A TESTIMONY AND A PATTERN FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Today, I’m sharing a testimony of a specific battle that defeated the enemy and resulted in overcoming victory. This testimony happened more than 3 decades ago in July 1988. 

Let’s begin with Revelation 12 verse 11. I’ll read it as it’s written in the New Living Translation:

  “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” -         Revelation 12:11a, NLT

The word “testimony” is the focus of this podcast. But it’s worth noting that in an earlier verse, in Revelation 12, verse 9, we are told the word “him” is a reference to the “great dragon,” “the ancient serpent,” the “devil,” and “Satan, the one deceiving the whole world.” 

Transcript

A TESTIMONY AND A PATTERN FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Let’s begin with Revelation 12 verse 11. I’ll read it as it’s written in the New Living Translation:

 “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” -         Revelation 12:11a, NLT

The word “testimony” is the focus of this podcast. But it’s worth noting that in an earlier verse, in Revelation 12, verse 9, we are told the word “him” is a reference to the “great dragon,” “the ancient serpent,” the “devil,” and “Satan, the one deceiving the whole world.” 

Today, I’m sharing a testimony of a specific battle that defeated the enemy and resulted in overcoming victory. This testimony happened more than 3 decades ago in July 1988. 

At that time, Dave’s job required him to fly to a different work site every Monday. He worked in that location for a week, and then he got on a plane and flew home on Friday.

I served as an elementary school teacher at a Christian school. Because it was summer, school was not in session.  It was Friday afternoon, and I was at home cleaning. My routine was to clean the house and finish all the chores so that when Dave got home, we could enjoy our time together.

While I was vacuuming, I became aware that I needed to pray for Dave. I quickly began to pray but also continued to vacuum. Then suddenly, I had a real sense of urgency and heard the firm admonition, “I told you to pray!”

This process of suddenly being aware of, or knowing something is described by the late Kenneth Hagin as “knowing in your knower." His famous phrase refers to what he calls “the inward witness.”

Immediately I turned off the vacuum, went to the bedroom, knelt by the bed, opened my Bible and began to intercede for Dave. I knew that I just had been called to a time of spiritual warfare as described in Ephesians 6: 10-18. This passage describes the spiritual armor that is available to Christians. All of the armor is important, but I knew that the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and the “shield of faith” would be especially essential for this battle. I also knew that I was fighting for Dave’s life. I knew my prayers that afternoon were a life-or-death battle for Dave.

I do not know the exact words I prayed that afternoon, but I can share with you the pattern of prayer that I used. It’s the pattern that Jesus used in Matthew 4 verses 4, 6, 7, and 10. Jesus was in the wilderness fighting the devil. As quoted in Matthew 4 verse 10, Jesus said:

  “Away with you, Satan! For it is written . . .” -          Matthew 4:4, 6, 7, 10 --- (verse 10 quoted)

Jesus repeated the phrase “it is written” 4 times.  Each time “it is written” was followed by a specific Bible verse that was a response to Satan’s attack. In other words, Jesus used the “sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” to war against and have victory over the enemy. Following the example Jesus established, I used the same pattern.

Psalm 91 is perhaps one of the most well known and most frequently used passages for spiritual warfare. The content of this passage focuses on protection and safety. I want to share the entire Psalm with you. As you listen, let the message of God’s supernatural protection penetrate deep into your inmost being.

  91 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
 And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
 And under His wings you shall take refuge;
 His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
 Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side,
 And ten thousand at your right hand;
 But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
 And see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
 Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
 To keep you in all your ways.
 12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
 The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
 I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
 I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
 And show him My salvation.” -         Psalm 91, NKJV

When praying this psalm or any other Bible passage, it’s important to personalize each verse. For example, from Psalm 91 you might pray, “You give your angels charge over Dave, to keep him in all your ways.” 

Here’s another example, “Father God, your word says you will be with Dave in trouble; You will deliver him and honor him. You will satisfy him with long life.”

Here are some of the other “it is written” Bible verses that I often use in spiritual warfare and intercession.  I’ll read them in the New King James Translation. 

  “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” -         James 4:7, NKJV  “No weapon formed against you shall prosper,
 And every tongue which rises against you in judgment
You shall condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their righteousness is from Me,”
Says the Lord.” -         Isaiah 54:17, NKJV  “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” -         Luke 10:19, NKJV

In John 10:10, we have words spoken by Jesus.

  “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” -         John 10:10, NKJV

In Romans 8, we have 2 verses that release a spirit of life that overcomes death.

  “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” -         Romans 8:2, NKJV  “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” -         Romans 8:11, NKJV

While I’m praying, I’m often aware that I really don’t know how to pray, what to pray, or I may not even know exactly what I’m praying about. When that happens, I ask for help and begin to pray in the Spirit. Romans 8:26 in the New Living Translation says:

  "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." -         Romans 8:26, NLT

It’s also powerful to remember Hebrew 7:25. Here’s the New Living Translation of that verse.

  “And so Jesus is able, now and forever, to save from the punishment of sin all who come to God through Him because He lives forever to pray for them.” -         Hebrews 7:25, NLV

The question is often asked, “What would Jesus do?” The Bible answers that question by telling us exactly what He is doing.  He is praying! The Passion Translation puts it this way, “…he lives to pray continually for them.” And the New King James says, “he lives to make intercession for them.”

We are the “them” referenced in this verse. Remember, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are interceding for you and whatever or whoever concerns you!

The Lord’s prayer is one other Bible passage that’s most effective when interceding. Praying “God’s Kingdom come” and “God’s will be done” from Matthew 6 verses 9 -13 is almost always an appropriate prayer for anyone, anywhere, in any situation.

Now let’s get back to my intercession for Dave.  As I said, this was a very intense time of prayer. As I prayed, I was weeping and sobbing, which is quite unusual for me. I don’t know how long I interceded, but I absolutely knew that Dave’s life was in danger and this was a battle of life and death.  

Then just as quickly as the intercession had come upon me, it lifted. 

Suddenly, I knew that Dave was safe. I had prayed for the people with Dave when he was in danger, and I knew they would be safe, too. 

Dave and I had planned to go to dinner in Topeka that night. Since it was almost time for Dave to be home, I washed my face, changed clothes and prepared for our date night. I decided not to tell Dave about the intercession. I didn’t want to scare him. I knew his plane had landed. He was safe, and he wasn’t scheduled to fly again until Monday.

Shortly after Dave arrived home, we got in the car and headed for Topeka. We both chatted as we shared all the activities of the week with each other. 

Then suddenly we heard what sounded like a jet engine taking off.  

Dave yelled, “Look!” I realized he was looking in the review mirror. 

I turned around and all I could see was fire! Just a few seconds after we passed over it, the road behind us exploded into a wall of fire!  

The Topeka Capital-Journal dated July 23, 1988, reported these facts about what happened: 

§  “Gas pipelines explode, blowing hole in US-75”;

§  “2 pipelines exploded;”

§  “1 was 6 inches in diameter and the other was 10 inches;”

§  “1 pipeline carried ethane and the other propane.”

Here’s a quote from an updated online Topeka Capital-Journal story dated February 22, 2018:

“No one was hurt when a spectacular underground gas pipeline explosion in July 1988 spewed flames 200 to 300 feet into the air while blasting a crater in a highway south of Topeka.”

Another quote reported that – 

“The explosion left a crater 25 feet deep and 30 feet across.”

The original story in the Topeka Capital-Journal reported:

“Firefighters, unable to approach the ruptured mains because of the heat, spent their time extinguishing field fires that were nearby that were ignited by the explosion.”

https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2018/02/22/history-guy-recalls-1988-explosion-of-gas-pipelines-south-of-topeka/14156501007/

Later that evening on the night of the explosion, when we went back to the scene, the state trooper that was posted at the road closure told us no one was injured in the explosion.  His exact words were “This was a miracle!”

Indeed, it was a miracle!  We are grateful! 

And now I had a better understanding of my intercession. I had prayed for Dave’s life to be protected.  I had just assumed the danger Dave would encounter was on an airplane. I didn’t ask. I just assumed. Perhaps, some things are on a need-to-know basis. I think God is smiling as I share this.

Later, we learned that friends from our church, including the children’s pastor and her family, were on the highway. We were told they were about 5 cars back from the source of the explosion when they saw the great wall of fire in front of them. They were all protected from disaster that day.

I prayed for safety for all those who were with Dave when he was in danger. That means that even though I didn’t know it, I was also interceding for all those who were traveling on that busy stretch of highway on Friday night. I never once considered that group might include me. We have such a good and great God! He uses our prayers even when they are incomplete and imperfect! We are grateful for all He is and all He does!

Even now, 30 years later, Dave and I continue to be intercessors. We read the Bible and pray together every day. We have fought and won many spiritual battles. Every morning, when we wake up, we are grateful for the gift of a new, fresh resurrection day. Every day we are grateful that we have the blessing of enjoying life together. As it is written in 2 Corinthians 2:14:

 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. -         2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV

As this podcast comes to an end, I praise God for giving us the opportunity to share our testimony. I believe our gracious and merciful God has a few closing thoughts He wants me to share with you.

1.   Accept Jesus.

First and foremost, if you haven’t already done so, please accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. All the protection, as well as the grace and mercy, shared in this podcast is available to anyone who has received the free gift of salvation that Jesus purchased for each one of us.

2.   Know the Word of God.

The Bible is God’s love letter to His people. It is an instruction book for living a blessed, victorious, overcoming life. It is our weapon, the sword of the spirit, that will empower and lead us to victory when we find ourselves in battle with the enemy.

3.   Listen to the Holy Spirit.

Learn to listen on the inside to His still small voice.  Learn what it means to “know in your knower.”  When someone, some place or something comes to mind, be attentive. Take time to listen, pray and obey Holy Spirit’s instructions.

4.   Partner with the angelic. 

Psalm 91 tells us that He gives His angels charge over us.

Ever since the experience with the exploding highway, we have prayed over many of the roads that we travel. In our prayers, we ask for angels to patrol and complete their assignments on each highway. 

We live very close to Route 66 and travel on it almost every day. We live only a few miles from Interstate 40 and just a few more miles from Interstate 35. These roads span from coast to coast and border to border. We often pray for the angel army to guard, patrol and protect each highway.

We pray for angelic protection to go before and behind us to keep us safe; we believe for the safety of all who travel the same path.

One Bible verse we often pray over the roads we travel is found in Isaiah 35:8. Here’s the New King James Translation:

 “A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. -         Isaiah 35:8, NKJV

5.   Be grateful. 

Finally, remember to be grateful. No matter what you’ve been through and what challenges you are facing, God is there with you. He loves you and wants to bless you! Living life with an attitude of gratitude can make a positive difference in your life and the lives of all those around you.

As the podcast comes to a close today, I’d like to thank you for listening. We pray that you and your loved ones will walk with Jesus all the days of your lives. We pray for God’s supernatural protection to guard and keep you always. We pray that you will continually experience the joy of the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Our closing prayer for you is found in Numbers 6:24-26:

  “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”  -         Numbers 6:24-26, NKJV

Amen and amen!

Kathie Burnett

June 16, 2026