Psalm 27 Spiritual Warfare

When we are in the middle of difficult circumstances, there is nothing more powerful than knowing that God is there with us and that all is well. Our needs are already known and supplied. We do not have to ask God for anything, we merely have to open our minds to the knowledge that there is only God in our life and bless our circumstances. In the knowledge and understanding of our rightful place as children of God, what should we fear? If all that is God’s is ours, how can there be any lack? 

If God is for us, who is against us? (Rom 8:31)

The most trying spiritual warfare takes place in the battlefield of our own consciousness. How are we able to withstand the battles of life? We must remain single-mindedly focused on God and the Christ Presence within. For in God alone we have protection and stability. This army and war that we are speaking of is an internal war. When we begin to embrace our spirituality, we may consciously and intellectually want to undertake the journey. However, we find that there are deeply seated emotions, beliefs and habits that undermine our efforts to change. We know that we should pray and meditate daily but it is so tempting to get more sleep. These ways of being are so deeply ingrained in our consciousness, we do not even realize how large a part they play in everything that we do.

There are tests that we all experience. Tests are not given to us by God, rather they are the consequences of our testing God. They are a way for us to see what we can get away with. We know that God will always protect us (he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble), but it takes us time to understand that we can be protected from the chaos of the world only to the extent that we willingly submit to the Christ within us.

As we mature, we begin see these subtle saboteurs more clearly and easily (my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me). This is the process of detachment. It is important for us to be able to separate ourselves from our thoughts and it is the first and most important step in being able to get control over our thoughts. Once we detach ourselves from our thoughts we can release them (offer in his tent sacrifices) and open our minds and hearts to the Truth.

The simplest and most direct way to God's commonwealth, is to walk the straight and narrow path (level path). In Christ, we have been given a blueprint with which to build our house quickly and efficiently, but we must follow it closely. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reminds us constantly that all that he does is of God not of his own doing. The struggle with our personal will is the biggest obstacle to attaining the consciousness of Christ (do not give me up to the will of my adversaries). As long as any part of us believes that we are self-sufficient, we cannot get there. But if we maintain our faith in God and wait for the guidance of Spirit (wait for the Lord), we can take each step on the path in the knowledge that we will not stumble because we are in God’s hands.

And so it is! Amen!