WHAT IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE

[jesusislord]

What Is Spiritual Warfare?

This is an important question, because "spiritual warfare" means different things to different people. The term itself is not found in the scriptures, but the concept is taught. Two of the most commonly associated passages were written by the Apostle Paul.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

"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. 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 heavenly realms." Eph. 6:10-12

Our ministry's stress upon spiritual warfare is an attempt to bring about a proper balance in Christian lives. So many Christians have become passive and fearful. Some are satisfied just to believe the right things and attend church services and activities each week. This type of lifestyle is quite different from that which Jesus had called believers. Like the apostles (Lk 9:1-2) and the seventy (Lk 10) who were told by Jesus to go out and preach and teach about the kingdom of God, and he also said they were to heal the sick and set the captives free. In Matt. 28:18-20, Jesus commissioned the disciples.

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. and remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The new converts were to be discipled and taught that God wanted them to be doing the things that Christ's disciples had been doing. And Jesus would be with His people to the end of the age, doing His works through them as they were yielded to Him in faith.

The reason ministries like ours exist at all is because of the failure of the Church to obey all of Christ's commission to His people. Working in the power of Christ to do extraordinary things in His name has been reasoned away, saying, "God does not work like that today." But we, and ministries like us, are reminders that God continues to work the way He did with the first century Church.

Spiritual warfare is a pro-active approach to our faith. We actively resist the devil when his hosts harass us. We actively pursue spiritual disciplines that will make us stronger and better prepared. We actively engage the enemy when people are in spiritual bondage.

We utilize prayer as a weapon to penetrate strongholds that cannot be reached in any other way. Spiritual warfare is the putting aside of passive attitudes towards faith which keep us from commitment and cause us to pursue only those things that will benefit us. Instead of seeking our own agenda, we submit our will to God and accept the sacrifices He calls us to make.

There is not one area of Christian ministry that has not become a battleground, but often there is not discernment that some form of spiritual resistance is in place. It has become common to attribute a natural or human explanation to most problems and leave it at that. The one who has a spiritual warfare perspective will be inclined to test the situation to ascertain whether or not there is something more than natural influences involved. For instance, when my daughter started having a series of painful bone cysts develop at the base of her spine, we challenged them with prayer and spiritual authority and they disappeared. When people enter our office for ministry, they often develop headaches or experience overwhelming fear. A command of spiritual authority immediately brings relief.

A spiritual warrior has an alertness to the activity of the enemy. This alertness is by no means fear or paranoia. He does not go around crediting Satan and his hosts for everything wrong under the sun. The Apostle Paul was a good example of a spiritual warrior. He didn't go out of his way to look for demonic activity, but when he encountered it, he quickly recognized it and then he confronted it with spiritual authority victoriously.

A spiritual warrior knows he must bring discipline to his thought life and to his actions. If he allows these areas to be compromised, he will not be affective in resisting the enemy. He takes sin very seriously, because he knows that sin always gives the adversary an advantage. He must always be on guard against comparing himself with others and being entrapped by the subtlety of religious pride. The true warrior knows that he can do nothing that is affective in his own strength. His strength, authority, wisdom and discernment are dependent upon his close walk with his Lord. He should always remain focused and guard himself against distraction caused by problems and troubles that appear. These are designed to get his eyes off the Lord and lure him into working in the flesh.

Understanding spiritual warfare provides a new perspective on parenthood. Parents are entrusted with children by the Lord to nurture, cherish and protect. In the parent, the child needs to see a reflection of God's attributes of unconditional love, faithfulness and holiness. The parent should become a steward of God's grace in the home and be on guard against the enemy's assaults on any member of the family. A godly parent can exercise great authority in the name of Christ to resist the enemy and fight on behalf of the children. Like Job, a parent is also the priest of the home, bringing the sins of the children to God so that the enemy cannot establish strongholds in their lives.

Spiritual warfare awareness can also be very effective in witnessing and evangelism. You learn to recognize the barriers and strongholds in advance and prepare the way through prayer, spiritual authority, divine appointments and ministry.

A spiritual warrior knows his inheritance in Christ. He knows God's promises and is not easy prey to the lies and deceptions of the enemy, who tries to call these promises and inheritance into question. He understands the lie is the enemy's language and his most effective weapon. Therefore, the warrior seeks constantly to fortify himself in an understanding of God's truth which he wears like armor for protection.

To summarize what I have been talking about, a commitment to spiritual warfare means:

1. A New Attitude - You begin to think like an overcomer with a victorious attitude. You walk according to your inheritance of grace in Christ. You no longer have an attitude of playing it safe or seeking not to rock the boat. You realize you want to be on the front lines for God, not trying to live the comfortable life with as few problems as possible.

2. A Greater Focus - You carefully guard against the attempts to distract you or to push your buttons. You recognize that the enemy likes to entangle God's people in the cares of this world or provoke us to react in the flesh. You understand the importance of keeping your eyes on the Lord and standing in faith upon God's character, not in your abilities.

3. A Necessary Discipline - You have begun to discipline yourself on all levels. You are setting more time aside for study and prayer. You are spending more time being alert and obedient to the leading of the Spirit.

4. A More Balanced Biblical World View - You take very seriously the Biblical warnings to God's people about an enemy that is real.

HERE IS THE LINK >>>>>..http://www.worthyboards.com/forums/index.php?s=&act=Post&CODE=00&f=4

[Guest PeterW.]

That was very well written, and expresses exactly how I view things. I was really shocked to come to this site and see someone saying the things you did. Bless you. Keep up the good work !!

[The Journey]

jesusislord,

I would strongly recommend that you read the book The Covering by Hank Hanegraaff.

I always wonder why Ephesians 6:10-12 is so popular but almost no one talks about the rest of the verse. I guess its because the weapons the Apostle lists are not flashy like the "jericho" and exorcism.

"Yet these false teachers, who claim authority from their dreams, live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at the power of the glorious ones. But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse Satan of blasphemy, but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you." (This took place when Michael was arguing with Satan about Moses' body.) But these people mock and curse the things they do not understand. "Jude 1:8

"But the angels, even though they are far greater in power and strength than these false teachers, never speak out disrespectfully against the glorious ones."2 Peter 2:11

There is a lot that we are no told in Scripture about the angels and demons. God chose to not reveal much. Many have simply filled in the gaps using anecdotal stories and Hollywood. The danger here is twofold. One is that we may be chasing the wind and fighting shadows. The other is that by blaspheming and railing against the demons we are involved in things that are not our business. There is error in both denying that the spiritual world exists and in finding a demon in every shadow and under every rock.

- Steve

[OneAccord]

I agree absolutely with your post Journey, and I have started threads in the past around these very verses that you have presented because I don't believe we should be yelling at demons or performing exorcisms either.

But in reading through the above post, I believe that jesusislord has been emphasizing a disciplined, obedient walk with the Lord as a most important tool in 'spiritual warfare'.

His four points in summary at the end of the article were "A new attitude, greater focus, spiritual discipline, and Biblical worldview".

The key is 'resisting' the enemy, which is best done by being rooted and estabished in the faith, and seeking to walking closely with the Lord through obedience and rightliving, which require discipline, Biblical knowledge, and discernment.

Spiritual warfare for others is intercessory prayer, words of encouragement and strengthening, teaching, etc.

[angels4u]

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents (I believe disobedience is also witchcraft)therefore we have to wear our armor.

1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise-- 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."[1] 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Slaves and Masters

5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore 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 done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

[The Journey]

I agree absolutely with your post Journey, and I have started threads in the past around these very verses that you have presented because I don't believe we should be yelling at demons or performing exorcisms either.

But in reading through the above post, I believe that jesusislord has been emphasizing a disciplined, obedient walk with the Lord as a most important tool in 'spiritual warfare'.

His four points in summary at the end of the article were "A new attitude, greater focus, spiritual discipline, and Biblical worldview". 

The key is 'resisting' the enemy, which is best done by being rooted and estabished in the faith, and seeking to walking closely with the Lord through obedience and rightliving, which require discipline, Biblical knowledge, and discernment. 

Spiritual warfare for others is intercessory prayer, words of encouragement and strengthening, teaching, etc.

OneAccord,

I am sorta ashamed to admit it but I got involved with a deliverance ministry when I was a bit younger and wanted to cast out demons just like Bob Larsen on the radio. I wanted to live fast and quick with demons and angels everywhere like a Frank Peretti novel.

Well, I bought books, attended seminars, etc etc..but it really began to bother me. All the stuff that Mike Warnke and others were teaching about spiritual battle...was not in the Bible. Certainly it was based on things in the Bible but so much had just been filled in by the experiences of the demon chasers. We saw demons in everything. We did the "Jericho" on a Church once before a revival. We were routing demons and having visions and and and...well not. We had been deceived. We rode around clueless to the real battle much like Don Quiote chasing windmills. When you really reall really want to see the supernatural your brain will help out a lot. But its all the deception of prideful flesh.

So I got out and found that servanthood is where the real power is at.

Want Power? Grab a towel.

- Steve

PS Hmmm now lookign back can you believe how far Larsen and Warnke have fallen. I bet most don't even remember Mike Warnke...but his lies formed the foundation for what many still believe and teach today. Funny how many who believe they are actively fighting the deceiver....are themselves deceived. Hmmmm ponder that one a while.

[OneAccord]

Want Power? Grab a towel.

A big hearty amen on this one, Dr. Journey!

[Guest Sweet Song]

I have a question. We were at my family's Thanksgiving dinner and they were talking about the "ghosts in their houses" which they truly believe are ghosts. The "ghosts" are supposedly friendly. The young children evidentally see them. I am very uncomfortable with this because I believe that these "ghosts" are demons and by talking about them they are inviting demons into their households. I've tried expressing my views but they firmly believe in ghosts.

Can you give me any scriptures that would help me to give them? Or words of caution to them?

Thanks!

Peggy

[jesusislord]

Peggy, What I just searched out in the scriptures.. Shows nowhere that the ghost..., which in the Bible.. is the soul of aperson..... like in giving up the ghost. , EVER OPERATES THIS WAY.

So my only convlusion is if not of God , it is of the devil,,, the devil will decieve an many ways ... coming as an angel of light but the end there of is destruction.....

I do not go on demon chasing or witch hunts..... But we as Christians need to fast and pray and allow the Lord to show us how to handle these problems.

This I do know that ghost are a deception from the devil and need to be gotten rid of......

I know that many will not agree with me but prayer and fasting and allowing the HOLY SPIRIT TO GUIDE US WE CAN DEFEAT ALL FOES.

SO I would reccommend that you start fasting and praying for this family and pray that the Lord will reveal them the dangers of what is happening .. And show all of you how to handle this situation ......

i will put you and them on my prayer list.

may the LORD BLESS YOU AMEN

[The Journey]

jesusislord is exactly correct!!

A good place to go in the Bible is Deuteronomy 18:9-14. The Master is pretty clear about the occult and "ghosts".

"When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD. It is because the other nations have done these things that the LORD your God will drive them out ahead of you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The people you are about to displace consult with sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the LORD your God forbids you to do such things.

There are many things that the Lord has chosen not to tell us about the spiritual world. But He has clearly warned us not to have any part in ghosts or the occult.

What should your response to your family be? Well if they will listen I would share this passage from the Bible. "Ghosts" are demons. Demons who have the power to materialize into the physical world are very dangerous. Mainly they are the angels who would have been messengers to the Earth. Now they are messengers but only to spread deception. They are very skilled in the psychology of humans. They know how to scare and intimidate because they have been doing this for a long time. Humans are ill prepared to battle such ancient beings.

But as jesusislord has pointed out the Holy Spirit is within you and empowers you. A believer who knows the Truth is a formidable opponent for any fallen angel. Not that any human has any intrinsic power but you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are holy ground and my experience has been that most demons will leave an area be that a house or any "haunted" place when believers are around. They are there for deception and to be exposed would compromise the mission.

My only word of caution would be never to seek out an encounter with an angel. There are just some places and battle grounds that no wise warrior would ever venture into. I think jesusislord would agree with me here.

- Steve