What Causes Spiritual Warfare?
Aug 27, 2026Summary
Have you ever been hit with heavy discouragement, sudden family tension, or intense self-doubt, leaving you to wonder, what causes spiritual warfare? It is so easy to think that sudden spiritual pushback means you did something wrong or brought the attack on yourself. But what if your spiritual battles are actually a sign of your faithfulness rather than your failure?
In this episode of the Arise Women of God podcast, host Tamara K. Anderson answers the foundational question every believer must understand about spiritual attacks. You will discover four major triggers of spiritual warfare in your home, starting with your Covenant Identity. When you choose to build a Christ-centered home and keep God's commandments, you become a formidable threat to the darkness! Tamara explains how the adversary tries to immediately steal your divine promptings (just like the birds in the Parable of the Sower) and why recording your spiritual witnesses is a vital daily defense.
We also dive into Zechariah 3 to expose how the enemy exploits our human imperfections, pointing at our "filthy garments" to make us feel unworthy to pray. But you do not have to listen to the accuser! Tune in to learn how to close open doors, guard your spiritual light, and allow our Savior Jesus Christ to strip away your guilt and robe you in His divine grace today.
Episode Takeaways
- Trigger 1: Covenant Identity (Revelation 12:17): Spiritual warfare is often caused by your faithfulness, not your failure! Keeping God's commandments places a target on your back because you represent the light the enemy wants to extinguish.
- Trigger 2: The Sowing of Truth (Matthew 13): The enemy moves immediately to snatch away divine promptings and seeds of truth before they can take root. Combat spiritual amnesia by writing down your spiritual impressions the second you receive them.
- Trigger 3: The Accuser & Imperfection (Zechariah 3): Satan loves to nitpick our human flaws to make us feel unworthy to pray. Remember, no mistake is too big to bring to God; Jesus Christ will replace your filthy garments with clean robes of grace!
- Trigger 4: Open Doors & Diminished Light (Ephesians 4:26-27): Unresolved anger and unvirtuous daily habits hand the enemy a foothold in our homes. Protect your light by asking God two questions: What should I add to draw closer to You? and What should I eliminate that is dimming my light?
Free Resource: A Woman's Guide to Spiritual Warfare
Get our free A Mother's Spiritual Defense Guide: 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home & Family downloadable pdf here: https://www.womenwarriorsoflight.com/A-Mothers-Spiritual-Defense-Guide
Reflection Questions
- When sudden family tension or discouragement strikes, do you usually blame yourself, or do you recognize it as an adversarial attack on your covenant identity?
- Has the enemy recently tried to make you feel "too flawed" to pray? How can the story of Joshua in Zechariah 3 help you run toward God instead of away from Him?
- If you were to ask God today, "What is one thing I should eliminate that is dimming my light?", what do you think He might prompt you to change?
Host
Tamara K. Anderson @tamarakanderson
Transcript
Tamara K Anderson
00:00:00.560 - 00:11:36.490
Hey my friend, have you ever wondered what actually causes spiritual warfare in your life and home?
Because maybe out of nowhere you get hit with heavy discouragement, sudden family tension or intense self doubt and you're left wondering, did I do something wrong? Did I bring this on myself? This is confusing and and exhausting because you want to know what opened the door and how to stop the attack.
Well, take heart, because by the end of today's episode, you'll know four major triggers of spiritual warfare. How the adversary tries to steal your spiritual promptings and how the Savior Jesus Christ silences the accuser and restores your light.
Let's dive in Ordinary Women Extraordinary Faith When God calls, we say yes. The Arise Women of God Podcast hello and welcome back to the Arise Women of God Podcast.
I'm your host Tamara K. Andersen and today we are answering the foundational question every believer must understand what causes spiritual warfare. Here is our battle map for today's episode. Trigger Number one Covenant Identity why keeping God's commandments places a target on you and your home.
Trigger Number two the sowing of truth how the enemy tries to snatch away divine promptings and why we must record our spiritual witnesses.
Trigger number three the Accuser and the Imperfection what Zechariah 3 teaches us about Satan using our guilt to stop our prayers and how Christ can robe us in clean garments. Trigger number 4 open doors and diminished light.
How Ephesians 4 addictions and daily habits affect our spiritual armor and the power of asking God what to add and what to eliminate. But let's begin with Trigger number one. Your Covenant Identity.
The first and most important cause of spiritual warfare is not your failure, it is actually your faithfulness.
In Revelation 12:17, John writes and the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the the commandments of God and have a testimony of Jesus Christ. Wow. Did you notice who the adversary is targeting? It's those who keep God's commandments and hold fast to the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When you choose to raise a righteous family, build a Christ centered home and stand for truth in a confused world, you represent the territory the area enemy desperately wants back. Spiritual warfare is often caused simply because you represent the light of God. You do not have a target on your back because you are weak.
You have a target on your back because of your covenant connection to Christ and that makes you a formidable threat to the darkness.
The second major trigger of spiritual warfare is the witness and the expansion of truth in us in the Parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3, 4:19, Jesus explains, when anyone heareth the word of the kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. Darkness moves immediately to steal truth before it can take root and bear fruit in your or your family's hearts.
Spiritual attacks most almost always strike right before or right after a significant spiritual impression.
I have learned that whenever I receive a whisper from heaven, I must write it down immediately because the adversary will instantly try to make me doubt, doubt, delay, or forget it. Why, just this morning, while praying and asking God how to move forward in my business, I felt a clear impression to call a specific person.
I didn't wait.
I immediately grabbed my planner and wrote it down before the noise of the day could steal that seed on an even deeper level, we must record our most profound spiritual experiences.
I think of moments at church when the peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit Spirit filled my heart as we sang worship hymns, or of times when a burning witness from God confirmed his love and truth deep within my soul. When trials hit the enemy wants us to experience spiritual amnesia, to feel alone, fearful and forgotten.
But recording your sacred moments and reading them back, especially at times like that, is how you can keep the birds of the enemy from snatching away the seeds of your faith. The third major cause of warfare is the adversary exploiting human imperfection. Look at the vision in Zechariah, chapter 3, verses 1 through 5.
Zechariah sees Joshua, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan is standing at his right hand to resist and accuse him. Why? Because Joshua was wearing filthy garments. Satan loves to nitpick our human flaws, mistakes, and perceived unworthiness.
He points at our dirty clothes and our flaws, and he whispers, look at you. You lost your temper. You're not worthy to pray. God won't listen to you. The adversary's primary goal in accusing you is to get you to stop praying.
Why? Because prayer is your direct connection to the master healer, where communication, help and healing flow.
But look at what happens at the end of this story. In Zechariah 3, the Lord rebukes Satan, strips off Joshua's filthy garments and clothes him in rich, clean robes. Sister, hear me clearly on this.
Nothing is too big, too ugly, or too dark to bring to God. He can handle your grief, your mistakes, and even your anger.
If you ever feel a voice telling you that you shouldn't pray, recognize that thought immediately as a spiritual attack and run straight to God and Let Jesus robe you his grace. Finally, the fourth cause of spiritual warfare is open doors and diminished light. In Ephesians 4:26 27 Scripture warns, Be ye angry and sin not.
Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil.
When we harbor unresolved anger, lingering bitterness, or get trapped in addictive behaviors, we hand the enemy a legal plate or a foothold to operate in our hearts and in our homes. The adversary will constantly tempt us to engage in things that dim our spiritual light.
To combat this, I regularly go to God in prayer and ask two simple questions. Lord, what is the one thing I should improve or add to draw closer to you?
And second, what is the one thing I should eliminate that is dimming my light? Over the years, God has given me specific, life changing answers.
Why, just earlier this year he inspired me to add just a few more verses of Scripture study to my daily routine.
And a few years ago he prompted me to be far more selective with the books I was reading, eliminating anything with vulgarity or unvirtuous scenes that go against the Commandments. Giving those things up was an inner battle with the adversary.
But every time I eliminated a gray area, my spiritual light and discernment increased dramatically.
When you understand what triggers spiritual warfare, you can close open doors, guard your divine promptings, and stand confident in your covenant identity.
If you want a step by step roadmap to run a spiritual audit on your household and build an unshakable defense over your family, we at Women warriors of Light want to put our complete digital guide into your hands for free. Yay down in the show notes below.
I invite you to click the link to grab your free copy of a mother spiritual defense guide 6 Empowering Steps to Fortify Home, Home and Family Once you grab it, open it to find the Home Sanctuary Audit where you'll learn how to close subtle open doors and dedicate your living room and your home as sacred space. Also check out step number six, the Miracle Moments Journal. It's a structured way to log God's interventions and destroy spiritual forgetfulness.
Also, be sure to look at our Cast out the Adversary Prayer script for a word by word prayer to cast out darkness and invite peace back into your heart and home. Grab it free today by clicking the link below. Oh my dear sister, do not let the enemy make you feel small, flawed or forgotten.
You are a cherished daughter of the King.
I bear my testimony that our redeemer, Jesus Christ can strip away your and my filthy garments and clothe us in his righteousness and give us power to overcome every every scheme of the adversary. Stand in his light. Protect the seeds of truth in your heart and home.
And remember that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world, meaning the adversary. Thanks for joining us today. And until next time. May you arise and do it God's way. God strong.
If today's episode helped you feel a little closer to God, please like and subscribe. It helps us grow and ensures heaven's whispers. Stay at the top of your feed whenever you need them most.
