Psychological warfare, Spiritual Warfare : How do they relate?
Greetings to my fellow Young Adult Christians,
I know you are having a great time together, in fellowship, and in spirit. It’s great to have like-minded, like-spirited peers surrounding you. This is a protective buffer and a support mechanism that feeds our feel-good endorphins, as we walk through our daily busy lives. We need each other. We feed each other when we are well, bad, and indifferent. When we feel empty, we have each other to fill us. When others feel empty, we pour into them. This is how we survive in this world, day to day, which can at times, feel so lonely, and uncertain. Do we want to feel this way, of course not? Some of us, this is built into our fabric, and it is imperative that we learn early on, how to manage what feels unmanageable.
We all know that through God, all things are possible. Let’s keep that in mind, as we work through the mental portion of our beings today.
Mind Health (Mental): We will look at psychological warfare as it is similar to spiritual warfare, which more of you may be familiar with. We will also look at F.E.A.R (false evidence appearing real). How does fear show up in our bodies, our minds, our spirits? You will have a reflective sheet (below) to write some of your reflective thoughts out, to really take a look at what’s happening in your being, then how you are coping and dealing with it. Some of you will do this easily, some of you may be triggered, and some of you may not be ready to go into this space just yet. It’s okay wherever you are. When you are ready, you will move forward. If you are triggered, look around and use your support.
Here are my thoughts: I am guessing that we have all heard about spiritual warfare. I remember the first time I learned about spiritual warfare, I was fascinated by the term and its meaning. I was relieved to have answers that made so much more sense to things that were happening in my life at that time; it was scary. I searched for info, researched the Bible to see what others were saying about spiritual warfare. I then asked around to see what my people knew about spiritual warfare, and how they were applying it in life. I found out, they didn’t know what it meant either, none of my peers were talking about this concept. I wondered why… Now that I know, I cannot go back to not knowing - it is fascinating, to say the least. 🤷🏽♀️
What does the Bible say about Spiritual Warfare?
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 discusses the warfare of spirit, saying, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.". The most important battle we will fight is not physical or mental. It is the spiritual warfare we undergo as devoted followers of God when the strength and conviction of our faith are continuously tested. In this battle, we face not only external forces but the thoughts and passions within ourselves that may stray from the path of righteousness. Thankfully we can look to the wisdom of scripture and the Armor of God to encourage us in this spiritual war (https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/spiritual-warfare-scriptures, 10/24/2019)
This is why the Bible tells us to (Ephesians 6:11) put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (6:12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places; (1 Thessalonians 5:6) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. Let us know what is going on. Let us be aware. Let us be woke.
Reflective Questions: So now let us look at how we would apply this to psychological warfare. What is the difference? How are they connected? What are your thoughts about this?
Psychological Warfare per Dr. Sweeney:
Believe it or not, psychological warfare is something that each and every one of us has experienced to-date, yet, we probably didn’t recognize it as such. It is when someone (such as an enemy; opponent; SELF; superego or authoritative figure held in one’s mind and spirit) makes us feel less than, less confident, hopeless, afraid, insecure. Sometimes our own mind will create these dynamics.
We may not know the root causes of these thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences. We usually don’t feel the effects until we have already gone down the path of feeling down, feeling bad, feeling like we have messed up, or that we have failed in some way. When we are not doing well, we tend to unconsciously conjure up all the bad stuff we have ever endured and encountered in life (to-date). This is a powerful and vicious cycle.
Some of us will be self-aware and recognize this; some of us will be surprised every time this dynamic occurs (the dots are not connecting). Lastly, some of us will be caught so off guard, with no clue that we are repeating the same cycle without a solution that we fall victim and enslaved to “it.” Thus, we begin to slip and fall and fall, down the rabbit hole, having the darndest time climbing back out. We move into collapse. We feel a deflated sense of self, and we don’t know why; this feels scary, this feels “crazy,” and we feel off. Where do we go from here?
Remember, it is a powerful and vicious cycle. It is a stronghold. We feel debilitated, we go into flight, fight, freeze modes, sometimes all at once. This will manifest itself in your body, in your mind, and off-put your spirit.
What happens when we become immobilized and defeated, or at least that’s what our minds, bodies, and spirits feel in real-time when all the elements begin to fall and move in that direction... We ask ourselves, why do I allow this to happen each time; how did I get here again and again? Most times, this is happening so unconsciously and interpersonally, by the time we know we are in it, it’s already too far ahead of us, and we don’t know what to do next…Now what?!
False
Evidence
Appearing
Real
The simplistic discussion here is fear is not real (yet it is real to each and every one of us who experience it). It is perceived, it is what we hold in our mind space when we don’t know, from previous lived experiences, traumas, propaganda out of our control that has been fed to us by outside influences to harm and inadvertently not harm. It is what we don’t know (we don’t know what we don’t know). How big it grows depends on what else is influencing and impacting your mind, your spirit… What is attaching itself to your body? Don’t you feel it in your body, I do.
The elaborate discussion here is for those of us who hold this mindset: It IS real, and it takes over: this looks different in each person, family, community, culture, and ethnicity (it is layered).
Let’s discuss this further as a group. What are your thoughts?
Thank you so much for allowing me into your mind and spiritual quest (journey) for further understanding. Enjoy each day of spirit-filled connectivity with others. We are relational people, and we crave genuine connectivity, we also desire to be heard, cared for, and understood.
It is always my pleasure to serve you today and every day.
Peace love and light,
