Liz loves the Lord. She reads her Bible most mornings, is faithful to her church family, and genuinely wants her life to honor God. Yet over the past year, it seems like one thing after another has hit her. Problems keep piling up. Doors keep closing. Relationships are strained. Financial pressure is mounting. Some days she feels as though she’s barely keeping her head above water. She loves God, but if she’s honest, she finds herself wondering, “What in the world is happening to me?”
It started with a few disappointments that Liz tried to brush off and keep moving through. A promotion she had hoped for never came. Her adult son became increasingly distant. Financial pressure began tightening its grip because of loans she hadn’t been able to pay off. Then came the sleepless nights. The constant worrying. The endless replaying of conversations and circumstances in her mind. Before long, the mental exhaustion felt like a dark cloud that followed her everywhere. It was a heaviness she couldn’t explain. What began as a difficult season slowly turned into a sense that something was wrong—not just around her, but within her.
Hosea 4:6 (KJV) is a simple, yet incredibly meaningful verse to our spiritual well-being. In it, our God tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” We make a dangerous error when we underestimate the importance of knowing God’s Word. It’s life to us.
We are spiritual beings, and the life God intended for us can never be sustained apart from Him. Every good thing we truly need is found in Him—wisdom, truth, purpose, direction, peace, strength, and freedom. His truth expands us in ways we cannot fully fathom. The more we grow in our knowledge of God, the more we discover the greatness of who He is and the extraordinary inheritance we have received through Jesus Christ. As we come to know Him more deeply, we learn that no work of darkness is greater than His power, no strategy of the enemy can overturn His purposes, and no battle we face is beyond His authority. The believer who truly understands who God is does not have to live intimidated by the enemy. We stand in the strength of the One who created all things, rules over all things, and has already secured the victory through Jesus Christ.
It’s one thing to say we believe these truths. It’s another thing to know them deep within our hearts. When we truly know who God is and who He has made us through Jesus Christ, we remain spiritually strong and continually renewed. But where that understanding is lacking, we can become vulnerable to the enemy’s tactics. We may fail to guard our hearts and minds. We may not fully understand the authority, wisdom, strength, and victory that belong to us in Christ. And we may overlook the transforming power of standing firmly on the truth of what God has spoken.
Ephesians 6:11 (NLT) tells us, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” We cannot afford to be hoodwinked into underestimating the armor God has provided or how critically important it is that we put it on. The enemy thrives in deception, but believers have received through Jesus Christ everything needed to thrive in truth. The more deeply we know God, the more clearly we recognize the lies that oppose Him. And the more firmly we are established in His truth, the more confidently we can stand in the victory that Jesus Christ has already secured on our behalf.
Many have made the mistake of sensationalizing spiritual warfare, erring on the side of hyped spiritualism rather than sound biblical truth. In reality, spiritual warfare is not always as obvious or fantastical as many imagine. More often, it unfolds in the thoughts we entertain, the conclusions we draw, and the beliefs we embrace during difficult seasons.
Over time, Liz begins to notice something changing within her. The disappointments she once viewed as difficult seasons are no longer simply disappointments. They have become beliefs about herself, her future, and even God. Rather than bringing her pain to God, she has begun allowing her pain to define what she believes about Him, herself, and what lies ahead.
The promotion she never received becomes, “God must have overlooked me.” Her son’s growing distance becomes, “Maybe I failed as a mother.” The financial pressure becomes, “Things are never going to get better.” The sleepless nights become, “I can’t keep doing this.”
Without realizing it, Liz has slowly stopped fighting circumstances and started agreeing with lies. The enemy has not needed to convince her to walk away from God. But rather, he has only needed to convince her to question God’s goodness, doubt His faithfulness, and accept thoughts that were never rooted in truth. Because if he can influence what she believes, he can influence how she responds. And if he can influence how she responds long enough, those thoughts can begin shaping the course of her life.
What began as a difficult season has quietly become a battlefield for Liz’s mind. The enemy does not always attack through dramatic manifestations. Frequently, he works through deception, seeking to influence how we perceive God, ourselves, our circumstances, and our future. Left unchecked, those deceptions can take root and gradually shape the way we think, the way we respond, and the way we live.
This is why spiritual warfare cannot be reduced to strange experiences, dramatic manifestations, or the sensationalized stories that often capture people’s attention. Some of the most significant battles believers face occur in the quiet places of everyday life—in the thoughts they entertain, the fears they nurture, the conclusions they draw, and the beliefs they embrace about God, themselves, and the situations they face.
The good news is that believers do not have to live at the mercy of the enemy’s lies. God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and everything we need to stand firm in the truth. Spiritual warfare is real, but Jesus Christ is greater. The enemy may attempt to influence what we think, but he cannot overturn what God has spoken. He may whisper lies, but truth still has the final word. As we grow in our knowledge of God and remain grounded in His truth, we learn to recognize deception, reject it, and walk in the freedom, wisdom, and victory that are ours through Jesus Christ. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Spiritual Warfare Is Real, But Jesus Christ Is Greater”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to encouraging and inspiring Christian Women to live boldly through God’s Word.
