Spiritual warfare often calls to mind vivid images of Archangels fighting at the gates of Heaven.

Your day-to-day life might not be a physical battle, but it is likely that you are constantly confronted with challenges that contain elements of spiritual warfare: ranging from temptations to internal struggle as to right and wrong, seeing those battles is what is necessary in their victory.

As Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” It is an invitation to watching over one’s heart and, quite literally, standing guard.

Once you realize the signs of spiritual warfare taking place in your life, you are already armed enough to prevent something worse from taking place.

God’s Word provides us with clear instruction on how to deal with these things so you will be making decisions of faith, enabling you to live a life founded in strength and faith. But the forces that oppose you do not wait for you to prepare; they assault daily, even with continual ferocity.

5 Signs of Spiritual Warfare

Following are five common signs of spiritual warfare and how to identify them in your every day.

1. A Barage of Tests and Losses

Ponder the instance of Job, an upright person who was tried by the devil to determine whether he could dissuade him from God. Job’s test was intense: loss of everything, temptation, and severe anguish. Yet, his faith held off the dark forces.

Similarly, spiritual warfare in your life could be an ever-continuing litany of struggles: from defeats at the workplace to unjust treatment to coming across individuals who appear to spoil everything. They might be boundless and staggering fights, yet even then, God’s faith can be your greatest anchor.

2. Crushing Exhaustion

Spiritual struggle is often linked with ongoing fatigue, many times more than physical exhaustion. It is a result of ongoing pressure and struggle in your life that leaves you weary and defeated.

There is plenty of such struggle in the Bible. When the Israelites were taken by the Babylonians, despair was all around them, and they felt that God did not care for them.

God then sent Isaiah as a reminder of His infinite strength and care: as recorded in Isaiah 40:27-29: “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Even when spiritually drained, God’s promise of renewal and strengthening is always present.

3. Excessive Fear and Darkness

The world can get extremely dark sometimes, and everything becomes worse and the fear and anxiety become stronger. Spiritual warfare tends to strike your mind and manifest itself as mood disorders, depression, or heightened anxiety. These attacks might cause you to act in a manner that doesn’t feel natural to your personality.

Elijah’s encounter is a great demonstration of this fight. Above triumph and faith, Elijah ran in fear, overcome by desperation. In 1 Kings 19, God’s patience and love are demonstrated as He consoles and reestablishes Elijah. Even in your darkest moment, God’s mercy and guidance are not shut off.

4. Temptation

By their nature, spiritual conflicts usually concern temptations. The difficulties of life and hardships can have the “easy” path of pride and self-sufficiency more dependable than God Himself.

Proverbs 16:18 cautions, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” With every temptation, further away from God the choices are made.

To be able to recognize the spiritual attack during those times will go a long way in refusing such options and act contrary to the influence in a manner that your faith guides.

5. Guilt Feelings and Condemnation

Another very vital weapon in spiritual warfare is guilt, predominantly as an insistent memory of some trespassing that bugs you. Such emotions may then overtake and engulf you uncontrollably and render you unworthy and under judgment.

But God’s Word guarantees us that shame and condemnation do not mark the end of our story. Since Romans 8:1 reminds us, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Although the feelings of your guilt may feel overwhelming at times, they do not define your identity in Christ.

Protecting Yourself Against Spiritual Warfare

God has not left you without weapons against these fights. By His Word, He gives very explicit instructions to help overcome spiritual warfare and fortify your faith:

• Remain grounded in God’s Word: read the Bible every day for strengthening of His promises and direction.
• Pray continuously: prayer will bring you into contact with God, enabling you to invoke His power and wisdom.
• Embrace Community: be surrounded by fellow believers who can provide support, encouragement, and accountability.
• Trust God’s Presence: He is always with you, fighting in the battle with you when the hurdles seem too insurmountable.

By being present in your faith and trusting in the might of God, you will be able to hold firm against the enemy’s lies and attacks.

Yes, spiritual warfare does exist, but God’s love and power are more-so, and those are the powers that enable you to overcome anything.