What about spiritual warfare?
2 Corinthians 10 & Ephesians 6
Well, I can tell you this may be the most diverse of our discussions yet and at least one of, if not the, most misunderstood, misused, abused, and outright confusing topics we can bring up.
It seems that everyone has their own opinions when it comes to this and many have very strong feelings regarding their viewpoints.
The seeming conflict within the church over this and unfortunate chasms that develop among christians due to varying stands has and continues to cause great harm in the body of Christ.
I do not consider myself an expert in this arena by any means, nor do I profess to hold all the answers or even hope to attempt to answer all your questions that may arise.
That said, I will, with all due diligence, conduct this series with all the truth of God’s Word that time and my limited understanding allow.
By the end of our study of this subject, I trust we will each be closer to a full knowledge of the reality of spiritual warfare and the working of the spiritual world around us with as little human reasoning and bias as possible.
My research takes me to extremes of teaching and in that I try to find the balanced truth of God’s Word He has given us.
If at any point you have a question or don’t quite understand, please feel free to get my attention so you may ask and we will make every effort to answer your question or bring clarification at that moment.
If a question arises that you would like further discussion, contact me at the office or via e-mail and I will take the appropriate action to respond.
Finally, if you disagree with something I say, please talk with me about it privately afterward so we can make sure it is not just a misunderstanding before it becomes a public thing.
We will start tonight with possibly the two most famous verses on spiritual warfare.
2 Corinthians 10:2-6
Ephesians 6:10-18
We are not going to get into breaking these both down that much tonight.
Tonight will be laying a lot of groundwork and introductory stuff and each Wednesday will find us getting deeper into this topic and opening up new subtopics.
I do want to address a couple of concerns up front. There will be others addressed, but these two will start us off.
The first is our need for wisdom. Without wisdom in our study and wisdom in our application we will get ourselves in trouble quickly.
There is an old proverb worth noting: “Age and treachery will always defeat youth and zeal.”
Before we engage into spiritual warfare we must know that Satan is an ancient and extremely treacherous adversary. He has power and his tactics are refined.
We must be careful that are idealism and untested fervor do not lead us into situations that we are either not ready for or not meant to be in at all. Wisdom.
If zeal by itself attacks the treachery of hell it will loose over time. In the end compromise comes in as discouragement and frustration become too much to bear and leading to outright sin and even spiritual bondage.
Ignorance is one of Satan’s tools as well. He doesn’t care if we jump out in attack against him and the forces of darkness if we do so in ignorance. He knows he can overcome that easily.
The problem happens because we tend to put Satan in a doctrinal box and expect him to stay there.
He does not and will not. He uses anything he can to defeat us as God’s children. There are no rules of engagement, no Geneva convention, no laws, no sense of restraint on his part.
Satan is limited by God only.
Jesus warned His disciples and subsequently us when He sent them out in Matthew 10:16 to be wise as serpents and yet innocent and harmless as doves.
Wisdom must proceed warfare and virtue, purity, holiness, must come before victory.
We live by faith and we trust God to guide and protect us, absolutely, but we need to learn the ways of God and think with wisdom.
The second concern is that there are only ways to make spiritual warfare longer and more perilous, there are no shortcuts.
In any battle, carefulness and preparation are the essence of victory.
Presumption will lead to destruction.
If you find yourself on some spiritually lofty plane better and higher than the rest of us, just remember that your fall will be harder and more damaging.
After all, Adam was in Paradise and walked and talked with God in the same way that I could walk and talk with any one of you at this moment.
Before we let our increased knowledge and extensive religious experience make us self-confident, think on the fact that Solomon wrote three books of the Bible and actually gazed upon the glory of God, yet he fell.
We mustn’t forget that the man after God’s own heart, David, committed murder and adultery.
Even in our glorified worship, let’s not ignore that fact that the enemy Himself, Lucifer was at one time in heaven pouring out praise to God.
Jesus even told us that the love of many will grow cold, don’t think it cannot happen to us because we are too whatever.
Our enemy, as I stated a moment ago, is ancient and has been deceiving and lying and destroying lives and ministries for thousands of years, since, at least, the beginning of man’s existence.
Our experience spans but a brief moment.
No one knows everything about spiritual warfare.
Too many have been brash instead of bold, presumptuous instead of compassionate, and flippant instead of prepared and as such have suffered greatly.
Proverbs 20:18 “Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.”
Let me define spiritual warfare from our text:
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 the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
The term “Spiritual warfare” is obviously not found here, nor is it found anywhere else in scripture. That term is a modern one that attempts to give clarity to that part of our journey through this life.
It is real and it is important that we understand our role and how to conduct ourselves in the struggle.
One author on the internet defines it this way:
"’Spiritual warfare’ is the struggle to have life in this material world reflect as much as possible God’s loving governance. It is a ’war’ because there are forces working vigorously to thwart God’s work. God is in charge, but there is an enemy that is in full-scale revolt, and it has powerful influence all around. As with the unseen God, the forces behind the revolt are unseen, nonphysical, and supernatural. They lust after power in the world of visible, material beings."
The note for Ephesians 6:12 from the Life in the Spirit Bible (also known as the Full Life Study Bible or Fire Bible) puts it this way:
"Christians face a spiritual conflict with Satan and a host of evil spirits. These powers of darkness are the spiritual forces of evil who energize the ungodly, oppose God’s will and frequently attacks the believers of this age. They constitute a great multitude and are organized into an empire of evil with rank and order."
My short definition would go something like this:
Spiritual warfare is the unseen part of our walk with God that has consequences and ramifications both in the spiritual realm of our lives around us, as well as, in the physical natural realm. It is a three way conflict between the human spirit and mind of the individual, the forces of evil, and God’s will. It is prayer, but it is much more than just words, it is action, attitude, discipline, obedience, authority, wisdom, and knowledge. It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to know and be engaged in.
My long definition is the entirety of this series and probably even more than we will completely cover.
A couple of quick things that spiritual warfare is not:
*It is not something we become an expert in
*Not a sometimes or rare thing, it is everyday a part of our journey through life
*It is not something to be taken lightly or played with
*It is not cute, not glamorous, not easy
*It is not exclusive to certain ministries and not a spiritual gift
*It is not exorcism and not marketable
*It is not limited to certain locations, times, events, or people
*It is not ritualistic or occultic
*It is not a struggle between God and Satan
Let me sit on the last one for a brief moment, I will probably revisit it another night in more detail.
God and Satan are not locked in a struggle or tug-of-war.
That would imply some equality between the two.
When God removed Lucifer from his position in heaven it was not a fight, God spoke and it was.
The struggle exists only because God gave us a choice to serve Him or not. So the real battle is for our hearts and thus it is within each of us.
There are demonic forces at work around us, absolutely, but again, a simple word from God and they are instantly restrained and even removed.
The war is a war of control over hearts, our hearts, our family, our friends, coworkers, etc.
God doesn’t need our help to defeat Satan, that is already done.
He desires our involvement in loving Him and in reaching others so they may love Him. That is our part in it’s most simplistic form.
Ephesians 6:10-11
The devil’s schemes: what are they?
A partial listing would include:
*Perpetuating division within the church
*Unbelief in the promises of God
*Discouragement
*Temptation to sin
*Compromise of conscience
*Unforgiveness
*Indulging our sinful nature
*Fear
*Accusation
*Loss of focus on Jesus onto something minor
*Spiritual apathy
*Spiritual pride and Self-righteousness
*Self-reliance
*Unbelief in the existence of Satan as an entity and hell as real
*Salvation without repentance
*All roads lead to the same place
*And His greatest weapon of all from which all of these others stem - Lying and deceit
And there are more...
So we wage war, it is dirty and raw and there are casualties and carnage, it is not glamorous, nor is it heroic.
By the power of the Holy Spirit we are in warfare with the sinful desires of ourselves, against the ungodly pleasures of this world and temptations of every sort, and against Satan and the demonic forces of darkness themselves.
The war and the process deserves fear only in the context of respect. We fear the enemy only in that we respect his power and the reality of what we are dealing with.
We do not fear the battle or the enemy as in a fear of defeat, for the victory is already won, we just have to live it out.
As we trust God and walk with God in innocence and purity, disciplined in our faith, aware and alert in guarding our heart, and full of the Holy Spirit the spiritual warfare we face will not destroy us.
