The tag line for Stronger Than the Struggleis “uncomplicating your spiritual battle.” And that is exactly what this book does, uncomplicates the spiritual battle. Too often when we think about the struggles we face in life we don’t recognize them as actual spiritual battles because if we do then things might get weird. So instead we try to flight a spiritual battle with and earthly mind and expect to win or hope that the storm will blow on through. When we have a mindset like this we are doing ourselves a great injustice because God has given us all the weapons we need to fight the battles we face. And if God is not “weird” then using the weapons He has given us are not “weird” either.
In this book Havilah faces the addresses spiritual warfare in a very matter of fact and simple way. She helps you understand the type of battle you are facing, helps you understand the authority we have in Jesus, and practically talks about how to live victorious daily. On page 195 the author writes, “It’s about being well equipped for the big stuff in our spiritual lives, so we stay influential in our daily lives.” While this quote is at the end of the book, this quote accurately sums up what Havilah communicates throughout the entire book. In our physical lives we have dreams and desires of who we want to be or where we want to go, this is the big picture. But we have to have that in our everyday life we would wonder around aimlessly. It is no different in our spiritual life. We have to be ready for the big stuff so we can live freely and move forward daily.
One of my favorite scriptures is found in James. James 4:7 says, “So submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” I love this scripture because it conveys the authority we have in Christ but also the simplicity of spiritual warfare. Havilah dives deep into this scripture on page 33. She writes:
“This command to resist doesn’t portray a passive church. It paints the picture of a church ready to fiercely oppose the enemy and do everything In her power to stand against him. You may be wondering what the difference is between standing in defense mode and resisting in discovery mode. It all comes down to the belief behind the action. When we stand in a defensive position, we do so out of fear. When we stand in a resisting position, we do so out of power and anointing and a surety of our victory. We have all the authority we need to command the enemy to leave, and when we do, he must go. No questions asked.”
Spiritual warfare is that simple. It is submitting to God and then using the authority and anointing He has given you to fight the battles you are facing. As I said earlier spiritual battles are real and we don’t do ourselves any favor by pretending they don’t exist. But fighting these battles do not have to be complicated. I recommend reading Stronger Than the Struggleto help strengthen your arsenal of spiritual weapons.