SPIRITUAL WARFARE I

November 13, 2022

Encouragement

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SPIRITUAL WARFARE I

MEMORY VERSE: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6: 12).

TEXTS: 2 Corinthians 10: 3 – 5; Ephesians 6: 10 – 17; 1 Peter 5:8 – 9. Revelation 12: 7 – 12.

INTRODUCTION: The word ‘warfare’ originates from the word “WAR” and by definition, warfare is the waging of war against an enemy. The Merriam-Webster English dictionary defined it as a struggle between competing entities. While the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defined it as the activity of fighting a war that involves the use of weapons and methods. Be it as it may, warfare involves battles either between two persons, between factions, between armies and could happen within man. For spiritual warfare, it begins from the spirit realm to the mind realm and to the physical realm. It can come in the form of marital battles, financial battles, family battles, academic battles etc. and it is sponsored by the devil. Spiritual warfare first started in Heaven between God and the devil as established in Revelation 12: 1-12, and it has however extended to man and the host of darkness, which is made up of demons and satanic human agents. It is therefore expedient to know that the true enemy of man is the devil as against the assertion that “man is the enemy of man” (1 Peter 5:8).

Nevertheless, because of this warfare, every man on earth is confronted with battles. However, Christians are better equipped for the battles because of their salvation experience which automatically enlists them into God’s army and gives them access to God’s armoury which guarantees their victory (Ephesians 6:11). The army of God, which is the church, is militant in nature as described in Ephesians 6: 10-17. It is expected of the church to fight battles that cover the whole world and spiritual realms, defeating the works of Satan and his cohorts. The Church is not fighting with physical forces (flesh and blood), but with unseen forces that are on earth, water, and heavenly places as explained in Ephesians 6: 10 – 17. But the good news is that Christians are fighting this war in Victory. Jesus has won the battle by His death on the cross and has given us authority to trample upon the enemy (devil) and we will not be hurt (Luke 10:19).

By default, every Christian should know that he/she is continually at war – Matthew 11: 12 says – “and from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force”. Every believer should also know that he/she is not just at war but he/she is an instrument of war in God’s hands (Jeremiah 51:20). The 1871 hymn by Sabine Baring-Gould, titled – “Onward Christian Soldiers” also explains further:

Onward Christian soldiers!

Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus

Going on before.

Christ, the royal Master,

Leads against the foe;

Forward into battle,

See, His banners go!

Onward, Christian soldiers!

Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus, Going on before.

We battle on daily basis and cannot run away from the fight as long as we remain true to our Christian faith. Therefore, every Christian is expected to brace up for the fight and know what it entails to fight a successful war. Pertinently, as this study expounds to us the reality of our spiritual warfare, it will also teach us the important requirements which include the following: misconception about spiritual warfare, wisdom in spiritual warfare, methods for spiritual warfare, and right weapons for spiritual warfare, errors in spiritual warfare.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Some people believe that the devil should be ignored instead of being engaged.
Some people also believe that the devil has no power and that all power belongs to God.
Some people believe that Jesus has won all battles and there is no need to fight again.
Some people also believe that Satan does not deserve their time and that Christians should not waste their time to address the devil
Some people also believe that we should stay within the ambiance of the Bible without going to the spiritual depth that involves the devil.

The above statements/assertions are not completely true, they are myths and cannot help a Christian to face the realities of life. Believers must therefore be able to understand the realities that surround spiritual warfare.

WISDOM IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE

The Bible says that wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 4:7). And Ecclesiastes 10:10b noted that wisdom is profitable to direct. This means that wisdom is very important and is needed in everything in life including spiritual warfare. In fact, wisdom is most needed in spiritual warfare because so many Christians have died or have been wounded in the battlefield. Wisdom is needed to give you direction on the right strategy and weapon to use when engaged in spiritual warfare. This guarantees victory. So, when you are about to engage in spiritual warfare, wisdom requires that you must do the following:

You must be truly enlisted in God’s army. To be truly enlisted in God’s army means you must be genuinely born again (John 3:3). This gives you recognition and back-up by heaven as a bona fide member of God’s kingdom and army. For example, the seven sons of Sceva were not truly born again which was the reason for their defeat in battle (Acts 19:14 -15).
Know the person you are engaged in battle with and count the cost. Consult within yourself before going into spiritual warfare (Luke 14: 28-31).
Ensure you gather enough Information about your enemy through spiritual investigation; example, the name of the enemy (demon/deity), location, source of their power, their characteristics, and activities. This will help you win the battle easily. – Acts 16:16, Mark 5:9, 1 Corinthians 15:32.
You must prepare spiritually by putting on the complete garments of God’s armour to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6: 11-17).
You must be completely prepared and fortified with fasting if need be, as seen in – Matthew 17:21.
Avoid fighting the wrong enemy and battles – 1 Corinthians 3:3, Luke 9:52-55.

METHODS AND STRATEGIES FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Methods are ways of accomplishing or approaching something. There are therefore, different procedures or ways of accomplishing successful spiritual warfare. Some of these ways include the following:

Praying: One way to accomplish spiritual warfare is by praying all manner of prayers; examples, Judgmental prayers, petition prayers, etc. (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonian 5:17).
Fasting: Fasting is another method of approaching spiritual warfare. Jesus told his disciples that they are demons that can only be casted/defeated by fasting and prayer (Matthew 17: 16-21).
Reading the Bible: Reading the word of God is a veritable method to use during spiritual warfare. Speaking the word of God is the truth going out of us and it accomplishes its purpose which guarantees victory – Isaiah 55: 11, Joshua 1:8.
Fellowship/partnership with the Holy Spirit: This method is very important because the Holy Spirit knows all things and will always give direction that aids and makes effective the other methods.
Praise and Worship: This is another effective method for spiritual warfare. In 2 Chronicle 20:19-22, the children of Israel sang and praise God, then the Lord sent an ambushment against their enemies. In Jericho, God also told the Children of Israel to shout a victory shout which ensured their victory – Joshua 6:2.
Divine instructions – In any successful warfare, it is expedient that a soldier should always receive divine instruction from his commander (Jesus) on how to go about the war. For example, God gave Joshua instructions on how the children of Israel were to defeat all their enemies in their bid to take possession of the promise land. Moses also won all his wars by divine instruction.

WEAPONS FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE

In carrying out spiritual warfare, we need to understand that we need weapons (2 Corinthians 10: 4). These weapons are not worldly weapons, but divine weapons that have the power to demolish satanic strongholds and everything that tries to undermine the power and works of God on earth and in our lives. These weapons could be offensive or defensive in their use. Some of these weapons are as follows:

The sword of the spirit (Hebrew 4:12; Jeremiah 23: 29): Praying God’s word to Him and speaking the same words to the devil is a powerful weapon against the forces of darkness and their works. The word of God is powerful and is sharper than a double-edged sword that can cut even the soul (Hebrew 4:12). The word of God is the sword of the spirit (Ephesians 6:17b). It also builds our faith in God and weakens the devil. Jeremiah 23:29 says that the word of God is like a hammer that breaks the rock. It wins the war. Jesus showed us an example when he used it in Matthew 4:4 – 11. He defeated the devil with it. This weapon can be offensive and defensive.
The name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11; Mark 16:17): The name of Jesus is the greatest of all the weapons of spiritual warfare. The devil and his agents are easily defeated by the name of Jesus. The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:10 that God has given Jesus the name which is above every other name, that at the mention of the name every knee in heaven and earth shall bow; including principalities and powers. Demons are defeated by the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17). Even salvation is gotten by the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12). Prayers are equally made in the name of Jesus. This is equally offensive and defensive.
The blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11; Colossians 2:14): Another very important weapon of spiritual warfare is the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus was the final sacrifice that Jesus paid for the salvation of man, so it is very effective in defeating the devil and his works. Revelation 12:11a says- “And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb”. Jesus is the lamb that was slain. The blood of Jesus can be used to break curses, covenants, and satanic manipulations. The blood of Jesus can also serve as a defense and coverage.
Praises to God (2 Chronicles 20:22; Acts 16:25-26): Praises to God are very effective in spiritual warfare against the devil. Praise glorifies God and also provokes Him to fight for us in times of trouble. The children of Israel sang praises to God in 2 Chronicles 20:22, and God caused their enemies to fight against them. They won that war without using any physical weapons. Paul and Silas also praised God and they were delivered from their captivity (Acts 16:25-26). Praises can be both offensive and defensive. Praise is given as a garment in Isaiah 61:3 to defeat heaviness. This weapon is offensive.
The consuming fire of God (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrew 12:29): God has manifested himself several times in the bible as ‘fire’. Moses saw God in the burning bush. Israel experienced Him as a pillar of fire when they left Egypt. In fact, Elijah used the consuming fire of God against the prophets of Baal to convince the people of Israel back to God in 1 Kings 18: 38 – 39. Elijah also used fire as a weapon to consume the army captain and his fifty sent after him by the king in 2 Kings 1: 10 – 14. So, the consuming fire of God can be used as a spiritual weapon of warfare to destroy the devil and his works. Witchcraft covens, satanic cobwebs, and canopies used to prevent prayers from getting to God, and many more can be destroyed by the consuming fire. This is also an offensive weapon.
The sword of the Lord (Isaiah 66:16, Jeremiah 24:10): The sword of the Lord can be used as a weapon of war against the devil and his agents. God uses it to render vengeance on his enemies and reward those that hate Him (Deuteronomy 32:41). No man or demon can stand the sword of the Lord. So, Christians can invoke the sword of the Lord and use it to execute spiritual warfare. This is an offensive weapon.
The voice of the Lord – (Psalm 29:4-9): The voice of the Lord is a very powerful and efficient weapon of spiritual warfare that can defeat the devil. It is capable of shaking the desert, breaking to pieces the cedars of Lebanon, and doing even more. Christians should learn to employ or make use of this weapon which is also an offensive weapon.
The Battleaxe (Jeremiah 51:20-23): Here, God is talking about us (Christians). We are His battle axe as stated in Jeremiah 51:20, and God wants to use us to destroy the devil and his works. It is our duty as a militant church to destroy the kingdom of satan and its strongholds. God has created us and given us the ability to do so, so we need to rise to responsibility by deploying all these weapons God has made available to us. This is an offensive weapon.
Gifts of the spirit: – These can also serve as weapons in spiritual warfare. For example, the gift of vision can be used by a Christian in spiritual warfare.
The armor of God: This is a salient defensive weapon of spiritual warfare. For example, the breastplate of righteousness can defend a Christian against a satanic onslaught.
Purity of life: This is a veritable weapon a Christian can use to disarm the devil in spiritual warfare – Revelation 12:10.
Spiritual power and authority: – Luke 9:1.

ERRORS IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Spiritual arrogance – Proverbs 16:18, Joshua 7:2-5.
Poor timing – Ecclesiastes 3:1.
Moving out alone – 1 Samuel 4:5-11
No spiritual covering – Joshua 7:2-5.
Unguided prayers
Lack of spiritual depth
Weak prayer life
Ignorance – Hosea 4:6
Empty rhetorics – Acts 19:14 -15.
Underestimating your enemies – Joshua 7:2-5

CONCLUSION

From the foregoing, it is clear that spiritual warfare is a part of the Christian lifestyle. Whether a Christian is willing to fight or not, the devil will bring the battle to him/her. It therefore, behooves every Christian to be aware and prepared for spiritual warfare. For it is only those that overcome that will wear the crown of glory (Revelation 3:21).

QUESTIONS