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These last few months have been some of intense spiritual warfare. Learning how and why counterfeit relationships appear and what happens when they infiltrate our lives has been eye-opening. The enemy always tries to come up with counterfeits for everything. Counterfeits bring about knowledge on how to war in the spirit. It causes us to take a look at how to pick up our sword and fight because we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities.<\/p>\n
How can I grow from this and what spiritual warfare tactics can I learn from the counterfeits placed either in my life or in front of me?<\/p>\n
Sometimes, we do not see the counterfeit in our midst. They can be familiar or have become part of your circle of friends. It takes time to truly see someone\u2019s intentions \u2013 good or bad. In the process of figuring out one\u2019s intentions, take the time to ask the Lord for better vision. What do I need to see about this person, situation or circumstance? What am I missing or not discerning? How can I be a better person regardless of how this person or counterfeit acts? <\/p>\n
Keep in mind that people can play games and hurt people hurt people. Ask the Lord to see the counterfeit as He sees them because God can open your eyes up to see what\u2019s really going on. Discern in the spirit what is taking place and spend intentional time with the Lord to discern next steps. <\/p>\n
Discernment is a spiritual gift. The dictionary defines it as \u201cthe quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure; skill in discerning; an act of perceiving or discerning something.\u201d In the Christian faith, it is a similar concept, but it is bestowed by the Holy Spirit, and many denominations believe it can allow someone to know whether a demonic of heavenly influence is over a person, place, or event. Learning how to discern the situations which come from those who are heavily influenced by evil is important. Consulting God in prayer, asking wise believers for their input, and reading the\u00a0scripture helps cultivate a spirit of discernment. Applying this wisdom is where the life of a believer makes the difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Learn to hear. What is God saying about the situation? How am I hearing from the Lord? What can I learn from this circumstance and how can I apply this to the outcome? Sharpening your discernment will help you to grow in knowledge and wisdom which will keep counterfeits at bay. <\/p>\n
The more wisdom and discernment a Christian can exercise, the stronger his or her faith, and the better that person will be able determine what is good, and God\u2019s will. This also happens in conjunction with gratitude. Having and cultivating gratitude is a gift to be able to see the good will of God. Learning to pray blessings over your enemy is a huge lesson. This lesson will cause you to walk forward in gratitude for the circumstance or counterfeit and make you realize you have a choice in the situation \u2013 to bless or curse someone. Our goal as believers is to always bless someone and treat them with the love of the Father. This helps not only witness to the counterfeit or situation but allows the love of the Father to work through you and bless them. Working through forgiveness and praying blessings over them will reap huge abundance in your own life.<\/p>\n