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Sin and spiritual warfare are not topics many Christians want to consider. Yet, I find them topics that need more than a cursory glance as we journey on our relationship with God on the path to Heaven.

Do you find it a struggle to truly live your faith?
Is the world speaking more loudly in your life than God?

The messages from the world are often the antithesis of God’s Word. This is when sin and spiritual warfare becomes an issue in our lives.

Reflections on Sin and Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is a real thing.

There are many who enter into ministry within their church only to find the attacks ramp up.

The enemy is conniving and for some, this spiritual warfare enters into the realm of sin and quite possibly doubt of God’s presence in our lives.

Even I have found times when the combination of doubt and sin has crept into my spiritual life.

When I have been more immersed in the world and not vigilant in my prayer life, I have experienced glimpses of the spiritual crisis associated with the Dark Night of the Soul. I question whether my beliefs about God are true as I no longer feel a connection with him.

Doubts creep in.
Soft whispers that maybe all that I believe is wrong.
That avoiding the things we consider sin has no long lasting effect on my soul.

The world whispers to follow your heart wherever it may lead. And, that call can be seductive.

The Fall of Man Came From Seduction

I was reminded of how seductive and strong the call towards doubt and ultimately sin can be while helping my youngest prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Back in Genesis, we witness the Fall of Man.

The fruit of the forbidden tree looked tasty.
A lovely web of deceit was spun by the serpent to convince Eve that the warnings were not founded.
Adam took the fruit from his wife with no question, entering into her sinful act.

Through a single act, we had original sin. The world would never be the same.

Adam and Eve lost the close relationship they had enjoyed with God.
They no longer had ease in life, but rather pain and suffering.

However, we were left with a promise of salvation made manifest by Jesus Christ. A promise that we could be reconciled with God.

Recognizing Sin and Spiritual Warfare in Your Life

Do you have both sin and spiritual warfare in your life?

For some, the difference between the two events of sin and spiritual warfare may be murky. Or, maybe you have been told that your sins have nothing to do with the spiritual warfare in our world.

I would argue that the two go hand in hand.

From Small Sins to Full Fledge Spiritual Warfare

It is the presence of spiritual warfare in our lives that helps to lead us to sin. And, the sin committed isn’t always the small things like those little ‘white lies’ people are prone to doing as a way to prevent hurt feelings. Rather, there are times when those little sins have led people into the big ones.

We’ve all heard about how you can boil a frog by slowly turning up the temperature.

The same can be said for sin.

We start with those ‘white lies.’ Or, maybe, small acts of theft (e.g. taking supplies from the office) or using unkind words about another person.

Eventually, the door is opened to larger sins (what the Catholic Church calls mortal sins) which place a huge chasm between us and God.

If you talk with someone who has experienced one of these larger sins in their life, they may even say that they have no idea how they got there.

It was allowing those little sins to build which opened the door for temptations to take route.

Reconciliation as a Tool in Spiritual Warfare

Reconciling ourselves with God and those we have hurt through our sin is a powerful way to approach spiritual warfare.

I am grateful for the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help me bridge the gap between myself and God.

It is not a surefire way to protect against sin creeping up in the future. That takes us being an active participant in our relationship with God. We should be seeking His grace to aid us when temptation strikes. Also, enlisting the aid of our fellow Christians can help to keep temptation and sin at bay.

However, reconciliation can allow us to experience God’s Mercy and to allow the flow of Grace to occur.

 

Have you seen signs of Spiritual Warfare in your life?
How do you approach it?

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