Spiritual Warfare - Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Have you ever been attacked by satan and caught up in the midst of spiritual warfare? I have. What is Spiritual Warfare? Let me share. I’ll give you my powerful spiritual warfare prayers for protection created in 2017 as I myself was attacked by the devil who wanted me to commit suicide.

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I never believed in spiritual warfare or Satan or God. When in 2014, I gave my life to Christ and became a Christian, still, spiritual warfare sounded like a crazy topic. Until I met satan face-to-face in 2016 and he tried hard to force me to commit suicide.

RELATED: My Suicide Story

I want to show you how spiritual warfare plays out in real life, so that you can be aware, alert, and armed properly for the deadly battle.

Anna Szabo

I grew up in a non-Christian home where I was abused, molested, violated, hated, rejected, encouraged to commit suicide, and beaten regularly. The way I coped was through escaping into sex and education.

RELATED: My Story of Sex Addiction

Education helped me survive. I graduated from four universities and built a life for myself, but with my science-focused thinking, when I came to Christ, I was very suspicious of people who’d talk about Satan, spiritual warfare, the armor of God, and other “voodoo stuff” as I was referring to it.

Let me tell you: spiritual warfare is real, and I had to fight it hard with the weapons a scientific tool can’t detect, which doesn’t mean I was not in danger. Satan is invisible but he is not fictional. He is real, and he targeted me to take me down. He caught me, and I almost lost the battle. That’s when I discovered the armor of God, which saved my life, literally.

That’s why in this article I want to share with you everything you need to know about spiritual warfare, from my real-life experience. I’ll give you plenty of examples and promise to make it all tangible, to demystify it for you. I’ll show you how spiritual warfare plays out in real life, so that you can be aware, alert, and armed properly for the battle.

By the way, I want to make it very clear: having a scientific mind and not believing in spiritual warfare does not protect you from Satan’s attacks.

Not being equipped and prepared only leaves you helpless and vulnerable, so study everything you can to be armed for the cruel war.

Spiritual Warfare Explained

Not many Christian speakers talk about spiritual warfare because it literally freaks people out and they’d rather avoid it than be uncomfortable.

In 2015, I was targeted and deceived by Satan. Here are eight things you absolutely must know about Satan.

In 2016, I was a part of a Christian Discipleship for Women Church group, and the women collectively refused to study this topic because it’s too freaky. Well, it’s freaky, alright! But you do need to study it in order to be prepared for the time when you’re attacked.

Leaving yourself helpless is not a good strategy for a battle with Satan.

Are you ready to study spiritual warfare with me?

Let’s do this!

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What Is Spiritual Warfare?

There are many definitions of spiritual warfare. I’m going to provide you with a few that I found, and then I will give you my own definition.

Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of fighting against the work of preternatural evil forces. It is based on the biblical belief in evil spirits, or demons.

Wikipedia

Spiritual warfare exists in the unseen, supernatural dimension, where God is all-powerful and Satan is in revolt. As any Christian soon discovers, although spiritual warfare is unseen, it’s absolutely real. The Bible speaks of spiritual warfare in many places, but most directly in Ephesians 6:12, where Paul speaks of putting on the full armor of God: “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.”

All About Following Jesus

The term itself is not found in the scriptures, but the concept is taught. Two of the most commonly associated passages were written by the Apostle Paul.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 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.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:10-12

Christian Training Online
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So, clearly, it’s hard to understand spiritual warfare because it’s not even been defined yet. Defining something is how we grasp what it is and then learn more about it. People tend to avoid this topic because it’s so mystical and mysterious. Why? Because no one ever formulated a clear and concise definition of spiritual warfare. I’m going to fix this problem. Right now.

Spiritual Warfare Definition

Here’s the definition of spiritual warfare I created based on the Biblical explanation of this spiritual concept.

Spiritual Warfare Definition

Spiritual warfare is a battle against Satan, which takes place in the unseen, spiritual dimension and is faught with the weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds, all while you’re resisting Satan, standing firm in the faith, remaining strong in the Lord, and pursuing the ultimate victory of demolishing arguments against the knowledge of God and taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Anna Szabo

So, let’s make sure you understand my definition above.

Spiritual Warfare FQA

What Is Spiritual Warfare?

Spiritual warfare is a struggle, a battle, a war.

Where Does It Take Place?

Spiritual warfare takes place in the unseen, spiritual dimension, aka heavenly realm and high places.

Whom Is It Faught Against?

Spiritual warfare is fought against Satan.

Who Is Satan?

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light but represents the principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world; the roaring lion looking for someone to devour; the thief who comes to kills and steal and destroy; as well as spiritual wickedness and spiritual forces of evil.

What Is The Victory In Spiritual Warfare?

To win spiritual warfare and be victorious, you must take your stand against the devil’s schemes, demolish strongholds and arguments against the knowledge of God, resist Satan, standing firm in the faith, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

What Are The Weapons of Spiritual Warfare?

The weapons of spiritual warfare are determined by the ultimate outcome of victory, which is for you to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. To gain strength in the Lord, here’s a list of seven weapons: the word of God, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus, the testimony of believers, prayer, God’s promises, and thanksgiving.

I am intentional - Daily Devotional for Women by Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Spiritual Warfare Symptoms

Symptoms are what’s experienced and felt on the inside. They are not observable or noticeable to the outside world. Only the one experiencing them knows about them. I personally had all of the below symptoms.

Ten Symptoms of Spiritual Warfare

  1. Doubt
  2. Confusion
  3. Distraction
  4. Temptations
  5. Weak faith
  6. Loss of hope
  7. Lack of peace
  8. Unusual illnesses
  9. Resentment toward God
  10. Suicidal depression
Anna Szabo Wonder Woman - Spiritual Warfare

When I was going through spiritual warfare, the first thing that happened was this: as my confidence in God’s promises began fading away, my mind became a battlefield for doubt.

Confusion followed: I was confused about who I was, whose I was, why I was here, where I was going, and what I needed to do.

The doubt, together with confusion, gave birth to distractions, and instead of focusing on God, I became obsessed with Satan who manipulated me cruelly every day and told lies about me not only to others but also to me.

Satan distracted me with his cruelty and planted just enough doubt to cause me to be tempted to escape life by suicide.

RELATED: How Satan Makes You Feel

Those temptations to commit suicide were so strong, I sometimes had to live my home (where Satan also lived) and run away in the middle of the night to seek peace.

The prolonged, ongoing battle wore me off, and my faith weakened. I began losing hope and became unable to see a future for myself. I lost the peace I had and became possessed by fears, even to the point of panic attacks and crying spells.

The battle caused me to experience a host of illnesses I never had before, all at once. I didn’t understand why God would allow Satan to tempt me that way, so I grew resentful toward God and even wrote Him angry and desperate letters.

Ultimately, Satan almost stole my voice and pushed me deep into the trap of suicidal depression to the point where I was in bed, paralyzed by anxiety, isolated, alone, withdrawn, and filled with all-consuming fear and sorrow.

RELATED: Why Does God Allow Adversity?

In that depressive and suicidal state, paralyzed in my bed in the midst of a disorganized home, piled up laundry, and dirty dishes everywhere, I was able to read through my journals and see how Satan manipulated my mind to lure me into his cleverly-premeditated deception to steal my passion for God and, ultimately, to shut me down.

RELATED: How Satan Manipulates You Into Suicide

When I saw Satan’s gameplan orchestrated so eloquently against me, I started to finally take my every thought captive and submit it to the truth of Christ. I focused on God’s Promises and who God says I am.

RELATED: Identity In Christ

Staying grounded in God’s word and who He says I am saved my life. It took a long time for me to regain my strength because Satan always comes to kill and steal and destroy, which he almost did, but God is good: I’m still here.

RELATED: My Story of Suicidal Depression

Because spiritual warfare symptoms are invisible, no one knows what you’re going through. I cannot tell you enough about the value of having a strong spiritual squad – the people whom you can share those internal struggles with and who will give you Biblical wise counsel.

Satan wants you isolated and alone. It’s easier for him to get you and to take you down when you’re by yourself. That’s why isolation is the first and foremost visible, observable sign of spiritual warfare aimed at separating you from your spiritual squad. Let’s talk about the signs now.

I am new and transformed - Daily Devotional for Women by Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Signs of Spiritual Warfare

Signs are what’s visible on the outside. They are observable and noticeable. The one demonstrating them (you) may not even know about them. In other words, you may not be aware of being in the midst of spiritual warfare but someone wise from your spiritual squad can bring this to your attention.

So, what are the visible signs of spiritual warfare?

Five Signs of Spiritual Warfare

  1. Isolation
  2. Avoidance
  3. Lifelessness
  4. Withdrawal
  5. Erratic behavior

As I was going through spiritual warfare, my friends betrayed me, one by one, and I isolated from people. I started avoiding church and any gatherings of believers. As my life was being sucked out of me, I withdrew from anything and anyone previously associated with joy. And my behavior became extremely erratic: I stopped showering, refused to clean my home, piled up stinky dishes everywhere, and would sleep for days at a time.

Most importantly, I stopped talking.

Satan almost stole my voice.

In the midst of the spiritual warfare I was going through, I realized that Satan wanted me devastated, disoriented, discouraged, and dead.

That’s when and why I started this ministry, Online Discipleship For Women, to share hope in Christ and spread the good news of God’s love and grace. I reclaimed my voice, one day at a time, which took much courage.

I realized that my divine gift from God is communication, and communication was what Satan attacked in order to shut me down.

RELATED: Christian Podcast for Women The Anna Szabo Show

I started this Christian ministry blog, built a Christian podcast for women, and created hundreds of Bible-based videos to encourage and empower women who are going through the hard times in life.

If you’d like to support my ministry, donate now.

“Whoever Brings Blessing Will be Enriched” Proverbs 11:25

Bless Online Discipleship For Women

Who Is Satan?

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) but represents the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world (Ephesians 6:12); the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10); the roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8); as well as spiritual wickedness and spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12).

Satan represents the principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world; the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy; the roaring lion looking for someone to devour; as well as spiritual wickedness and spiritual forces of evil; but he disguises himself as an angel of light.

Anna Szabo
I am God's Masterpiece - Daily Devotional for Women by Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

What does Satan want? To torment you, to have you curse God, to shut you down, to prevent you from sharing the good news of Jesus.

RELATED: Who is Jesus?

Why?

Because Satan himself is being tormented.

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:10

Satan doesn’t want there to be advocates for God. He doesn’t want there to be hope in the world. He wants you to be in doubt, feel devastated, and be destroyed. Satan wants you to live in fear and turn away from God.

What Should You Do About Satan?

Resist him, standing firm in the faith – 1 Peter 5:8

Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you – James 4:7

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil – Ephesians 6:11

Destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Know the truth, the truth will set you free – John 8:32

Be sober-minded; be watchful – 1 Peter 5:8

Stay connected with your spiritual squad “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” – Matthew 18:20

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you – James 4:8

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is worthy of praise, think about these things – Philippians 4:8

Be alert and always keep on praying – Ephesians 6:18

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What Is An Armor of God?

The armor of God is described in detail by Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18. It’s a letter, like an email or a Slack message, or more like a blog post, teaching people how to live life as Jesus’ disciples.

Paul’s letter was not solely for the church at Ephesus, but for all the churches in the area. And his explanation of the armor of God was based on the common uniform of a Roman soldier.

Here’s what Paul says we are to do when in war with Satan.

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Seven Components of the Armor of God

  1. The belt of truth
  2. The breastplate of righteousness
  3. The shoes of peace
  4. The shield of faith
  5. The helmet of salvation
  6. The sword of the Spirit
  7. The prayer on all occasions

Most people believe that the armor of God has only six components but I’m here to tell you: it’s seven, because, without prayer, the armor of God doesn’t work. Prayer is the sacred key to activating the divine power of the armor of God. No prayer – no divine power.

You pray and wear the armor – you’re protected.

Next, let’s discuss the weapons of spiritual warfare.

You have seven weapons at your disposal.

What Are The Weapons of Spiritual Warfare?

There are seven weapons at your disposal to successfully fight the battle with Satan:

  1. The word of God
  2. The blood of Jesus
  3. The name of Jesus
  4. The testimony of believers
  5. God’s promises
  6. Thanksgiving
  7. Prayer

1. The Word of God: understand and believe that the Bible is a God-breathed word, which is living and sacred. The word of God teaches us who we are, whose we are, how to live, why we should have hope, and where we are going. The Bible answers all of our questions, it offers solutions to all of our problems, it declares the promises of God for us to stand on, and it gives us a manual to life, people, and self. The word of God is your sword.

RELATED: What Does God Say About Me?

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17

2. The Blood of Jesus: acknowledge the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice for you personally, cleansing you from all your sin. The blood of Jesus destroyed the work and kingdom of Satan and now gives you the divine power to resist sin, which causes Satan to flee from you. So, the victory has already been won on your behalf. All you need is to accept and declare it.

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57

3. The Name of Jesus: declare the name of Jesus, proclaim that He is your lord and savior, be a discipline of Christ, and share the Gospel with the world. Be strong in the lord and cast out demons in His name.

RELATED: The 30 Names of Jesus

Those who believe, in my name, they will drive out demons.

Mark 16:17

4. The Testimony of Believers: leverage your own testimony of how God’s grace saved your life and gives you a clear conscience today. Seek the testimonies of other believers to renew your own faith daily. Dwell on how God has forgiven you. Meditate on how He cleansed you from all sin and washed you as white as snow. Share your testimony and witness the power it has against Satan. Lead others to Christ to defeat Satan. Share God’s love.

RELATED: My Testimony

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame himby the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

Revelation 12:10-11

5. The Promises of God: understand and accept the 3,573 promises of God, look back and see how He faithfully fulfilled all His promises already, trust that He will honor all His divine promises in your lifetime.



"Standing on God's Promises" #PoemsFromGod

Life is a series of seasons,
With moments of sorrow followed by happy moments.
To question God we have many reasons,
Especially, when facing some devastating disappointments.

Sometimes, we question God's very existence,
Or just His presence in our lives.
We may confront the idea of God's goodness with resistance,
Especially, when grief our daily emotions drives.

Our emotions are not a very reliable source of information.
How we feel changes often too randomly.
That's why to confidently walk toward our destination,
We need to immerse ourselves in truth extendedly.

We need to understand and believe God's faithfulness.
We need to embrace His eternal promises.
We don't need to make them up or guess -
Reading His word is what confidence encompasses.

In the Bible, there are 3573 promises,
The word "promise" itself occurs 50 times.
End of suffering, protection, and forgiveness,
Peace and joy are guaranteed to us always and not just sometimes.

God's promises are the only solid ground for us to stand on.
Everything else is unstable and temporary.
His word is the truth for us to lean on, 
So that our lives can be for His glory and extraordinary.


 9/12/2017 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

6. Thanksgiving: thank God for everything, count His blessings, feel grateful in your heart every day, and keep a gratitude journal.

RELATED: My Annual Gratitude Journal

Give thanks to the lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

7. Prayer: pray on your knees every day or multiple times a day, pray in your car while commuting, pray in the shower, over your meals, when in the bathroom, waiting at a doctor’s office or carwash, while falling asleep at night, pray everywhere all the time about everything. Thank God for His blessings in your life, tell Him about your troubles and anxieties, ask Him for comfort, and praise Him for His goodness and grace.

RELATED: How To Pray

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Ephesians 6:18
How To Pray - Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Spiritual Warfare Examples

The most referred to spiritual warfare example is described in the book of Job. He (Job) was a good man who loved God, but Satan came to tempt him, and Job lost all his seven sons, three daughters, his home, his business, and his health. But Job never lost his faith, though he did become suicidal after all that adversity hit him at once. He cursed his own life and contemplated death. He described his suicidal desires and his dark depression in great detail. Job hated his life and himself, which was exactly what Satan wanted.

RELATED: My Suicide Story

Job was described by the Lord Himself as “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil,” which was the description God gave to Satan when Satan came to God for His permission to tempt Job.

Why?

Job was put through a series of adverse life circumstances to test his faith and ultimately bring him to the point of a personal relationship with God.

In my case, I gave my life to Christ, fell in love with God, Satan came to tempt me, all hell broke loose on every aspect of my life, I fell into a deep, dark depression, I became severely suicidal, I came before God to demand answers, He did give me the answers and drew me closer, and He restored me to the life that’s much better than my life ever was before.

During that spiritual warfare, through which Satan dragged me for a long time, messing with every aspect of my life, I turned to the book of Job and his example of battling Satan.

God restored Job to the life twice as better as his life before, and after that season, Job lived 140 more years to be almost 200.

Click Here to Read The Book of Job

The bottom line is that, eventually, Job was questioning if God was good and why He would allow such adversity to fall on His faithful servant.

RELATED: Is God Good?

Job had a performance-based view of God, and he performed for God’s love. When God spoke to Job eventually, He explained that He has a plan that Job can’t even begin to understand and that faith is not about performing for God but trusting God in all circumstances and knowing that He is good.

Throughout the book, Job, his wife, and his friends speculate on why he, an upright man, suffers. Job accuses God of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe that Job’s sin caused his suffering. Job decides to talk directly to God.

God reminds him that the world has order and beauty but is also wild and dangerous. While we do not always know why we suffer, we can bring our pain and grief to God and trust that He is wise and knows what He’s doing.

The Bible Project

I can give you an example of spiritual warfare from my personal life. It’s about to get really complicated, though, so make sure you pay attention and can witness how Satan attacks God’s servants.

How Satan Came at Me Looking Saint

I was not raised in church. I was born into a family of alcoholics and grew up experiencing violence at home. I was molested and raped. I didn’t have a father. My mom was on welfare and hated me. She wished me death and attempted to kill me various times. She got me addicted to porn and sex.

I moved to America in 2008 as a mail-ordered bride.

In 2014 I gave my life to Christ. I struggled in life with addictions to alcohol and sex. I got baptized, became celibate, and did a 600-day no-dating challenge. In the meantime, I read a great book called Move Toward The Mess, which described how Jesus always moved toward those people who were messy and had pain and actually needed the Gospel, hope, and love.

RELATED: Move Toward The Mess

I identified “the mess” for which God equipped me: sexual sin. I decided to help with this mess and I wrote 124 pages of content about celibacy and honoring God with your body. I created a social media campaign and an online course about Jesus and sex, which attracted 45K viewers in its first few months, and nearly 1K students enrolled in my course globally.

RELATED: About Jesus and Sex

I was serving Jesus with all my seriousness, so I dedicated a lot of time, energy, and effort to producing content, including videos, to draw women closer to Jesus. I knew that there would be consequences if I started promoting Jesus and hope. I knew that it was going to be tough. Yet, I did it anyway because I believed that God equipped me to help with that mess.

Later, I wrote this part of my poem about spiritual warfare.

...

Following Jesus, go where He's going.
He always moved toward a mess,
Never without knowing.

Being His disciple isn't easy,  
We, too, know where the mess is
But are we going there for real or just teasing? 

...

At the end of 2015, when I was done with my no-dating journey, a Christian man pursued me and persuaded me to marry him. He was absolutely amazing, quoted Bible verses on every corner, said all the right things, pretended to be the right man, and even persuaded me to remodel his 20-year-old foreclosure to flip it into a modern piece of interior-design art, which I did with my hard-earned money and hundreds of hours of labor.

While we were dating, he signed us up for pre-engagement counseling called “Right Start” at Perimeter Church, where he attended Metro Atlanta Seminary, after which he officiated weddings and counseled couples.

During the pre-engagement counseling, he proposed to me, and I said yes. He wanted a wedding because he never had one before: he was divorced.

He was divorced with a different last name but he wanted to hide his divorce to maintain a good image, so he changed his last name right before we met, disconnected from his Venezuelan community, and created a whole new Facebook profile to start over, ensuring that people admired him.

Here’s a poem I later wrote about it.

 "The Narcissist Is a Chief Deceiver and Liar" #PoemsFromGod

The Narcissist's primary agenda in life
Is to sneakingly get away with something.
He can even set out to get himself a whole new wife,
If in an ego boost for him resolves that hunting.

He can also get himself a new last name,
Searching for a new victim and running away from past shame.
He will lie to you about who he is and honesty claim.
Overall, he will do anything to get you involved in his make-believe love game. 

The Narcissist is a Chief Deceiver and Liar.
To lure you into his premeditated deception, he will go to a great length.
He needs desperately for someone him to admire.
Without praise, admiration, and compliments he has no strength.

It's because the Narcissist has a very fragile ego.
No one and nothing is important to him but praise.
When the Narcissist is pursuing you, it can be very intriguing,
But only until he quickly ends that short-term happy phase.

After the Narcissist had successfully lured you,
He resorts to just being himself and eating you alive. 
His mistakes and faults start being projected by him on you.
And at that point, he wants nothing less than your very life.  


10/17/17 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

He also worked at North Point Church in Atlanta.

When we met, my name was Anna Stevens.

I was an award-winning author of a goal-setting book, a public speaker, an MBA graduate of Georgia State University, a professional career woman who loved her life and was joyful. I loved people and had many friends.

How to Set Goals - SMART Goals book by Anna Szabo

What happened next was so unexpected, dramatic, cruel, and traumatic that, even today, as I’m writing this blog post to share my story of spiritual warfare with you, I have chills. Here’s the next part of my spiritual warfare poem, which I’ll share with you in its entirety later.

...

If you're going to serve Christ wholeheartedly, 
Make sure you're aware of Spiritual Warfare,
And I won't talk about it guardedly.

Let me share with you vulnerably 
What I've learned about it so far unexpectedly, traumatically but very clearly and undoubtedly. 

...

He didn’t meet me by accident.

He targeted me for 11 months on social media, which I didn’t know and only discovered this important fact later. I was unsuspecting and unprepared. I didn’t believe in spiritual warfare or Satan, at all.

But me not believing in it didn’t protect me from it.

We remodeled his $90K house. I invested thousands of dollars into it. We spent countless hours working on it. Everything was handpicked by me: from tiles and faucets to bathtubs, light fixtures, and furniture.

In premarital counseling, discussing how we planned to live our life together, he said all the right things, every time.

Saying all the right things is exactly what Satan is known for: he pretends to be an angel of light. And he has planned his deception very eloquently.

Satan’s goal is to gain your trust and mess up with your mind. Even Jesus was tempted by Satan who said all the right things to mess up with Jesus’ mind. Jesus was fully God and fully human, yet He himself was tempted by Satan in His human life.

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    and they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Matthew 4:1-11

I am no God at all.

I was just an unsuspecting human.

I should have suspected it, though.

We should all expect to be attacked by Satan if we try to serve God.

Here’s the next part of my poem about it.

...

As a Christian, you are aimed at.
Satan wants you compromised, disoriented, confused...
Trust me, because only from my personal experience can I claim that.  

Paul says: "Wage the war against sin inside yourself"
Knowing that, expect Satan to dig deep into your mind like a delf.

Jesus was attacked by Devil through temptation.
Jesus was God, in our human case of earthly flesh expect escalation. 

...

I felt so much anxiety, so we went to my mentor at Buckhead Church. All of us talked, and I shared about my anxiety. I was encouraged to let my guard down and marry this “good Christian man” to allow God to work in me.

Here’s the next part of my poem: Satan officially deceived me, and I am using the word “officially” in its actual sense.

...

Satan often comes at you looking Saint.
Like a dream come true you never even hoped to see attained.

He deceives you with PREMEDITATED DECEPTION, not accidentally.
You'll never even guess it's him at first,
He is a pro, he deceives you so eloquently.

You'll say in your next video:
"I had so much anxiety"
What do you think God does through our feelings? He warns us.
He gave me in my spiritual warfare warnings variety.

But God won't impose Himself on us, ever.
He gave us our free will forever.

So as I was experiencing anxiety and not listening,
Satan looking Saint attacked me, with fake Christ-likeness bristling.

He lured me into his magnificent presence,
He trapped me in it with his sweet fake pleasance.

So, I was mind-blinded and my discernment was clouded initially,
When Satan looked totally Saint and I was tricked into his PREMEDITATED DECEPTION so officially.

...

We were married on May 14th, 2016.

In our wedding video, I admitted to my anxiety, which was dismissed.

A few weeks later, he began demanding that we sell the house for profit. Confusion was planted in my mind. We had spent so much time, money, energy and effort remodeling it for us as a couple to live there, as he claimed in premarital counseling… I just left my entire life behind and moved there after our wedding, for which I paid thousands of dollars…

It made no sense.

We couldn’t talk about this because he wasn’t around much: he trained 60 hours a week to become an IronMan, and he did three IronMan competitions globally in our first four months of marriage.

His friends called me an IronWidow.

Four months after our wedding, he filed for a divorce.

He used mental cruelty daily to drive me crazy.

RELATED: Satan Has Cruel Intentions

He wasted all my money on his IronMan adventures, house, eating out at $74 per meal, new phone, new IronMan gear, bicycle repairs at $300 each, and attorney fees for his two divorces.

Yes, two.

He dismissed that first divorce after asking me to reconcile in November of 2016, after which he immediately began asking me for money and to agree to sell the house for profit. At that point, I was no longer depositing my paycheck into his USAA account, and I refused to give him any money.

Five weeks later, he filed for divorce again demanding that I move out of our marital residence.

In the meantime, he threatened me regularly, he always carried a gun, he arranged to have no hot water in the house to force me out, he locked Nest air and heating system and left it at 56F in the winter – all to force me out of the house we just remodeled for us to live there together as a family.

Of course, he never wanted a family to begin with but I didn’t know it then.

RELATED: Satan Is a Liar

He used very specific mental cruelty tactics to confuse me and plant doubt in my mind, heart, and soul. Under the influence of his abuse, I became completely devasted, disoriented, and depressed.

By the way, he never took me to a honeymoon. Instead, he took me to watch IronMan in Chattanooga, TN. Upon our return, he left me in a two-story house with all the moving boxes on the first floor, to unpack on my own.

When I asked for help, he told his neighbor Jerry to help me. He outsourced his responsibilities as my husband to his neighbor Jerry. It was confusing.

At the same time, I drove 100 miles to work daily and I needed sleep. He’d come home in the middle of the night and start opening and closing the garage door, which shook the who house.

RELATED: How Satan Attacks Your Psyche

The sleep abuse, mental cruelty, threats from him, his silent treatment and projection of his own faults on me, all together were unbearable, and eventually, he broke me. From all the manipulation, I became suicidal.

I became suicidal because I almost lost hope. I nearly lost hope because I almost lost my faith in God and His goodness.

Here’s the next part of my autographical poem describing what happened after our wedding night, which was the ultimate win for Satan.

...

But once everything was set and done and the deceptive scheme was revealed,
My faith in our good good Father God was almost killed.

I felt devastated, disoriented, deceived, and confused,
I felt in doubt, in despair, traumatized and abused.

...

To survive our few months of marriage, I had to be under the care of two mental health professionals: a trauma counselor who specialized in working with victims of narcissistic abuse and a certified Biblical counselor who focused my mind on fighting the spiritual warfare I was in the midst of without even realizing it. She, the Biblical counselor, opened up my eyes.

RELATED: How I Knew It Was Spiritual Warfare

Remember, at the beginning of this blog I told you how spiritual warfare symptoms are not visible to people and you’re the only one knowing about them but spiritual warfare signs are observable by people while you yourself may not even notice them? That was exactly my case.

Tammy, my Biblical counselor, focused my thinking on the word of God instead of what Satan said about me or to me. She gave me a ton of homework every week, like 33 scriptures at a time to study spiritual warfare.

I will share all those scriptures for spiritual warfare later in this blog so they help you. I was depressed until I focused on God’s truth about me. When I began dwelling on what God says about me and learning about the armor of God, how to fight spiritual warfare, and my helmet of salvation, aka my identity in Christ, I began healing and committed my life to helping other women who become Satan’s victims.

RELATED: My Healing Took Years

Eventually, I saw clearly why Satan targeted me (because I was so passionately sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world), how he cleverly planned to deceive me (by premeditation during those 11 months when he targeted me), how he attacked me very eloquently (Satan disguised himself as an angel of light working at a church and quoting scriptures, just like he did when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness), and what he ultimately wanted (to shut me down so that I can no longer use my talents and passion to share the Gospel and bring light into God’s kingdom).

RELATED: How Satan Makes You Feel

It took a long time and a lot of work for me to finally see it all for what it was, and it was painful. I suffered a lot, and I was destroyed, but it only helped God to make me new from scratch, and He did of course.

I leaned on God and not on my own understanding. I studied His promises and stood firmly on them. I finally learned that spiritual warfare is real, Satan is real, and he surely wanted me dead but God has too big of a plan for me to let me go.

RELATED: What Satan Did To My Psyche

God showed me through all this that His purpose for my life is ministry. I became very open about my testimony because it’s one of the strongest and most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare against Satan.

RELATED: My Testimony

I became even more passionate about sharing the Gospel on a much bigger scale: through this Christin blog that has 677K words of content about God’s love and my hope in Him, through my Christian speaking ministry by sharing the Gospel in front of live audiences, through the Christian coaching for women, through my Christian poetry, through my Christian podcast for women that is reaching global audiences, through my collection of Christian apparel for women, through my Christian art collection, and through my book of Christian fairytales called “How Princess Lana Developed Faith and Fortitude

And remember the five signs of spiritual warfare?

Isolation, withdrawal from people… I did that but guess what? Today, I’m loving on people even more passionately. I listen to God when He guides me to help women. And I practice loving-kindness with even greater zeal today.

RELATED: How To Be Kind

All this is summarized in my Christian poem about spiritual warfare and the armor of God called “Satan Comes At You Looking Saint,” which I wrote a few days after our divorce mediation, exactly two days after I got a new home to move into out of that marital residence, which he sold for $245K.

 "Satan Comes At You Looking Saint"  
#PoemsFromGod

Following Jesus, go where He's going.
He always moved toward a mess,
Never without knowing.

Being His disciple isn't easy,  
We, too, know where the mess is
But are we going there for real or just teasing? 

If you're going to serve Christ wholeheartedly, 
Make sure you're aware of Spiritual Warfare,
And I won't talk about it guardedly.

Let me share with you vulnerably 
What I've learned about it so far unexpectedly, traumatically but very clearly and undoubtedly. 

As a Christian, you are aimed at.
Satan wants you compromised, disoriented, confused...
Trust me, because only from my personal experience can I claim that.  

Paul says: "Wage the war against sin inside yourself"
Knowing that, expect Satan to dig deep into your mind like a delf.

Jesus was attacked by Devil through temptation.
Jesus was God, in our human case of earthly flesh expect escalation. 

Satan often comes at you looking Saint.
Like a dream come true you never even hoped to see attained.

He deceives you with PREMEDITATED DECEPTION, not accidentally.
You'll never even guess it's him at first,
He is a pro, he deceives you so eloquently.

But the Holy Spirit will speak to you quietly,
He will issue plenty of warning to protect you, 
Not out loud, no, but through your gut-feeling, silently. 

You'll say in your next video:
"I had so much anxiety"
What do you think God does through our feelings? He warns us.
He gave me in my spiritual warfare warnings variety.

But God won't impose Himself on us, ever.
He gave us our free will forever.

So as I was experiencing anxiety and not listening,
Satan looking Saint attacked me, with fake Christ-likeness bristling.

He lured me into his magnificent presence,
He trapped me in it with his sweet fake pleasance.

So, as I was mind-blinded and my discernment was clouded initially,
Satan looked totally Saint, and I was tricked into his PREMEDITATED DECEPTION so officially.

But once everything was set and done and the deceptive scheme was revealed,
My faith in our good good Father God was almost killed.

I felt devastated, disoriented, deceived, and confused.
I felt in doubt, in despair, traumatized and abused.

But the Bible already has for us all the answers. 
There's a Godly solution even when attacked by Satan's aces.

Paul orders us to go into the war with the Armor of God:
the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the "shoes" of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.
These and also remember your Spiritual Warfare squad -
Your community of disciples, fellow believers,
Who can help you take a stand against Satan himself or his deceivers.

And at the end, yes, you were warned and you weren't listening, 
But God still wins because He uses all things together for your good, 
So no need for your spiritual stiffening.

Stay humble and kind, be loving,
And practice forgiveness.
Trust God, only listen next time, 
And on your tough journey just be His witness. 

Go tell everyone about His sufficient goodness and timely protection,
How much love you've received on your journey and His clear direction.

And the lessons you've learned from the Spiritual Warfare don't ever forget.
And use the Armor of God again and again every chance you get.

Remember that in the midst of a Satan's attack, 
The Holy Spirit will talk, so pay attention.
No need yet to prepare your memorial plaque,
Have hope - God will give you discernment for consideration.

Run to His Holy Word, pray and read,
And do it on your knees, 
Even if it's a new thing to you, just commit.
You'll feel so much peace.

Continue being a faithful follower of Christ,
Move toward the world's mess and be a church to His people, 
Your discipleship might come at a high price, 
But Satan can't disarm you, so don't cripple. 

Rebuke Satan in the precious name of Jesus. Flee from sin.
Christ is our Lord and Savior. Amen. 


3/20/17 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

Many people ask me why I kept his last name.

To always remember that last names don’t define my identity.

My identity is in Christ.

I’m a loved child of God, made perfect in His image for a divine purpose, and I’m living out this interesting story to give God all the glory.

That’s what the Bible says. If you want to know what God says about you, download my free ebook called #52Devotionals.

It’s a collection of 52 Biblical affirmations written by me after studying the word of God to help me survive the battle with Satan.

I made this book of Biblical devotionals free for all women to help encourage and empower you by sharing hope in Christ.

Download my book as a free gift and protect your mind from Satan.

Spiritual Warfare Protection

Spiritual warfare protection comes from God, so it’s He whom you need to ask for help. You need to get on your knees and pray with all your heart and mind and soul involved and engaged. Prayer is a powerful weapon.

RELATED: How To Pray

Let me share with you some helpful resources for spiritual warfare protection: prayers, videos, scriptures, and a bible study.

Spiritual Warfare Prayers

Here are the seven spiritual warfare prayers I personally wrote to help me as I was in the midst of the war with Satan. These prayers are all scriptures-based and are offered to in just my voice, with no background music. I hope these prayers for protection from spiritual warfare will help your journey.

Related: Spiritual Warfare Prayers

Spiritual Warfare Scriptures 

Here’s a list of 33 spiritual warfare scriptures given to me by my Biblical counselor Tammy when I was being attacked by Satan who manipulated me into depression and suicide, but God saved me.

What I did with these verses was write them out by hand in my journal, meditate on the word of God, dwell on how it applied to my situation, and share all the breakthroughs with my Christian mentor.

Spiritual Warfare Verses

  1. Ephesians 6:12 
  2. Ephesians 6:11 
  3. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 
  4. Psalm 91:1-16 
  5. 1 Peter 5:8 
  6. James 4:7 
  7. Ephesians 6:13 
  8. Deuteronomy 28:7 
  9. Luke 10:19 
  10. 2 Corinthians 10:4 
  11. 2 Corinthians 11:14 
  12. 1 John 5:4-5 
  13. Matthew 18:18-20 
  14. Ephesians 6:11-12 
  15. 2 Corinthians 10:5 
  16. John 8:32 
  17. Revelation 12:7-9 
  18. Isaiah 54:17 
  19. 2 Corinthians 10:3 
  20. 1 John 5:4 
  21. James 4:8 
  22. Psalm 37:12-16 
  23. Hebrews 2:14 
  24. James 2:19 
  25. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 
  26. Matthew 25:41 
  27. Psalm 37:1-40 
  28. 2 Corinthians 5:17 
  29. Romans 8:37 
  30. John 1:1-51 
  31. Isaiah 40:28-31 
  32. John 14:30 
  33. John 10:10 Psalm 23:1-6

I Am Loved By God #52Devotionals Christian Apparel by Anna Szabo

Spiritual Warfare Videos

Here are the seven spiritual warfare videos I created for you. Add each of them into your own playlist on YouTube or save the playlist I created for you: Spiritual Warfare Videos

Spiritual Warfare Bible Study

In 2017, I was a part of a Christian Discipleship for Women church group, and we did a spiritual warfare Bible study.

It was a workbook with a DVD series and discussion questions hosted by Priscilla Shirer, and it focused on the Armor of God, each of its components, how to fight the good fight, and how to claim spiritual victory over Satan.

Get the Spiritual Warfare Bible Study Now

The Bible study was incredibly valuable to me. I cried and wept in sorrow at each meeting, and the journey helped me heal and get strong again.

I recommend doing this Bible study together with your spiritual squad. You can also post your questions, breakthroughs, and stories in the comments below, on this blog post. I always respond to comments on my blog.

If you need a prayer, submit your prayer request to me.

The Armor of God In Practice

Satan is never on vacation. He’s not napping. He is lurking around seeking to devour you. So, be wise, and every day, put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Do everything you can, stand your ground, and after you have done everything, still stand. This may sound repetitive but it’s actually not. When I did all I could in the battle with Satan and was exhausted, I was so tempted to give up. My two girlfriends and I were hiking at Tallulah Gorge State Park when I was looking down the cliff and contemplating suicide. Though I felt like I had already done everything, I actually had not asked for help. That day, I did, and I was able to stand, thanks to my spiritual squad.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, do not waiver, do not go out drinking and doing drugs, do not sleep around, do not cheat or lie, do not believe any lies about yourself, belt yourself up with God’s truth and stand firm, don’t be double-minded, do not doubt God.

Wear the breastplate of righteousness in place, guard your heart and mind because everything else flows from it: don’t gossip, don’t waste your brainpower watching devastating news, do not dwell on your fears, and instead protect your heart with righteousness in Christ, be humble, be kind, be wise, be watchful, be observant, be mindful, be prudent, pay attention.

Walk with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Don’t fear anything. Be bold for God. Don’t let Satan shut you down. Don’t allow him to scare you away. Go share the good news of Jesus Christ, the grace and love of our good father God – with all the nations, boldly.

Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Satan will manipulate you to believe that you can’t, you’re not worthy, you’re not good enough, you’re not ready, you’re an imposter, and so on. Have faith. Do your good work even when scared. Be scared and do it anyway. Walk in your purpose with your divine power in Christ through faith. Leverage your faith to conquer fears with courage.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Every morning when I wake up, I smile, feel grateful, and remember who I am. I repeat 52 Biblical affirmations about my identity in Christ, every day. I also wear those affirmations. I have wall decor with those affirmations. No matter what, I am wearing a solid helmet of salvation remembering who I am and whose I am. You can download all 52 helpful Biblical affirmations called #52Devotionals for free right now.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Be alert and always keep on praying.

That is the armor of God in action.

That’s what I did when Satan attacked me and manipulated me into a suicidal depression with cruelty. The armor of God saved my life.

I’m still here sharing the good news of Jesus, sharing my powerful testimony, sharing hope in God’s promises, and leading women to Christ.

This ministry is God’s promised victory.

Victory In Spiritual Warfare

To win spiritual warfare and be victorious, you must take your stand against the devil’s schemes, demolish strongholds and arguments against the knowledge of God, resist Satan, standing firm in the faith, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Victory in spiritual warfare has already been won on your behalf. Accept it and proclaim it in the name of Jesus. You are victorious.

Even as I was abused by Satan, suicidal, weak, confused, disoriented, and devastated in every aspect of my life, still I envisioned this Christian Discipleship for Women ministry that would help you create a joyful life by embracing God’s word. It was God who gave me those visions to show me His victory, which was already won by Him on my behalf.

He had revealed to me that there would be a new season and this ministry, but it was at the time when I could hardly even imagine still being alive for an hour. I just wanted to die.

But God asked me to write content for you, for this ministry, which I did, and here we are, Online Discipleship For Women is a Christian Discipleship ministry and you are reading the content, which God asked me to create back then. That is God’s victory.

A story for God’s glory…

God's Masterpiece #52Devotionals Christian Merch by Anna Szabo

Manual for Spiritual Warfare

When feeling doubtful, confused, distracted, tempted, weak, hopeless, anxious, fearful, angry, sick with a bunch of unusual illnesses, resentful toward God, depressed, or suicidal, you’re being attacked by Satan.

When people start noticing your isolation, avoidance, lifelessness, withdrawal, or erratic behavior, you’re being attacked by Satan.

This battle takes place in the unseen, spiritual dimension and is fought by you with the weapons that have divine power to demolish Satan’s strongholds, all while you’re resisting Satan, standing firm in your faith, remaining strong in the Lord, and pursuing the ultimate victory of demolishing arguments against the knowledge of God and taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

You do it by using your weapons of the word of God, the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus, the testimony of believers, God’s promises, gratitude, and prayer for all times about everything. You do it over and over again.

You stand strong and share the good news of Jesus with all the nations, accepting God’s love and grace and sharing them with His people, remembering who you are, whose you are, and why you’re here.

You go into the world and live out your purpose boldly, even if you’re scared, you do it in faith. And you give God all the glory for your story.

That is your manual for spiritual warfare.

What Is Faith - Anna Szabo of Online Discipleship for Women

Summary

In this blog about spiritual warfare, we discussed the definition of a Satan’s attack, who Satan is and why he attacks you, what weapons you have to fight the battle with Satan, and what spiritual warfare victory is in God’s world.

I shared with you my personal experiences of spiritual warfare and how Satan attacked me and very eloquently manipulated me into suicidal depression.

I gave you many helpful resources for spiritual warfare protection, such as prayers, videos, scriptures, podcasts, a Bible study, and encouraging testimonies.

Ask me questions or share your story in the comments.

If this blog helped you, share it with someone right now.

God bless!

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