RSS

Monthly Archives: November 2019

Spiritual Warfare – What it is and isn’t

I’m posting about the spiritual battles that we find ourselves in. Having explained the difference between the conflict in the Old and New Testament, I now want to concentrate on how we walk in victory.

The fact is that we’re in a battle. Not against people, but unseen spiritual forces. Do we really understand the nature of this conflict?

I’ve heard Christians use the term spiritual warfare in many different contexts. Does our teaching line up with Scripture? That’s what matters.

After watching many self-proclaimed spiritual warriors get flattened by the enemy, I have to ask myself what exactly is this about? We need to base what we’re doing in the Scripture if we want success.

The Bible is clear.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
2 Corinthians 10:1

Unfortunately, many take this verse too far out of context. Then the church ends up looking like an army of clowns going off to do battle. They’re unarmed and untrained in this spiritual war. Then we wonder why the church is so devastated.

At one point the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and made a statement I found hard to accept. What I heard on the inside was, “Do you realize that there’s been no spiritual warfare for hundreds of years?”

How can this be true? I hear people say they’re doing spiritual warfare all the time. We sing about it. We preach about it.

Eventually, I was able to understand what the Spirit of God was trying to get across to me. The keyword is warfare.

In the above verse, the phrase wage war literally means to serve in a military campaign. This is where our definition of spiritual warfare falls short. Our skirmishes are not warfare.

According to the Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary, war is “a contest between or among nations…carried on by force or with arms.” That’s where we miss it. War is between nations, not individuals.

For instance, what if I got upset about some things that Canada is doing (I’m not!). What if I then covered myself in weaponry, Rambo style, then walked to the border of Canada and declared that I was going to war against them. How long do you think that “war” would last?

As crazy as that sounds, that’s what many believers do in the spirit. Then they call what they’re doing spiritual warfare.

We need to realize that true spiritual warfare will not take place until the church wakes up from its sleep. Then, in the spirit, we must begin to pull down the strongholds of Satan. This is not just the job of one or two bold Christians. It’s something that the Lord is calling us all to take part in.

We can either spend our time complaining about our society or do something that will make a difference. Time on our knees before God will bring great change on the earth. Prayer, fasting, intercession, and prayer in the spirit are what it will take to bring revival to our land.

Over the next few posts, I’m going to talk about how we prepare ourselves for the spiritual struggles ahead. It’s all about knowing how our attitudes, weapons, and armor work together to bring the victory we need.

Question: What’s your part in this spiritual battle?

Spiritual Warfare – The Battle Changes

04 Nov

In talking about how spiritual warfare has progressed throughout history, we need to see the change from the Old to the New Testament. Most Christians are misinformed about our battle. They’re trying to use Old Testament principles to fight their present warfare.

Reviewing what we know so far…before Christ, God’s people had no spiritual weaponry. The battles had to be fought in the natural. Even as far as their walk with God. It was all about following the rules, not the ability to change themselves permanently.

Spiritually speaking, the enemy held all the cards. That’s why the only way to fight the battle was to follow God’s plan and let Him fight for you and protect you.

He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”
2 Chronicles 20:15

The problem is that many believers have picked up this attitude. “I’m going to let the Lord fight my battles.” We even sing songs to that effect such as the old chorus The Victory is Mine when the Battle is the Lord’s.

You might get mad at me for speaking this truth. But the simple fact is that there’s no place in the New Testament where we’re told that God fights our battles for us. On the contrary, over and over again we’re exhorted to fight the good fight.

Why is that? How did such a change take place? It’s all because of the work that Jesus Christ accomplished for us. He even told His disciples what He was going to do.

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Matthew 10:34

Jesus made it clear that part of His work on earth was to give God’s people a powerful weapon. Because of His victory on the cross, Christ put a spiritual weapon in the hands of the church. It’s the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God.

What we need to hear is that we can no longer sit back and tell God to fight our battles for us. That’s not going to happen. The Lord has placed everything we need for victory firmly in our grasp…if we’re willing to use it.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4

It’s crystal clear from the Scripture. We wage war. We fight. God has already accomplished everything we need for victory. It’s now up to us to walk in it.

Many of us may need to be retrained with this new information. Over the next few posts, I’m going to be talking about the New Testament concept of spiritual warfare. Especially if you were one of those who thought that God fights your battles, you need to keep reading these articles.

If this resonates with you, you may want to subscribe to this blog so you won’t miss any of these important posts. My hope is that all who read them will walk in the blessing and victory that the Lord has won for them.

Question: What are the spiritual battles that you’re currently facing in your life?

Spiritual Warfare – Avoiding Battles Through Obedience

01 Nov

I’m taking a couple of posts to glean some principles from the Old Testament. Even though their fight was in the natural, some of the things they learned can be applied to us.

One of the things I’ve always wondered about is why God seems to make it so hard to obey Him. God told Israel that He was giving them the Promised Land. But, in order to claim it, they had to fight giants and other mighty warriors.

Actually, it turns out that there’s more to the story. It’s a lesson that we should take to heart in our generation.

After the flood of Noah’s day, God’s blessing and anointing were passed on through his son, Shem. 32 years after the flood, Shem had a grandson named Shelah.

When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
Genesis 11:14

The name, Shelah means the spear of attack. Interesting name…his parents must have seen great things in his future. Actually, we know that Shelah had a deep relationship with the Lord. God spoke to him just like He called out to many in this family line.

Long before Abraham was called, Shelah was given the same orders as Abraham. He was told to leave his home to follow God’s leading. The difference is that he never left everything to follow God’s voice.

How do I know this? Instead of leaving his home, he named his son, Eber – which means the land across the river. He must have reasoned, “I can’t go, but I’ll have my son obey God’s call.” It turns out that Eber didn’t leave home either.

Actually, the word, Hebrew, comes from the name Eber. It means, from the family of Eber.

Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.
Genesis 10:25

Eber had a son around the same time that God destroyed the Tower of Babel. The Lord divided the nations and people dispersed throughout the world. So Eber named his son Peleg, which means, divided.

Why is all of this important? It’s so we can understand the reason for immediate obedience to God.

The enemy knew about God’s call upon the family of Shelah. I’m sure they talked and even argued about it on more than one occasion.

The devil knew the beautiful land that God wanted to give to this family. That’s where the Messiah was to be born. And with Him, the enemy’s ultimate defeat.

So the devil strategically placed his most fearsome, brutal warriors in that part of the world. He reasoned that “if you want your people to have this land, then you’re going to have to fight me for it.”

The fact is that God called His people to inhabit that land long before the nations were divided. When God called Shelah, there were no giants in the land. They could have walked in and taken possession with no resistance.

This is why obedience to God’s voice is so important. Once we know God’s will, we need to walk it out. We must take the “high ground” before the enemy can get assembled.

When the devil knows what you want to do for God, his goal is to stop you. The longer you take to obey God, the more resistance can be prepared against you.

Please understand, the enemy can’t stop you from fulfilling your calling. But, he can make it more difficult than it would have been if you’d obeyed immediately.

Don’t play into the enemy’s hand. Find your calling in Christ and then quickly begin walking in it. You’ll be glad you did.

Question: What’s the next step God is calling you to do?

The Spirit and the Word

Monthly Archives: November 2019

Spiritual Warfare – What it is and isn’t

Spiritual Warfare – The Battle Changes

Spiritual Warfare – Avoiding Battles Through Obedience

Follow on Twitter

Follow Blog via Email

Follow via RSS Feed

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories