Articles > Prayer Spirtual Warfare

How spiritual warfare plays a role in your personal finances and why prayer and praying over your personal finances could be important

How Christians have the authority to withstand and resist the devil, who is our enemy

Spiritual Warfare on the Block
by Tracy Young

Late one evening, I arrived home and went to retire for the night in my bedroom. Gunshots rang out in rapid succession, followed by the sounds of squealing tires. I then did something very foolish. I turned on the lights and ran outside.

People started coming out of various doors to meet those who were already outside. They asked each other if they were okay. We figured out that my neighbor was the target and were relieved to know that she was alive. She was hyperventilating but all right. Confusion and fear overcame the neighborhood. The only limited information we had, at that moment, was that a white truck had terrorized our little block. At that moment, another innocent white truck started coming down the street. Neighbors started dropping flat to the ground while others ran behind trees or cars. We did not know who our enemies were. Soon, the neighborhood was filled with sirens, police cars and paramedics. Index cards in the street marked the bullet casings. Men in suits arrived and took statements. Holes in a jagged line remained in my sweet neighbor's house.

Later, I talked to my neighbor on the other side about the incident. Her husband is a police officer who was away on duty at the time. She heard the shots and immediately turned out all the lights and hit the ground. I realized how foolish I was. Her husband would have grabbed his weapon and acted in a trained precise manner. She said that you have to have a weapon, knowledge and training; otherwise you are just acting foolishly.

Spiritual Warfare is going on and you are part of that war whether you choose to be or not. John 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. He will leave behind terror, fear and confusion. You can fight the enemy, but you better have your weapon, knowledge and training. God’s Word tells us: "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." (Luke 10:19 NIV)

God has given the body of Christ the authority to withstand the enemy. We have the authority to use the name of Jesus and the enemy will flee. We can bind the enemy's plots and desires. "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19 NKJV)

Train yourself in the knowledge of the Word of God. Memorize the verses where attacks come from the most. When you see the enemy coming down your street and whenever he starts to attack your finances, your health, or your life, you stand on the Word of God and hit the devil hard with spiritual warfare – it works!

Realize that all evil spirits are subject to your authority in Christ Jesus. There is nothing that the enemy can do to harm you in any way. You have all spiritual strength, mental strength, and physical strength over the enemy. You command the spirit of disease to leave you alone and you command the spirit of poverty to leave you. Whatever goes against the Word of God is not to be allowed in your life. You are a child of God, bought and paid for at a price. Jesus paid that price for you and God has given you the authority to use the name of Jesus. Gain that knowledge, practice and train with that knowledge and then act upon it.

Do so, and you will not be someone running outside to face the enemy with just his bare hands, but you will be a mighty warrior facing the enemy with a large tank and the barrel aimed at his head.

For more information on preparation for spiritual warfare and breaking demonic strongholds and curses and negative judgments, please see Chapter 9 of Financial Freedom in 7 Weeks Plus.