Winning the spiritual Battle

 Read Daniel 10.

How many times have we prayed and waited a long time with no answer?  We may be tempted to think:
-Prayer does not work for me.
-God is not answering.
-Doesn't God care?
-Did I do something wrong?
Or, is something else going on?

Daniel was loved by the LORD (v.11).  Yet, as this chapter describes, the vision that was revealed to him was so awful that he fasted and prayed for three weeks without an answer from God.  Why did not God respond sooner?  The answer is He did (v.12), but Daniel could not see it.  His prayer resulted in a spiritual war in heaven that delayed an angelic response.  This angel provided amazing insight into the spiritual battles that are constantly taking place. 

God immediately dispatched this one to give Daniel understanding of what was revealed to him.  However, the heavenly messenger was hindered by an evil angel who was exercising demonic influence over Persia.  The spiritual warfare was so strong that God's messenger needed the help of the angel Michael to overcome the opposition (v.13). 

If answers to Daniel's prayers experienced such conflict, it stands to reason that ours will also.  So, what can we learn from the prophet's example?
1. Set your heart on understanding. (v.12a)
Train yourself to recognize what God wants, pray according to the will of God, and realize that Satan works every time to oppose what God wants done.  "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

2. Humble yourself before God. (v.12b)
The disciples of Jesus asked Him why they were powerless in doing what He commissioned them to do.  Jesus replied, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer." (Mark 9:29)  Admitting that we cannot live for God in our own strength and ability should drive us to cast our dependence upon Him.

3. Listen to the Word of God. (v.15)
It is a good thing to take in what God has said and then be silent.  Meditate and think about what the Scripture stated.  The Bible is our only offensive weapon in this spiritual war.  Believers are constantly losing because they do not know their Bible.  As Paul instructed believers to put on the whole armor of God, he concluded by saying, "...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." (Ephesians 6:17-18)

4. Act courageously. (v.19)
Fear freezes us.  Faith frees us.  As soldiers of the cross, there is a holy aggressiveness to the victorious Christian life.  "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Prayer is indispensable in spiritual warfare.  We cannot win without it!