What comes to your mind when you hear the words, spiritual
warfare?
Perhaps you think of people gathered together binding the
devil? A preacher casting out demons from a frenzied congregation? A group of
believers with their hands reaching upwards and pulling down strongholds? What
do you picture?
Spiritual battles are real but spiritual warfare has been made to look like some kind of a pappy show because there are so many persons going overboard with gimmicks and antics, and teaching things regarding spiritual warfare that are not scriptural.
I pray that we will all delve deeper for ourselves.
Spiritual warfare can present itself in many different forms. The devil is a very strategic and conniving being. He studies his prey, and he knows exactly which buttons to push, when to pounce, what thoughts to place in our minds…what to suggest, what will provoke…
It is a war and like all other warmongers, he studies his
enemy.
But there is really great news…in one word and one name…Jesus…the
heart of spiritual warfare.
The warfare of the New Testament is not like that of the Old
Testament…we are under a new dispensation, we are not the aggressors, it is the
devil who is roaming around like a roaring lion and seeking whom he may devour.
In this battle we must have a pure conscience and a clear mind; remain sober
and vigilant.
We are soldiers in hostile territory, and with Jesus we are
more than conquerors. Our warfare is about helping to rescue the perishing.
That is our mission. The devil’s goal is to side-track and distract us from the
work we have been called to do.
You see, as it is written in 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NRSV),
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of
the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God.”
We need to remain focused, steadfast in our resolve to ensure
that the blind see the light of the Gospel, ignoring the taunts of our
opponent.
Jesus taught us, “Thy will be done” We are tasked to do God’s
will but in order for us to do that, our will must be in line with the
Father’s…how do we achieve that?
Complete submission…living a submitted life.
It’s all too easy to bandy about halfway memorized Bible
verses without truly understanding their meaning and the power the words hold;
we tell people, “resist the devil and he will flee from you” okay but some things
are missing, crucial parts have been left out…
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." –
James 4:7-8
See the difference?
In those two verses, James has covered two of the things I
want to touch on. It is time for us to think outside the box we’ve become
accustomed to…
In Ephesians chapter six, verses 10 to 18, Apostle Paul
outlines exactly what we need to conduct spiritual warfare.
I want us to keep in mind that even though the battle is not
ours but the Lord’s, we get caught in the middle. So, we must be appropriately
dressed.
Out of the six components Paul lists, five are defensive and meant to protect us; here are the three that apply to today’s devotion.
- Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. – Ephesians 6:10
- Take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God –
Ephesians 6:17; can’t have the helmet without that sword.
- Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. – Ephesians 6:18
What is Apostle Paul telling us? Warfare is about having a
strong defense…without a strong defense our offense will be worthless.
We are to submit to God, resist the devil, be watchful and spiritually alert. (1 Peter 5:8) This is a defensive tactic.
First and foremost, surrendering to God’s will is fundamental
to waging good warfare.
I’d like you to understand that at the time that Paul was writing
this letter to the Ephesians, he was in gaol, observing the Roman soldiers’
physical armour, he used it as an analogy for spiritual armour.
That helmet is not just for our heads but our hearts too.
And the sword, which is the Word of God is a two in one
weapon, used both defensively and offensively. Who is the Word of God?
Just by virtue of being in Christ, we are protected from the
wiles of the devil.
The Gospel is the heart of our spiritual warfare; it is the
power of God unto salvation.
Our ultimate goal is to win as many as we could to Christ and
in so doing defeat the devil’s kingdom.
Prayer is the binding agent that holds the armour together
but not just any sort of praying.
Ephesians 6:18 clearly specifies that we are to pray always
with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. It’s in the fullness of Spirit.
A very significant weapon in our arsenal.
These are not self-centred, religious, long-winded, empty
prayers. These are prayers rooted in Spirit, passionate, heartfelt, fervent,
earnest, and full of meaning; a crying out to God in desperation not caring
about what anyone thinks or how it will look. This is prayer that cannot be
taught. It’s from our heart to God’s heart.
Pray and keep on praying to the Lord of the
harvest…God-centred prayers; praying for our mouths to be opened boldly to make
known the mystery of the Gospel, to see the lost come to Christ; praying for
those who are serving God and building His Kingdom, for leaders to be saved,
for the freedom to share the Gospel, and praying for each other to move as a
single unit and not individual soldiers in this war.
The devil will still attack; the trials will still be
grievous, but they will not succeed because the truth is…
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Amen.
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