The Spiritual Power of Self Awareness

Text:

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Introduction:

Spiritual warfare is real.

Whether we recognize it or not, every believer is involved in a spiritual conflict. The Apostle Paul tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

That means everything we face is not merely natural.

Every conflict is not just about the person standing in front of us. Every temptation is not simply a matter of personal preference. Every discouraging thought is not harmless, and every destructive pattern is not accidental.

There is a spiritual battle taking place around us, and sometimes that battle is taking place within us.

Most Christians will never wake up in the morning and decide to initiate spiritual warfare. We do not go looking for the Devil. However, the enemy does not need an invitation to begin working against us. Spiritual warfare has already been initiated against the people of God.

The enemy attacks our faith, our families, our relationships, our peace, our purpose, and our ability to serve God effectively.

One of the reasons his attacks are so effective is that we often fail to recognize how he is working.

We see the argument, but we do not see the pride behind it.

We see the anger, but we do not see the wound beneath it.

We see the temptation, but we do not recognize the weakness that makes us vulnerable to it.

We see the damage happening around us, but we do not always recognize what is happening within us.

The enemy is most effective in the areas of our lives where we are unaware.

This is why self-awareness has spiritual power.

Self-awareness is not merely knowing our personality, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. Spiritual self-awareness is allowing the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to reveal what is happening in our hearts.

It is having the courage to ask:

Why do I respond this way?

Why does this situation affect me so deeply?

Why do I keep repeating the same pattern?

What part of my character have I not fully surrendered to Christ?

The purpose of self-awareness is not self-condemnation. God does not reveal our weaknesses so that we can live in shame. He reveals them so that they can be surrendered, healed, and transformed.

We cannot fight effectively against an enemy whose devices we refuse to recognize, and we cannot close doors that we refuse to admit are open.

Today, we are going to examine the spiritual power of self-awareness. We are going to learn how the Word of God gives us wisdom and understanding, how the enemy attempts to operate through the areas of our lives that remain unsurrendered, and how the Holy Spirit transforms our character from the inside out.

Because the more clearly we see ourselves through the light of God’s Word, the less room the enemy has to operate in darkness.

Spiritual warfare is real.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Many Christians, if not most, will never initiate spiritual warfare. However, spiritual warfare has been initiated against us.

The reason this warfare is effective is because we are ignorant of it working in my life.

Another aspect of spiritual warfare that we must understand is that the Devil and the Lord are not equals.

This is not a struggle between two equal powers, with God trying to overcome the Devil and the Devil trying to overcome God. Satan is a created being. God is the eternal Creator. Satan has power, but he does not have all power. Satan has knowledge, but he does not know everything. Satan can move from place to place, but he cannot be everywhere at the same time.

Satan is subject to the authority of God.

We see this clearly in the life of Job.

Job 1:10–12 NKJV

10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

And when permission was given, God still established the limits.

The Lord said, “All that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

In other words, “You may go this far, but you cannot go any farther.”

Then, in Job chapter 2, Satan returned and asked for more access. Once again, God established the boundary.

Job 2:6 NKJV

6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

Satan was permitted to attack Job’s body, but he was forbidden from taking Job’s life.

That means the enemy has limits.

The Devil may attack, but he does not have unlimited access. He may tempt, accuse, discourage, and attempt to deceive us, but he is not sovereign. He cannot simply do anything he wants, whenever he wants, to whomever he wants.

God remains on the throne even while the battle is taking place.

Job did not understand what was happening in the spiritual realm. He could see what was happening to his family, his possessions, his body, and his relationships, but he could not see the conversation that had taken place in heaven.

That is one reason spiritual warfare can be so effective. We often interpret everything only by what we can see.

We see the argument, but we do not see the temptation behind it.

We see the disappointment, but we do not recognize the discouragement trying to enter through it.

We see the person, but we do not recognize the spiritual pressure influencing the situation.

The enemy may be present in the story, but he is never in control of the story.

The people of God perish because of ignorance, or what the Bible calls a lack of knowledge.

Hosea 4:6 NKJV

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

The people parish in three basic areas:

1. They have a lack of knowledge of the devices of the enemy.

2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV

11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

2. We lack discernment about the interactions that we have on a daily basis.

2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

3. We have a lack of decrement about where we are.

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Proverbs 28:26 NKJV

26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

We are going to need to seek spiritual wisdom as a people.

Proverbs 4:5–7 NKJV

5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Wisdomחָכְמָה — Ḥokm

Pronunciation: khok-MAH Strong’s number: H2451 Translation: wisdom, skill, prudence, good judgment

Full definition: Ḥokmâ describes the ability to apply knowledge skillfully and correctly. It can refer to practical skill, craftsmanship, administrative ability, good judgment, moral insight, and godly living. Biblical wisdom is not merely possessing information; it is discerning what is right and then knowing how to act upon it.

Understanding בִּינָה — Bînâ

Pronunciation: bee-NAH Strong’s number: H998 Translation: understanding, discernment, insight, perception

Full definition: Bînâ is the ability to distinguish, perceive, and discern the true nature of a matter. It involves looking beneath the surface, recognizing differences, seeing how things relate to one another, and comprehending what is really happening. It is sometimes translated as “discernment” because it includes the ability to separate truth from error and wise choices from foolish ones.

In Proverbs 4:5, the Hebrew word translated “wisdom” is ḥokmâ. It means more than possessing knowledge or knowing a collection of facts. Wisdom is the ability to take what we know and apply it correctly to the way we live. Wisdom helps us recognize the right thing to do and gives us the skill to do it.

The Hebrew word translated “understanding” is bînâ. It means discernment, insight, and the ability to distinguish between things. Understanding allows us to look beneath the surface and recognize what is really happening.

Wisdom asks, “What is the right thing to do?”

Understanding asks, “What is really happening here?”

We need wisdom because knowing that spiritual warfare exists is not enough. We must know how to respond to it. We need understanding because everything happening around us is not merely what it appears to be on the surface.

Wisdom teaches us how to respond, and understanding helps us discern what we are responding to.

We find this wisdom in God’s living word the bible. We come to that wisdom through daily reading the word of God.

The enemy moves most effectively in the areas of our lives where we lack awareness.

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Our refusal to submit to God allows us to protect the very sins the enemy continues to use against us

James 4:7 NKJV

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you

2. We must continually surrender our character to Christ so that He can shape us into His image.

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

3. This transformation does not happen through the power of self-discipline alone, but through submission to the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 NKJV

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Conclusion:

Spiritual warfare is real, but the enemy is not all-powerful. He is not equal to God, he is not sovereign, and he is not in control of our lives. The enemy may be present in the story, but he is never in control of the story.

However, we must not ignore the areas of our lives where he is attempting to gain an advantage.

The Bible tells us not to be ignorant of his devices. That means we must become aware of our weaknesses, our wounds, our habits, our attitudes, and the sins we have protected rather than surrendered.

Some of us have been asking God to defeat an enemy that we are still giving permission to operate.

We cannot resist the Devil while refusing to submit to God. We cannot ask God to close a door that we insist on keeping open. We cannot pray for freedom while continuing to protect the very thing that keeps us bound.

This is why the Word of God is so important. The Word exposes what we cannot see in ourselves. It gives us wisdom, understanding, correction, and direction. It shines light into the places where the enemy has been working in darkness.

But God does not reveal these things to condemn us. He reveals them so that He can heal us, free us, and transform us.

The goal of self-awareness is not to become obsessed with everything that is wrong with us. The goal is to become honest enough to surrender every part of our character to Jesus Christ.

We must surrender our pride.

We must surrender our anger.

We must surrender our bitterness.

We must surrender our appetites, our reactions, our attitudes, and the secret sins we have excused for too long.

And we do not accomplish this by willpower alone. We do not change ourselves merely by trying harder. We surrender ourselves to the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will show us what needs to change. The Holy Spirit will give us the strength to obey. The Holy Spirit will produce within us the character of Jesus Christ.

So today, the question is not simply, “Where is the enemy attacking me?”

The deeper question is, “Lord, what are You trying to show me about myself?”

What have I refused to surrender?

What have I excused?

What have I blamed on everyone else?

What area of my character still needs to come under the authority of Christ?

Today, let us stop protecting what God is trying to remove. Let us stop hiding what God is trying to heal. Let us stop fighting in our own strength and begin walking under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The enemy may know our weaknesses, but God knows our purpose.

The enemy may study our past, but God has already prepared our future.

The enemy may attempt to use what is hidden, but when we bring it into the light and surrender it to Christ, he loses his advantage.

So let us submit ourselves to God, surrender our character to Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out.

Because when we know the truth, recognize the enemy’s devices, and surrender every area of our lives to God, we are no longer fighting blindly.

We are standing in the wisdom, authority, and power of God.