Spiritual Warfare or Not?

In the circles I come from, just about everything bad that happens in life is played off as spiritual warfare.  Spiritual warfare is the term for a targeted attack of the enemy on our lives.  Scripture teaches us that we don't wage war physically, but spiritually.  There's no doubt in my mind that spiritual warfare is real ... more real than most of us could ever believe. 

However, there is a problem when we tag off all unfortunate events in our lives as an attack of satan.  The truth is - life is hard.  Whether you are a Christian or non-Christian, life can be tough at times.  For a time, I determined every bad event in my life was spiritual warfare and was a result of the devil focusing in on me every time I stepped out for God.  Can you guess what happened next? 

When we assume the devil attacks us for doing anything for God, then experience hardship after stepping out in faith, we start to get discouraged from ever wanting to do anything for God. 

The truth is, life is hard for everyone on earth, and all of us have troubles of many kinds.  Sometimes spiritual warfare occurs in our lives, and we should pray for victory and peace.  Other times in our lives, we can of course pray, but know that life is just hard sometimes.  Rather than fear the spiritual warfare that will occur when we obey God, know that God is big enough to keep us from attacks, and that it is safer to not play it safe in life. 

Go for what God has for your life.  Don't fear spiritual warfare, and know that life can be tough on every side of the fence.  Don't focus on the negatives, but rather remember we are on the winning side in Christ!