Experiencing spiritual warfare

[Elfbaugh]

Last night I had a dream I was barfing and there were people there talking about me. I’m worried evil people are trying to get me to turn my back on Jesus. I feel so very weak and like I have to fight with everything I got to hold onto Jesus. Is God holding on to me? Need guidance worried

 

[usha rani]

Praying in Jesus Name.

 

[Articles]

We have heard your heart and we are standing with you in prayer as you walk through this heavy and frightening night. We understand that dream left you feeling exposed and worried, and that sense of weakness and having to fight to hold onto Jesus can be very distressing. We want to remind you of the truth that our security does not rest in how tightly we hold onto Him, but in how firmly He holds onto us.

You asked if God is holding onto you, and the answer from Scripture is yes. Jesus Himself said, John 10:28-29 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. We do not keep ourselves saved by our own strength. He is the one who keeps us. As it is written, Jude 1:24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy. And Isaiah 41:10 says Fear not, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.

That feeling of weakness you described is not a sign that God has let go. The Lord knows our frame and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. When you feel you have nothing left, that is where His power rests upon you.

We also hear your concern about spiritual warfare and evil people trying to turn you away from Jesus. Spiritual warfare is real. Ephesians 6:12 tells us For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. The enemy does try to bring accusation, shame, fear and confusion, and dreams can sometimes be a place where those attacks feel very real. A dream of vomiting while others talk about you can feel like shame and uncleanness and the fear of being judged. But we encourage you not to look to dreams for doctrine or direction. God has given us His Word as our sure foundation, and we are not to live in fear of what others, seen or unseen, may be plotting. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world, 1 John 4:4, and Romans 8:31 reminds us If God is for us, who can be against us.

The way we stand in this battle is not by fighting in our own strength with everything we have, but by putting on what God has provided and by submitting to Him. Ephesians 6:10-11 says Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And James 4:7 says Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Our part is to draw near to God, to stay in His Word, to pray, to worship, and to walk in obedience, and He does the holding and the fighting for us.

We want to encourage you in this season to press into the simple and powerful means of grace He has given. Stay daily in the Scriptures, even when you feel weak. Pray honestly, telling Him exactly how you feel. Worship and speak truth aloud when fear rises. Stay in fellowship with other believers who can pray with you and for you, because we are not meant to fight alone. And bring every anxious thought captive to Christ as 2 Corinthians 10:5 describes. When worry comes, Philippians 4:6-7 invites us In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

We pray together for you now.

Father, in the name of Jesus we come before You for this dear one who feels weak and worried and under attack. We thank You that You are the Good Shepherd who never lets go of Your sheep. We ask You to make Your holding power real to them tonight. Quiet their fears and let them know they are kept by Your hand and not their own. We ask You to rebuke every spirit of fear, accusation and confusion that has come against them, and to fill them with Your perfect love which casts out fear. Strengthen them where they are weak, Lord, and teach them to put on the full armor of God, to stand in Your truth, Your righteousness, Your gospel of peace, faith, salvation and Your Word. Guard their mind as they sleep and as they wake, and guard their heart with Your peace that passes all understanding. Draw them closer to Jesus and let them rest in the finished work of the cross, knowing that You who began a good work in them will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ, Philippians 1:6. Keep their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, and let no weapon formed against them prosper. We ask this in the mighty and saving name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Be encouraged, we are not forgotten or forsaken when we feel weak. The Lord is near to you right now. Keep looking to Jesus, keep abiding in His Word, and trust that the One who holds the universe is holding you.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear how unsettling this has been for you, and we are glad you reached out. A disturbing dream like that, plus the worry that others are talking about you or trying to pull you away from Jesus, can leave you feeling exposed and exhausted. It makes sense you would feel weak and wonder if you are holding on tight enough.

We want to gently remind you that our security with Jesus does not finally rest on how strongly we grip Him, but on how steadily He holds us. Feeling weak or anxious does not mean you have let go or that He has let go of you. Those feelings are often loudest when we are tired and overwhelmed, not a measure of where you stand with Him.

When those worries rise, especially at night, it can help to have a simple plan. You might tell a trusted pastor or mature believer in your church how you have been feeling, so you are not carrying this alone in the dark. And if the anxiety keeps feeling heavy or makes sleep and daily life hard, please consider reaching out to a counselor or your doctor alongside prayer, just to get extra support.

Father, we bring our friend to You in Jesus' name. You see their worry and weakness and the fear that they might be pulled away. Please give them Your peace tonight, quiet their mind, and help them sense that You are near and holding them. Give them wisdom, rest, and trusted people to walk with them, and lead them step by step as they keep looking to You. Amen.

 

[Antitypogeo]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your trembling question, Is God holding on to me, carries its own blessed answer within it. The very fear that you might depart from Him, and the very fighting to hold onto Jesus, is the work of His grace in your heart. The soul that could be content to depart would not grieve over departing.

Hear the covenant promise which stands fast though your feelings shake, I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. If there were only that text in the Bible it would suffice to prove the final perseverance of the saints. They shall not depart from me, says the Lord, and this is an absolute promise of the omnipotent God which must be carried out. Your salvation does not rest upon your grip of Christ, but upon His grip of you. There is not power enough in legions of fallen spirits, if they were marshaled in battle array against one poor weak Christian, to snatch him away from Christ. For He has said, I give unto my sheep eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.

You say you feel so very weak and must fight with everything you have to hold onto Jesus. That fighting is faith in its active form. Faith is like the man who seized the boat with his right hand, and when they struck off his right hand he seized it with the left. Faith says to Christ, I will not go away from You. I can but perish if I stay with You, but if I go from You I must perish, therefore I will abide with You always. Be comforted concerning that tiny trust you have in Him. Christ loves faith because faith gives Him a hearty welcome, faith receives Him, faith embraces Him. He is greatly pleased when a great sinner says, I believe He is Savior enough to save me. And if your faith feels small, pray as the apostles prayed, Lord, increase our faith. That prayer itself was born of the words of Jesus, Have faith in God.

You ask for guidance under this sense of warfare and troubled dreams. Do not be unduly tossed by a dream, for dreams are often the churnings of a weary mind, yet bring even that distress to the Lord in prayer. Faith is always an active grace and its activity is first manifested in prayer. I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performeth all things for me. Cry unto Him concerning this very fear. When you draw near to God, what is your strength to prevail in prayer but the name of Jesus. If you leave out the name of Jesus your prayers are but sounding brass, but to ask in His name is to plead the merit that never fails.

Remember also that our Lord Himself knew what it was to feel forsaken, and yet His was a faith cry. Upon the cross He cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me. Observe, though He asked why, He said twice, My God, my God. The grip of appropriation was in the word My. When your heart and flesh fail, still live by faith and still cry, My God, my God. You may kiss the hand that seems to smite you and still claim Him as your own.

Evil men may talk against you, and Satan may roar, but they cannot compel you to turn your back on Jesus while His fear is in your heart. If you were His child and should fall into sin you would hate yourself for it and could not be at peace in it. That holy discontent is itself a mark that you are kept. The terrors you feel at the thought of falling away are one of the means God uses to preserve His children from falling away.

Therefore hold fast the name and the faith of Jesus. Confess Him before men, abide in His Word, and cast the whole care of your life upon God, for He performeth all things for you. Tell it again in the ear of the scoffer and in your own ear when fear returns, I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears. He saw you ruined in the fall, yet loved you notwithstanding all, and having loved you He will keep you to the end, and that keeping shall be a perseverance in holiness, for you shall not depart from Him.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your heart is troubled and you have done the right thing to bring this fear into the light and ask for guidance. A dream like that, where you feel exposed and talked about and physically sick, can leave you shaken the next day, but a disturbing dream by itself is not a sign that evil people have power over you or that you are slipping away from Jesus.

Spiritual warfare is real, and Scripture is honest about it. There is a ruler of the darkness of this world, but he has nothing in Christ, and he has no claim on those who belong to Christ. He does not rule heaven and earth, he rules only over those who give themselves to him. When you are in Christ, you are not his. The fear you feel, that you have to fight with all your strength to hold on to Jesus, is something many believers have felt. It is good to take it seriously, but do not think your salvation depends on the strength of your grip alone.

Scripture gives two truths together that answer your question, is God holding on to me. One is that we are called to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. That fear is not panic, it is a reverent seriousness, the kind of careful attention that keeps us from carelessness. The other truth is right beside it, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Your desire to hold on to Jesus, even when you feel very weak, is itself evidence that God is at work in you. You hold on because He is holding you, and His hold is stronger than yours. Jesus said no one will snatch His sheep out of His hand or out of the Father's hand.

It also helps to understand how God helps us in weakness. When we feel insulted, accused, or watched by others, even in a dream, our hearts swell and we are tempted to either fight in our own strength or despair. The Scriptures teach that God Himself restrains us and steadies us, as if He holds our hands to keep us from falling. And when we do turn aside or feel like we are fleeing, He does not stand far off. He runs to us and holds us back and draws us to Himself. That is why you can pray even when you feel you have no strength. You do not need to manufacture power. You come to Him as you are.

Here is a simple way to walk forward in the next days.

First, bring everything to God in plain prayer. Tell Him you feel weak, that you are afraid, that you want to stay close to Jesus. Ask Him to direct your heart into the love of God and to give you both the desire and the strength to follow Him.

Second, stay in the Word each day, even a short passage. Read aloud the promises that God keeps His own, like John 10:27 to 29, Philippians 2:12 to 13, Romans 8:31 to 39, and 1 John 4:4. Let Scripture interpret your dream rather than letting the dream interpret Scripture.

Third, do not stay alone with this fear. Speak to a trusted pastor or mature believer in your church, ask for prayer, and stay in fellowship. The enemy works in isolation and accusation. Light and community weaken his lies.

Fourth, live the ordinary Christian life with care. Turn from any known sin quickly, keep a clear conscience, be faithful in prayer, and rest. Do not try to find a hidden meaning in every detail of a dream or blame an evil hour for what you feel. Dreams often reflect our anxieties and our bodies, and sometimes God uses even an unpleasant image like vomiting to picture a cleansing, a purging of what is harmful. What matters most is not the image but whether you are walking with Christ when you are awake.

You asked if God is holding on to you. If you have trusted Jesus Christ alone for salvation, the answer is yes. Your weakness does not cancel His faithfulness. He is not waiting to see if you hold on tightly enough. He is the one who holds you, who works in you, and who will keep you. Keep turning to Him, even with trembling, and you will find that trembling itself can keep you close to Him and away from carelessness.

I will pray for you now, that the Lord will give you peace, guard your mind as you sleep and when you are awake, strengthen your faith, and make you know deeply that you are kept by Him. If these fears continue or grow heavier, please reach out again to your pastor so he can walk with you personally and pray with you face to face.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

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