Understanding the Unseen Battle: The Open Door of Sin | Ep. 19

Welcome to The Noble Marriage, where we bring real, raw, and relatable conversations all about life and marriage! In Episode 19, Travis and Adelle talk on a crucial and often misunderstood topic: Spiritual or Cosmic Warfare and its pervasive impact on our lives.

Before diving into today's heavy but hopeful subject, Travis and Adelle reflect on last episode's discussion about the four crucial areas of well-being (physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual) and their correlation with attraction in marriage. They emphasize that neglecting these "four pillars" can make us less attractive, underscoring the importance of consistently filling ourselves up in these areas. They also highlight a recent, in-depth live episode they released on "How to Have a Humble, Repentant, Open Heart After Crisis, Pain, or Betrayal." While initially designed for couples in betrayal, they strongly recommend it for everyone as it provides invaluable insights into personal responsibility, integrity, and navigating life with a godly sorrow.

Travis and Adelle then express gratitude, with Travis thanking Adelle for her help with laundry and her dedicated work on their upcoming new Academy platform (promising a significant upgrade!). Adelle, in turn, expresses deep gratitude for Travis's loving presence as a father, cherishing moments like watching him play imaginative "rocket ship" with their daughter.

Understanding the Unseen Battle Today's episode dives into a difficult, yet profoundly important, aspect of Travis's past – a season of intense hopelessness and self-hatred that led to an attempt to take his own life. While they encourage listeners to read their book for the full story, Travis shares that his focus today is not on glorifying the enemy, but on raising awareness that a very real spiritual enemy can impact the quality of our thoughts and lives, and that hope is always available. Adelle bravely acknowledges her gratitude that Travis is here today, recognizing the immense value he brings to the world and attributing his survival to God's hand, despite the enemy's strong attack.

Key takeaways from this discussion include:

• Sin as an Open Door: Travis and Adelle clarify that living in sin creates an "open door" for the enemy to wreak havoc in our lives, leading to intense shame, condemnation, and hopelessness. However, they emphasize that we always have a choice and the ability to fight back.

• The Reality of Spiritual Warfare: They underscore the biblical truth (Ephesians 6:12) that "we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." This awareness provides a bigger picture beyond mere chaotic circumstances.

• Consequences vs. Spiritual Attack: The hosts differentiate between the natural consequences of our own sinful choices (which God will not override due to free will) and direct spiritual attacks. They explain that persistent chaos in life, especially when rooted in unaddressed sin, can indicate an open door for spiritual influences.

• The Role of Unforgiveness: Unforgiveness is identified as a significant stronghold that blocks healing and communication with God, stemming from a refusal to release a debt held over another. It's a sin that actively invites negative spiritual influence.

• Strongholds and Generational Patterns: Travis and Adelle discuss how spiritual strongholds (like pride, lust, abuse, rejection, fear) can be passed down through generations. These strongholds are often fueled by lies (e.g., "I'm not good enough," "I'll never succeed," comparison) that we believe over God's truth, hindering our access to an abundant life.  

• Emotions as Entry Points: Emotions like shame, condemnation, despair, hopelessness, and fear are highlighted as powerful tools the enemy uses to keep us "small, ineffective," and susceptible to attack (1 Peter 5:8).

• Hope and Victory in Jesus: The central message of hope is that Jesus has already won the war! Through His death and resurrection, He reclaimed the authority stolen by Satan in the Garden of Eden. Believers in Christ "fight from victory, rather than for victory," possessing the authority to overcome the enemy.

• Divine Weapons for Warfare: Drawing from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, they emphasize that as followers of Christ, we wield "God's mighty weapons" – not worldly ones – to "knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments." This empowers believers to capture rebellious thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.

Practical Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Attack Travis and Adelle offer both emotional and spiritual strategies to respond effectively when under attack:

Emotional/Physical Strategies:

• Deep Breathing: Immediately engage in 4-5 deep breaths to shift from fight/flight/freeze mode back to the rational prefrontal cortex.

• Deep Muscle Relaxation: Consciously tense and then relax muscles throughout the body to release tension and ground yourself in the present.

• Journaling/Speaking Out: Get thoughts and emotions from "darkness to light" by writing them down or speaking to a trusted, healthy individual. This brings clarity, identifies patterns, and often leads to immediate resolution.

Spiritual Strategies:

• Identify the Lies: The crucial first step is to discern the specific lies from the enemy or negative thought patterns you are believing (e.g., self-doubt, fear, unworthiness, comparison).

• Break Off Agreement: Verbally declare your rejection of these lies and any agreements (or curses) made with them, exercising your authority in Jesus's name.

• Confess and Repent: Humbly confess any sin to God that may have opened the door for attack, then repent by choosing to turn in the opposite direction and not believe the lie again.

• Forgiveness: Forgive yourself and anyone you are holding a "debt" against. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling, and it is essential for personal freedom.

Continue the Conversation: Are you currently watching or listening to The Noble Marriage as an individual, or with your spouse? Let us know in the comments below! How has today's conversation impacted your understanding of spiritual warfare in your own life?

Check out our YouTube channel here to watch this episode: https://youtu.be/XQ2Fq62KAY8