bind you spirit of jealousy; I bind you

spirit of envy, and I cast you out of my life strife,

bitterness, criticism, envy and jealousy. I plead the

blood of Jesus over my mind, my emotions, my soul, my

spirit, my body, everything that I am." (It doesn't

have to be in that exact order or anything. I know

that its spirit and then soul and then body.) 

   Then, I said, "Father, I repent for having given

into strife and letting down my shield, letting all

these evil darkness spirits in. I ask You to forgive

me in Jesus name. I thank You for correcting, and

disciplining me, and for instructing me on how to get

them out, and for making accessible to me Your

weapons, which are the weapons of my warfare."