On Spiritual Warfare

One of the topics that comes up in our community
is the subject of spiritual warfare.
It is very clear 
when you walk into the world of the arts
that there is a spiritual battle going on
for the cultures of the world.

So for the next three weeks I am going to talk about 
spiritual warfare.
This week will be a foundation,
next week will be about the nature of witchcraft,
and the last week will be on blessing and cursing.

Usually, when we talk about spiritual warfare,
most folks begin with Ephesians 6, beginning in the tenth verse.

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 wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench 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. Pray 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, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,

I'm going to start at the end of this passage 
and tell you how we fight spiritual war:
1. Prayer: We pray in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication.
2. We keep alert with perseverance.
3. We pray for all Christians.
4. We proclaim the gospel.

Ultimately, I would say prayer and spreading the gospel are the two most powerful weapons of spiritual warfare.  

So back to the beginning of the paragraph.
Paul tells the Ephesians that the resistance they experience
and difficulties
they are encountering are not flesh and blood.
Paul says that our warfare is against an unseen realm.
Like Jesus in Luke,
Paul describes an organized kingdom,
And this kingdom is made up of 
rulers,
authorities,
cosmic powers of this current dark age,
and 
spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.

And then Paul tells us to put on the armor of God.
We need protection.

So the first principle of spiritual warfare,
is to have a Biblical understanding of the universe.
The prayer team has seen this diagram before:
in the center of the picture is the earth.
After the fall,
humanity came under the dominion of 
spiritual forces in opposition to God.
These forces live in a place that many call
the "second heaven."
This is the unseen dimension
of the spiritual world. 
I won't go through an exhaustive study,
but this realm 
is the realm of the demons and unclean spirits,
the souls of the dead,
and spiritual forces that are somewhat mysterious.
This is also the realm that Paul is referring to in Ephesians.
The Bible strictly forbids
engaging with this realm
in large part because you do not know what you are going to get.
As Michael Heiser said
when you engage with this spiritual realm
you are dealing with beings older and smarter than you.
It can create a heap of trouble.

Then beyond the "second heaven" realm
is the "Third Heaven."
This realm is the Kingdom of God,
and it is mysterious as well.
This is where the Lord Jesus ascended,
and where the souls of redeemed humanity dwell.
And this is also the angelic realm.

Paul stresses throughout his writings,
but most clearly in Colossians
that Jesus Christ is supreme over the unseen realm.
When Jesus died on the Cross and rose again,
he overcame the kingdoms of the second heaven.
And when we come to Christ,
we are seated with him
above the second heaven.
As it says in Colossians 3,
"If then you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above,
where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on the earth.
For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

The most important thing you need to remember
in spiritual warfare
is your identity in Christ.
Jesus lives in you.
Jesus has redeemed you.
You are seated with him in heavenly places.
You are part of the family of God.

So one of the things we have to contend with
when we talk about spiritual warfare,
is lies.
Lies and deception are the primary weapons 
in the arsenal of our enemies.
So Paul tells us in Ephesians
we need the full armor of God.
And this armor is interesting.
We put on a helmet of salvation.
So your head is protected by the saving work of Jesus.
This is identity.

Paul says you need a breastplate of righteousness.
And of course,
we are not righteous,
so we need to put on the righteousness of Jesus.
The belt of truth.
Your tender parts are protected with Truth.
First Jesus, who is the truth,
and then the truth of Scripture and true teaching.
Your feet have to wear shoes of preparedness
of the gospel of peace.
Your feet need to be taking you places to share the gospel.
You need to be prepared in all times and all places.
We are called to be on the offensive,
not the defense in this war.
We need the Sword of the Spirit.
The sword of the spirit is the knowledge of the Bible,
but also the living word of God.
The sword of the spirit is that practice of listening to the Lord
and doing what he tells you.
And finally,
the shield of faith.
Faith is your protection.
You have to have faith in God
and all his word.
Lies and deception will undermine your faith.
And faith, when you act in it,
and speak out in it,
will extinguish the lies of the devil.

Again,
our powerful weapons
in the kingdom concerning spiritual warfare
are very simple.

1. Prayer: We prayer in the Spirit at all times with all prayer and supplication.
Consistent prayer.  
This is one of the reasons why we pray every weekday together in tongues.  We do not know how to pray, but God does.  It is amazing how this fifteen minute prayer meeting has come under attack many times.  It is very powerful.

2. We keep alert with perseverance.
Keep alert.  Pay attention to the world and things around you.  And with alertness comes the refusal to give up and to keep going no matter the circumstances.  If you have a word from God, you have to stick to it until it is fulfilled.

3. We pray for all Christians.  We pray for our brothers and sisters.  We are one body, and we have to pray for one another.  I cannot tell you how many times I have received an email from a stranger who was moved to pray for me and Belonging House.  God will often bring us support and protection in a way that outsmarts our adversaries.

4. We proclaim the gospel.   Graham Cooke once said that Satan is not looking for victims, he is looking for allies.   One of the most important things we can do in spiritual warfare is go into all the world and make disciples.  This is snatching people out of the enemy kingdom, and bringing them into the Kingdom of God.  And this is probably the greatest form of spiritual warfare.