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Those Pesky Powers and Principalities.....


Jayne

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I love it when I find dots in the Bible that I’ve never connected before.   This happened to me this past week when getting ready for my community Bible study. We are in Joshua and it was so wonderful reading about God telling Joshua that the victory over the city of Ai was already won and the he [God] was going to turn their enemies over to them.

And boy, does Joshua ever get up and STRAIGHTWAY do what God says without fear! He doesn’t dawdle or ask questions. He takes 30,000 of his “mighty men” and they defeat Ai with not so much as one problem - quite unlike the previous and fleshly attempt in trying to defeat them but there was sin in the camp and they were soundly trounced!

Afterwards, Joshua builds an altar to the LORD and the people go over the entire Law once again. It was a wonderful passage to read and see how God's sovereignty and man's obedience brings such glory to God.

Bear with me - I DO have a point to make.

We have enemies today, but it isn’t other people. We are commanded to love and evangelize and bring the lost to Christ. Our enemies are those “powers and principalities” that Paul speaks of in Ephesians and Paul in chapter 6 – gives us the weaponry with which to fight – the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “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.

But here is something I found while studying for this lesson. I like to connect Old Testament passages to New Testament teachings and to Christians today and there are plenty of commentaries out there to help with that. David Guzik is a commentator that I like to read – I don’t ALWAYS agree with him, but he is pretty reliable. Here is a point that he made.

“Just as God told Joshua that the victory was already won and that he was giving it to them – as long as they were in obedience,
we also need to know that the victory is already won in that spiritual arena by Jesus Christ, himself.
Colossians 2:15 says,
Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it [the cross]. ‘

And Romans 8:37 says, ‘….we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’”

 

Wow, that connection really has been teaching me and moving me. The lesson, in my mind, is EXACTLY the same as Joshua’s lesson.

Christ has already “disarmed” the principalities and powers. Just as God already “disarmed” the inhabitants of Ai by putting them into confusion and causing them to make a terribly lethal plan of attack.

And just as Joshua and his people still had to fight – we still have to fight.  Perhaps you and I need to assess our fighting skills. :ph34r:

  • Are we still trying to fight with sin in the camp?
  • With a lack of faith?
  • With a lack of obedience?
  • Have we given up the fight?
  • Do we even know when we last “put on” the armor of the LORD?
  • Do we understand the enemy?
  • Are we even aware that there is one?
  • Are we trying to fight on our own terms?
  • Do we even have enough of a spiritual spine to get up off of our spiritually lazy rear ends?
  • Do we even care anymore?

Jesus Christ has disarmed the enemy - triumphed over them and made a public spectacle of them - so says Colossians 2:15! Ours, as his followers, is to live victoriously and fight FOR the sake of Christ and our own spiritual sake.

Maybe, I'm wrong - but I liken the whole thing to a carnivorous animal – sometimes the mother or father carnivore will disable a prey and place it in front of the offspring so that the offspring can “fight” and learn to hunt. If the offspring never learn this, they will be weak adults and probably die in early adulthood.

Now that you KNOW that Jesus Christ disabled those powers and principalities on the cross – keep that thought in mind as you re-read this very familiar passage.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…..

Oh, and do you know why these things are called the armor of God? Because the Old Testament speaks of these things in various places as God’s armor. Look it up! Paul didn’t just make these weapons up.

Jesus Christ has defeated the enemy that Paul speaks of in Ephesians. This defeat is eternal.

My prayer is that we, like that young animal who is under the guidance of its parent - will use the weapons that God through the Bible gives us to learn to have victory in the day to day moments of our lives.

We are still commanded to fight just as Joshua was. Battles still must be fought - even though we already know that God wins. May we be as bold as Joshua, as humble before God as him, and as alert as him.

And may we, like Joshua, when the fight is over, give glory to God and keep our minds in his commandments - every watchful and ever ready for the next fight.

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It's a state of higher mind. :) 

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God has most often given me the pattern of II Chronicles 20:1-24

2Ch 20:17  ESV You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you." 2Ch 20:18  Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. 2Ch 20:19  And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

2Ch 20:20  And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed." 2Ch 20:21  And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say, "Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever."

2Ch 20:22  And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.

Eph 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  Eph 6:13  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.

The lesson I learned here was that satan was disarmed at the cross because we no longer fear death.  We will go to be with the Lord!  The power of the enemy now  is to deceive--he is a liar and the father of lies.  We should never believe him.  He will suck us in with half truths and twisted truths.  So we simply should not listen to his lies and accusations.  We stand upon God's word trusting in Him, in His good Name and His character.

Going in to battle the thing I most need to do is hold my ground!  Ground troops are needed to hold the ground.  The fighting is going on over head as God's armies are doing the fighting for me.  But I also am to sing and praise God, thanking Him for His steadfast love.  We are the cheering section as we worship God for His power and holiness.  If God is for me, who can be against me?  What can man do to me?  As I sing praises to God He fights the battle for me.  So I keep my head low in obedience and humility or I might get hit;  and I stand firmly holding the ground.  

Remember the chorus MY GOD?  My God is greater, my God is stronger, my God is higher than any other"?  It reminds me of when kids are little and saying "My dad is bigger than your dad".  He can whup your dad!"   Well, our heavenly Daddy is.  He shows Himself strong on our behalf.  Halleluia!

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Jayne, I think you have made a lot of good points. I've heard some of this before usually in connection with why prayers go answered. Some of the reasons are what you said here:

1. Are we still trying to fight with sin in the camp?

2. With a lack of faith?

3. With a lack of obedience?

All the other reasons you listed are true too but I think these 3 are probably the most common. Thank you for summarizing this for us.

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