Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Romans 12:14-19

Be angry and sin not. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

There was a time in my life when I was like a pressure cooker. I was full of anger, rebellion, pride, and foolishness. I adopted the identity of a fighter at an early age. It was my way of protecting myself from family members initially, but it quickly became a part of me as I grew from a child into a woman.  

Family and friends would tag me as the one who would “fight” and call me mean; I wore it proudly. Fighting and meanness were tools in my arsenal. I watched the women in my life fight and disrespect the men in their lives, wearing their victories as badges of honor, as we often recalled fights and arguments with loud and sometimes drunken laughter.   

I spent a great portion of my life fighting anyone who came against me. I took pride in my ability to physically protect myself. Notice I said “me, myself, and I”?  

This whole identity that I created was a trauma response. I was picked on and bullied by family, schoolmates, and even teachers. Now, sadly, many of us have grown up with some sort of trauma. For me, it made me choose fight over flight. I had to protect myself because, as a young girl, I learned no one else would. 

I learned to use the weapons of the world to fight.  

But God…  

Fast forward to 2025, and life is so different. I’m still a fighter, but I now fight in the spirit, on my knees in prayer. I no longer use the weapons of the world to fight. I have learned to fight in a way that allows me to stand in the authority I have been given and prompts God to move on my behalf in a mighty and powerful way.

Weapons of the world:  

Violence, back-stabbing, stealing, lying, manipulation, pride, haughtiness, anger, wrath, comparison, selfish ambition, and the love of money, just to name a few. These are things that are common and by which adversity is maneuvered in the world.

When we use worldly weapons, we reveal chinks in our armor and give the enemy a foothold and permission to come into our lives and wreak havoc.  

How many times have you heard of an argument or fight that ended in murder? Lying, mean, and manipulative words that were spoken to someone, which caused them to doubt, question, and even believe that it would be better if they were no longer here, and commit suicide. When we give place to the enemy and use his weapons to fight, satan will take us further than we ever intended to go. 

Remember, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  

When we choose to fight with the weapons of the world, we leave ourselves open to attacks of the enemy and the consequences that will come as a result of our wrath, but when we let God be God and fight our battles, we don’t have to worry about blow-back or unfavorable consequences. 

Maturing is learning that God fights better than we do on every level. He has given us the tools to withstand and fight, but just as the word says, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Our fight is spiritual! Think about it, the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God! We cut, knock down, and dismantle with the word, not our fists. He is the one who goes before us, who fights our battles. He is the one who lands the knock-out blows. Whether it is people, circumstances, or any other obstacles that try to block and hinder us, our job is to go to the throne in prayer, lay our burdens down at the feet of Jesus, and trust God to do His part. 

Now, I’m not saying that there will not be times when we have a dust-up or two. We just need to know that it is not the will of the Father that we behave like that. When we give in to that behavior, it is an open door where the enemy can slip in and stir the pot in a way to make the outcome favor his agenda to steal, kill, and destroy in our lives.

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

1 Peter 5: 8