Spiritual
Warfare: The Application
Finally, be strong
in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor
of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the
devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over
this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth,
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for
your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel pf peace.
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication
for all the saints (Eph. 6:10-18).
Know that you are
at war
One of the main
issues with spiritual warfare is to know that you are at war.
Christian, you are in a battle. It is raging all around you and in
you! Do you realize this? Do you know that you are under attack?
The enemy hates the word of God and despises you. Our enemies are
just that, enemies. They hate us and want to destroy us. I am
convinced that believers today are oblivious to this fact. Or, if
they are aware, they boil spiritual warfare down to having a bad day
or not getting their own way in something.
No, it is much
deeper and more significant than that. It is a battle for your mind
and heart. The enemy attacks the word of God, the preaching and
teaching of the word, blinds mankind's eyes to the truth and the
glory of Christ, opposes missions, seeks to derail evangelism, places
obstacles in the way of growth, dismantles families, and fights on
several fronts to spread the war and remove focus from the main
thing. The enemy has many, many weapons. They include: people,
circumstances, criticism, personal attack, hatred, ignorance, apathy,
gossip, slander, backbiting, falsehoods, greed, envy, strife, malice,
pride, disobedience, hard-heartedness, unrepentance, idolatry,
business, ungodliness, immorality, sex, lust, anger, disunity, and
well, you get the point.
Our strength is
in the Lord
Not only must
Christians know that they are in a war, but they have to realize that
the battle is not fought in their own strength. It is God who gives
the strength and ability to fight. It is God who gets the victory
and the glory. As believers, we realize that we are weak; and it is
in and through our weakness that God gets all the glory. Weakness is
not a bad thing. In Christianity weakness is humility and complete
dependence on God. We realize that we can do nothing on our own, we
rely on God and his strength and might to work in us and through us.
When we are weak, God is strong. Admit that your are weak and cannot
do anything on your own. Trust God and depend on him to work and
energize and mobilize and utilize.
All of the armor
must be put on to be effective
The
armor of God is designed to be worn as a whole. It is a unit and is
ineffective if incomplete. God provided this armor and each piece is
crucial and serves a function. It protects vital areas and if a
piece is missing or is not utilized, the soldier is in great danger.
Not only so, Christian soldiers are charged to put on the whole armor
of God. Trust that the Lord knows best. Disobedience is sin. God
has provided everything we need, why wouldn't we take full advantage
of the good gifts of God? Why would we leave areas unprotected? Do
you know more than God? Do you think that this armor is unnecessary?
Do not trust in your wisdom or supposed abilities.
Thank God for
providing us with armor
When was the last
time that you thanked the Lord for his gracious gift of armor? Our
God has given us the vital pieces of protection that every believer
needs. The longer you live in this world the more you realize just
how important it is to guard your hearts and minds, to be ready with
the gospel, to defend against attacks with your faith, and to wield
the sword of God's word. The Christian life is hard enough. Try to
imagine living life, constantly being attacked, and not having the
armor of God. We are desperate for God's protection. We are weak
and weary, ignorant and oblivious, we need all of the help we can
get. Praise God for his wonderful gifts. Thank God because he has
not left us naked or to our own devices.
The armor is to
be put on daily
Believers,
you are to daily put on the armor of God. This is not a one time
thing when you were regenerated. No, every day you must decide to
utilize what God has provided. There are no days off, no leave.
This war does not stop until death. The enemy is stronger and
smarter than us. The enemy is determined and relentless. You cannot
let your guard down, you must not relax even for a minute. Protect
your mind and hearts. Guard the faith given to you. Always be ready
with the gospel. Know the word of God to fight off temptations.
Repent daily. Worship God daily. Trust Christ daily. Rely on the
Spirit daily.
Our battle is
spiritual, not physical in nature
Spiritual warfare
is just that, spiritual. The enemy is spiritual and cannot be seen.
Attacks are against us spiritually. They impact our souls. However,
things that take place in the spiritual realm often manifest
themselves in the physical. So, believers have got to realize that
any physical attack is actually a spiritual attack. What this means
is that when we are opposed or criticized by people, it is not just a
physical assault by a physical person. It is spiritual in nature and
meant to harm our souls. While people do hurt us and let us down, we
must pray for them and watch that we don't grow unloving or spiteful,
retaliate, or succumb to the attacks. All of this is spiritual.
Behind every physical action there is a spiritual cause.
But we deal with,
live with, and minister to people. This is what makes life so
difficult. We see and feel and hear the physical but are affected
spiritually, emotionally, which often leads to physical maledies.
Remember, there is light and darkness, sin and holiness, Christ and
Baal, etc. We live in a world of dichotomies. We are physical and
spiritual beings.
Christians are
charged to stand
Christian soldiers
are charged to stand, not to advance or retreat. The orders given
are to stand firm and to defend ourselves against the barrages
launched by the enemy. We are not commanded to move ahead, outflank,
do counterespionage, spy, out maneuver, over power, put the fear of
God into our enemy by shock and awe, or any other tactic. Likewise,
neither are we instructed to retreat, run away, disperse, flee,
perform the scorched earth policy, or any other action.
We stand. We stand
firm in Christ and utilize the armor he gave us to protect our souls.
Not only do we stand but we trust. We trust that Christ knows what
he is doing. We trust that he will protect us and see us through.
We trust that he will never leave or forsake us. We do not let
criticism, words, feelings, slander, sickness, disease,
circumstances, or anything else to move us from this spot. We are
standing, we are obeying the orders given us by our Savior. Nothing
man can do will deter us. Nothing the devil or his minions could
hurl at us will cause us to disobey our Commander.
Let's face it, we
don't always stand. We often fall or do take steps back. We sin.
And sometimes we sin badly and the affects are grievous. It is in
these moments that we repent, beg God for forgiveness, commit to
stand, pray for grace to stand, and stand in Christ and his strength.
Until the next time. But praise God because he is gracious and
forgiving and merciful and knows that we are weak and prone to fall
again and again. Our God is patient and longsuffering. His grace is
sufficient. The next time we sin against him, his grace will be
sufficient then too! God knows that we will sin and not always
stand. It is this that he uses to sanctify us and show forth his
glory and strength. He also knows that it is in and through our
weakness and sin that he will bring all the more glory to himself
when he calls us home, perfects us, and destroys our enemies once and
for all.
The armor is
mostly defensive in nature
The spiritual armor
provided by God is primarily defensive. It is designed to protect,
not to engage the enemy. This is important because we need to
realize that our main objective is not necessarily offensive. We are
to defend ourselves from attacks not go vigilantly or black ops on
the enemy. Believer, are you concerned about guarding your heart and
mind from attacks? Do you watch what enters into your soul? Do you
examine yourself and determine if you are bearing good fruit for
Christ? Or is most of your fruit rotten? If it is, the enemy may
have gained a foothold. You must defend. That is your mission. We
are to watch, listen, be on guard, recognize the enemy and attacks,
not grow weary, be alert, erect protective barriers, and join with
others for support. Defend your mind. Defend your heart. Defend
your home and family. Defend your church. Defend the gospel.
The only
offensive weapons are the word of God and prayer
There are however,
two offensive weapons. The good Lord has seen fit to give us his
word and prayer. With these, believers can turn the tide of the war.
With these, entire lands are conquered, captives are rescued,
sinners are saved, saints are strengthened and empowered, barriers
and walls come tumbling down, blind men see, lame people walk again,
the desperate are given hope, the lost are found, the dead are given
life, the darkness is turned into light, and the glory of the Lord
fills the earth! We are more than conquerors only because we have
the very words of God and the power of prayer. Do you employ these
weapons?
These are also
defensive in nature. The word of God warns, prepares, and equips
while prayer unites us to our God and fuels our very lives. Truly,
we would be defenseless if it were not for God's word and the ability
to pray. Are your defenses built according to God's standard? Are
you following the blueprint as laid out in the word of God? Do you
communicate regularly with God?
Watch and pray
for all the saints
Spiritual warfare
is much bigger than ourselves. The battlefield spans the entire
globe. As Christians, we need to get over ourselves and realize that
the battle is raging all around. And souls hang in the very balance.
War is brutal and hard. It destroys. But, it also makes heroes and
forges leaders for tomorrow. With that said, we ought to pray for
one another. Believers all over the world, and in your neighborhood,
are under attack just like you. Pray for them. Pray that the Lord
grant them grace to remain faithful in the midst of persecution and
heartache. Pray that they persevere until the end. Pray that God
give them grace to fight the good fight, defend themselves and
others, stand firm, not retreat, repent, be bold and courageous, and
die well.
Also, watch. Look
out for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Warn them of
temptations or traps. Watch that they are standing firm on the word
of God and rebuke them if they are not. Watch for them growing weary
or tired. Watch for discouragement, pride, apathy, and any other sin
that easily entangles believers. Watch that the gospel and Christ
are preeminent in their lives. Watch that they are growing,
repenting, worshiping, learning, advancing, bearing fruit, praying,
reading the word, etc. Watch because you love them and desire for
them to glorify God in all things. Watch because you see things that
they don't and have a different perspective. Watch because you have
others watching over you, it is what we do as Christians.
Christ is our
armor
This armor is
nothing other than Christ. Christ is our all in all. We are to put
on Christ, to think of him, follow him, desire him, emulate him, obey
him, and trust him. We are nothing without him and conquerors with
him. He is our salvation, strength, hope, life, shepherd, friend,
commander, and protector.
Christ is the
truth. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me” (Jn. 14:6). Christ is our
righteousness. “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who
became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and
redemption...” (1 Cor. 1:30). Christ is our peace. “For he
himself is our peace... (Eph. 2:14). Christ is our source of faith.
“...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith...”
(Heb. 12:2). Christ is our salvation. “Consequently, he is able
to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him,
since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
And Christ is the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us...” (Jn. 1:1, 14).
The battle belongs
to the Lord. We are merely soldiers in the Lords army. But we are
soldiers and we have our orders. So, stand against the enemy. Know
that God is your strength. Know your enemies and their tactics. Put
on the whole armor of God. Withstand the onslaught and stand firm.
Utilize the armor God has given. Pray. Keep alert. Make
supplication for the saints. Put on Christ. These are our orders.
By the grace of God and in the strength of his might, perform them
for his glory and for your sanctification. And remember, Christ is
the victor!
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