As Christians, we are engaged in a battle that is spiritual in nature.
Ephesians 6:12 " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
The cleverest of enemies is the one who attempts to convince us that he doesn't exist or that he isn't who he seems to be.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 "...for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness."
How do we stand against an enemy that is unseen yet highly present in our daily lives? The apostle Paul offers some insight in the book of Ephesians Chapter 6.
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have doen everything, to stand. Stand firm then, wit the belt of truth bucked around our waist, with the breastplate of righteous ness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that conmes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."
Eph 6:13-18
Interestingly, much of the armor is protective. The Sword of the Spirit- which is the Word of God- is the only part of the armor that is a weapon of offense and defense. It is vital to know the Word of God and apply its truth to our hearts. Knowing the WORD of God has a dual concept. Firstly, in order to know the Word of God we must first KNOW the WORD of God. The Gospel of John, Chapter 1 states, 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God," & "The Word was made flesh and made His dwelling among us." John 1:14. Jesus is the Word made flesh.
His work on the cross, accomplished atonement for our sins and grace for the duration of our lives: "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! " Hebrews 9:14
Secondly, Jesus himself demonstrates the power of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This is seen in Matthew Chapter 4. With each temptation, Jesus responds to Satan with the following words, "It IS WRITTEN.." (Matthew Chapter 4, verses 4, 7 & 10). He quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16 and 6:13. It is important to know the Word, even Satan knows the Word (ref:Matthew 4:6)
Hebrews 4:12 reminds us that the word of God is living and active, that it is sharper than any double edged sword.
Have you ever tried to obey the Lord and found stumbling blocks in your way? Have you purposed in your heart to walk uprightly yet heard lies goading you to believe that you are unworthy, incapable and such a lost sinner that you were beyond redemption? Have you been holding on tightly to His promises, striving in obedience, yet those around you who do not know or care for Him seem to prosper while your life seems to be going nowhere? Are you walking in faith yet feel like you're in the same spot from when you started your journey?
How can taking up the Sword of the Spirit-the Word of God- help us in our battles?
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Talk Tuesday- The Art of War
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Yes indeed, as Christians we are engaged in an unseen spiritual battle that is not only spiritual in nature, but also very yet highly present in our daily lives.
In 2 Cor. 10:3-5 Paul specifies that believers are engaged in a spiritual battle against forces which oppose the knowledge of God. If dark spiritual powers are no longer attacking believers, why would Paul alert us to them and insist that we arm ourselves against them? He said that we wrestle against the powers of darkness, and he goes on to itemize the pieces of spiritual armor that we are to put on in order to defend ourselves against “the flaming missiles of the evil one” (vv.13-17). Since the enemies we face are spiritual in nature (not flesh and blood), we must fight them with the weapons God has provided us. If we try to combat the powers of darkness in the strength of our flesh, we will not succeed. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [fleshly], but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds“(2 Cor. 10:4). In the whole armor of God, we have the practical means to be mighty and victorious warriors by putting on Christ in all His fullness (Rom. 13:14). In Ephesians 6:12 the Apostle Paul spoke of the reality of the works and activities of Satan.
The battle is against those spiritual forces, whether known or unknown. There is warfare raging right now between the armies of God and the armies of Satan. Although that warfare takes place mostly in the supernatural realm, the natural realm is certainly affected. Spiritual battles can manifest in our daily lives through relational conflict, temptations to sin, persecution, financial pressures, illness, and even death. In these and other situations, our enemy would have us turn from God in fear or frustration instead of drawing near to God and waiting on Him. In such times, spiritual armor becomes critical to our very survival.
You remember this…when Satan got in the Garden…a perfect man with a perfect mind and perfect understanding, perfect reasoning…in that condition…Satan comes and what does he want Adam and Eve to distrust? Their reason! He says to them, “Has God said? You can’t trust God’s word.” What Satan always wants us to do is to distrust God’s word. And Satan’s leading Eve through this little scenario…finally he says, “Ah, you’re not going to die. You can’t believe God. God lies. God said that? You’re going to die? No, you’re going to be like God…He doesn’t like that…competition…” Satan said, “Don’t believe what God says. However, Jesus is going to crush Satan and he knows it (Gen. 3:15).
2 Cor 11:14-15 "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." Rev. 12:9"The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him." In Isaiah 14:12-15, God, again, informs us how and why Satan was forced down to earth. In 1 Peter 5:8-9 declares that we must "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him…”. Be self-controlled and alert because your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. The Bible declares in Zech. 3:1-2, “Then He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right side to oppose him. The Lord (Jesus) said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you!”
We have noted that Satan is a deceiver. Temptation is his specialty. He capitalizes on making something appealing which will in the long run bring ruin and heartache. It was so with the first temptation (Genesis 3), and it has been so ever since. The subtlety of temptation is that it always touches some part of legitimacy. As humans, we have desires, hungers, abilities, and needs. These things are not wrong in themselves. Temptation is enticement to satisfy these things in wrong ways. On the physical level we need food, drink, and rest; on a deeper level, we need love, security, and identity, and on a deeper level still we need someone as the object of our inmost devotion -- one to worship. All of these are legitimate human needs, and God has given guidelines for how we satisfy these needs. Temptation is enticement to ignore God's directions. By ignoring what God has said, man falls into gluttony, addiction, sloth, immorality, treachery, pride, rivalry, hatred, idolatry.... The list could go on and on. Satan is a master at making God's directions look foolish and unreasonable, at making the present situation seem to be the exception, and at making his suggestions appealing and actually advantageous. Some people today have an unhealthy fascination with evil powers. Satan can exploit that and actually draw them into evil through that very fascination.
Let’s remember the story of Job (Job 19:25) when he said, "And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth.” Although Job lived 2,000 years before Christ, he, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, foretold of Jesus literally coming to earth, to redeem all who would believe in him, and he wrote of the resurrection of the saints (all true believers), when they would be called from their graves, at the end of the age. His beautiful words were quoted from Job's 19th chapter, in Handel's Messiah. Job 19:23-28 Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! Oh, that they were cut with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! What a marvelous revelation coming from Job who is so afflicted.
Many of the problems we have to cope with in our daily lives will no longer exist once we are totally united with God; they will simply disappear. Our first priority should be to develop an unbreakable bond with our Lord Jesus Christ. The security of an intimate relationship with Him will solve all the problems that creep into our lives and disengage us from achieving our goal. If through our daily prayer life we can receive the power to combat anything, we will overcome our personal problems, and even banish the deepest seated fears and insecurities we have carefully hidden from everyone. The greatest shield and protection in daily life is the love of God. We only have to unite with it. This will be our greatest security. But it cannot stay an abstract concept in our minds. We have to make it real. Remember we are engaged in a spiritual war, and my prayer is that Christians will recognize the nature of this battle and pull together to make a real impact on this country.
Thank You, Father, that I don't battle the forces of darkness alone. You have provided all the weapons we need to overcome and stand free.
Cynthia, that was so deep, scriptural and full of God's truth. I am humbled, encouraged and challenged by what the Holy Spirit inspired you to write. You are also a gifted and eloquent writer. Thank you for taking the time to write on such a complex yet critical topic. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless your ministry.
May Almighty God bless you both for this ministry. I am encouraged to write, no special thanks to me, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The blessing of the Lord makes one (Andrew and Tash) rich and He adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22.
Thank you for both the compelling introduction to this topic by the hosts and for Cynthia's insightful response ...
One of the things I have thought much about recently is how the key to overcoming the battle we face against our unseen enemy is in the mind.
As the opening thoughts mention, the Word of God is the piece of armour that is unique in that it is not just a defensive weapon but an offensive one. How do we respond even in our thoughts to the circumstances around us? What do we choose to meditate on? If we don't spend regular and meaningful time reading our Bibles, praying it into our lives, we won't know how to respond to fiery darts (and outright bombs) coming against our faith.
I was given a word once which I heard again recently, more than a year later, from a visiting First Nations leader. For every destructive thought we may have, whether in response to another person's offense or to a difficult circumstance, we should face it with the opposite spirit. So if a person insults us, we respond with a blessing (1 Peter 3:9). Even if it is quietly in our hearts, as opposed to audibly. I am sure that this protects us from cracks that could give the devil a stronghold, or chases him out of places where he may have already taken up residence.
There are so many opportunties to begin to believe a lie, both in our minds and in response to various circumstances. The battle can seem overwhelming, but not only are we not alone, but even a little faith can work wonders as a shield... repeating a simple verse like Romans 8:28 in my heart or aloud when discouraging thoughts come has staved off a lot of fiery darts and brought me great joy instead.
Thanking God for what I already have and what He has already done, and for what is coming when we finally SEE Him and when we receive our eternal rewards, is also so helpful when I feel discouragement coming on(i.e coming in the opposite spirit). The question about how we feel when it appears that things are not moving forward in our lives in spite of all our efforts to be obedient and keep our hearts really resonated with me ... it reminds me that I am not alone in feeling this way ... in fact it is a very common phase in our Christian journey! (1 Peter 5:9) Isn't it interesting that this reminder comes to us in the same verse that alerts us to the wiles of the devil?
Victory over discouragement also comes when I will myself by the power of the Spirit to talk to the Lord about everything on my mind .. even the things that there is a temptation to hold back some of my thoughts and feelings... and even if it is a very short prayer. This must also be a way that the Lord honours our faith that He cares for us and is listening (1 Peter 5:7).
Thank you for this reminder that we need to be in battle mode at all times, and that we need to turn to the Word of God constantly and hide it in our hearts so that it accomplishes in us and all around us all that it was meant to, until Jesus is finally revealed.
Thanks for the reminder Stacy. I need to hear that. God Bless you all.
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