Warfare!
Thou therefore, my
son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…
Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man
that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a
soldier. 2 Timothy 2:1, 3-4
A person that is born again is suddenly born into a world of
intense spiritual conflict! The devil sets his army against that person in the
sinister hope of, “recovering” him back to the kingdom of darkness and destroying
the works of God performed in and through that person as well. The battle is on
and yet the wonderful truth is that the Christian is given power and weapons to
destroy the works of the enemy! Utter devotion to the Master and continued
vigilance, spiritual boldness, and faithful use of the armor that God supplies
to the Believer against the forces of Hell, will guarantee victory over the
enemy. According to the passage above, God calls the Christian a soldier in the
spirit realm.
Before we go any further, it is
imperative that three fundamental questions be answered truthfully:
- Are you aware that you are in fact in
a spiritual battle presently? If yes, then to what degree does it have an
impact on the way you live your Christian life?
- If you are aware that the Lord commands you
to be a good soldier in His spiritual army on earth, then would you be
willing to learn all you can about this most important mission and prepare
yourself to overcome the powers of darkness following the footsteps of the
Lord Jesus Christ and His faithful Apostles as found in the Holy
Scriptures?
- Would you be willing to part with all
the things that interfere with and weaken your resolve to be a faithful
soldier as mentioned above for Jesus’ sake and for your own soul’s sake
and for the sake of others’ souls so that you need not be ashamed when you
stand before Him on Judgment Day?
May God’s mercies be richly poured
out on those who sincerely answer in the affirmative to these vital questions!
The battle is fought in the heavenlies by the mightiest
angels of God against the devil and
his evil angels (demons). It
is also fought in the earthly realm by believers in
Jesus Christ by the Blood of
the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. It is an
invisible, but nonetheless
real warfare. Please take note of the fierce nature of the battle
as outlined in the final
book of the Holy Bible. Especially, take heed to the urgent need
for spiritual vigilance and
perseverance on our part against the devil who will seek to
destroy us with more wrath
and determination than ever before because he knows that his
time is short:
And there was war in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels,
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon
was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out
with him.
And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved
not their lives unto the death.
Therefore rejoice, ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of
the sea! for the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Revelation 12:7-12
In order to fight wholeheartedly
and wisely as member of the Lord’s army, one needs to know what a spiritual
soldier is and does.
Looking at the basic definition of
what a soldier is will help us begin in our quest to understand the true nature
of our spiritual warfare and on how we can be victorious.
A soldier
is a person who is separated from the mainstream society and civilian life in
order that he may carry out a singular mission. That mission is to fight the
enemy and be victorious. A soldier who does not fight or does not fight to
conquer the enemy is a contradiction. He has engaged himself in battle and his
full attention on the battlefield is given to overcoming the enemy. Having put
all the things that have to do with a normal, civilian life out of his mind and
life, he aims at pleasing his commander. All of his energies: his mental and
physical powers are devoted to accomplishing that one thing, which is to defeat
the enemy. Nothing else competes with that goal. It’s an absolute commitment. A
do or die situation. If he puts himself in the fray and has a divided or
cowardly heart, then he will not fare well. His focus and resolve will become
confused and lost. He will lose his life and the cause for which he fights.
In our fight
against sin and Satan, we are guaranteed the victory if we abide by the orders
of the Divine Captain.
And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he
strive lawfully.
2 Timothy 2:5
The
battle plan, including the duties of the soldier and the rules governing him is
laid out in the Word of God, which is the Bible. As a good soldier of Christ, I
will take every promise, every warning, and every battle strategy to heart and
carry out my mission to a successful completion by His grace. Since my life
depends on it, I need to be well-versed in it and abide by its dictates. That’s
what a good soldier does. He takes the words of his Commander not as optional,
but as dictates. He is cheerfully obedient and faithful to the Lord and His
righteous cause.
As a good soldier of the Lord Jesus
Christ, I will care nothing for feelings. Circumstance, convenience and comfort
are not considerations at all. It may be dangerous, frightening, cold, hot,
painful, or even monotonous but I am encouraged and commanded to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!
My love for Him is revealed only when I do things in obedience to His Will,
even the “difficult” things.
Only
the Lord’s righteous commandment matters. The good soldier’s ultimate and total
satisfaction is gained in carrying out His Master’s Will. The Lord gives the
command, he obeys. The Lord gives the order, he goes. If I truly love the
Righteous Lord Who loves righteousness, then I will train my heart, mind, and
body to obey what the Holy Spirit commands.
As you
read the many verses given below detailing our intense warfare, it is important
to remember that the mind is the main
arena for the battle and so the thoughts we think are to be continually
directed toward the things that are true,
honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things. Phillipians 4:8
Please take a few minutes now to read slowly and carefully (noting
especially the words in bold) the following verses from the Holy Bible which illustrate
the nature of this war and how we are to fight courageously and victoriously:
For though we walk in
the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strongholds;)
Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ... 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
Then said he unto me,
Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to
understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I
am come for thy words.
But the prince of the
He that committeth sin
is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy
the works of the devil.
1John 3:8
How God anointed Jesus
of
And, behold, there was a
woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together,
and could in no wise lift up herself.
And when Jesus
saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her,
Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she
was made straight, and glorified God. Luke 13:11-13
And he arose out of the
synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken
with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left
her: and immediately she arose and
ministered unto them Luke 4:38-39
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14
And they went out, and preached
that men should repent.
And they cast out many
devils, and anointed with oil many
that were sick, and healed them.
Mark 6:12-13
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take
up serpents; and
if they drink
any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark
16:17-18
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all
devils, and to cure diseases.
And he sent them to preach the
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Luke
10:17
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward
who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and
set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come:
And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to
be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Ephesians 1:19-23
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:6
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of
his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the
whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able
to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God:
Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians
6:10-18
In order to wage a successful warfare and “realize” the victory
obtained for us on the cross by Jesus Christ, we must have zero tolerance towards
sin and the wiles of Satan. It means:
- Putting to death the deeds of the body
i.e., immorality and evil passions
For if ye live after the flesh,
ye shall die: but if ye through the
Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Romans 8:13
Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness,
which
is idolatry: Colossians 3:5
- Submitting ourselves to God and resisting
the devil:
a)
Trembling at God’s Word enough to obey it at all costs,
praising His Name, doing everything to glorify Him (including eating and
drinking) and praying in the Holy Ghost.
For all those things hath mine hand made, and all
those things
have
been, saith the LORD: but to this man
will I look, even to him that is
poor
and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. Isaiah 66:2
But
be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own
selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like
unto a
man
beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and
goeth
his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But
whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein,
he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be
blessed
in his deed. James 1:22-25
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do
all
to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
But
ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying
in
the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the
mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Judges 1:20-21
b)
Binding the devil and commanding him to leave when he seeks
to assault us or loved ones in any way and declaring him to be powerless
against the, “Greater” Holy Spirit Who dwells in us.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils … Mark 16:17 a,b
No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except
he
will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
Mark
3:27
c)
Being aware of and resisting his evil schemes carried out by
unclean demonic spirits that meddle with the Word of God, circumstances, people,
and our minds so that he may deceive us by:
- twisting the Holy Doctrines of the Lord in the Word
- ensnaring,
provoking and tempting us by flattery
- ensnaring,
provoking and tempting us by threats and afflictions
- ensnaring,
provoking and tempting us by lies, worries, and
strange dreams, sensations, or feelings
in order that these subtle attacks may cause
us to seek the deadly
pleasures of sin and the temporal gain of this world, act and live
selfishly and proudly. That these evil strategies may cause us to opt to
save our lives instead of losing it for Jesus’ sake and gaining
Eternal
Life and pleasures forever more.
That we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; Ephesians 4:14
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils; 1Timothy 4:1
A man that flattereth his neighbor spreadeth a net for his feet. Proverbs 29:5
And Satan answered the LORD,
and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
But put forth thine hand
now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
And the LORD said unto
Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand;
but save his life.
So went Satan forth from the
presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot
unto his crown. Job 2:4- 7
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil
shall cast some of you into
prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Revelation 2:10
Now the serpent was more
subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said
unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden?
And the woman said unto the
serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
But of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the
garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest
ye die.
And the serpent said unto
the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Genesis
3:1-4
He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44 b,c
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time
your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so
that day come upon you unawares. Luke 21:34
d)
Fighting (by prayer, fasting, exercising faith and authority
in Jesus’ Name) against demons in Jesus’ Name that seek to hinder the salvation
of souls, for healing and other benefits God has intended for His children as
He leads us by the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the
child was cured from that very hour.
Then came the disciples to
Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of
your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew
17:18-21
Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have
give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of
And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said
to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.
And he came out the same hour. Acts
16:18
Dear Soldier of
Jesus Christ, in your current situation please ask yourself the following
questions:
1. What is the right thing to do according to the
commandment of the Lord?
2. Is what I am required to do at the moment hard? If so, then based on what I have read
so far, what steps do I need to take so that my
spirit, soul, and body conform and
yield to the commandment of God in my
particular situation?
3. Is there anything that the Holy Spirit may bring to my mind
that requires immediate
obedience? What is the right thing to do right now according to all the light which my
Gracious Lord has given me?
Be sure to always remember the promises of God:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
And
…I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5
The great, imperishable and eternal reward awaits the good
soldier of Jesus Christ:
I have fought a good fight, I
have finished my course, I have
kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall
give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Blessed is the man
that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love Him. James 1:12
Finally, the exhortation:
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be
strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Revelation 3:11
We should also recognize that continued obedience will make
living a righteous life easier as we grow in Christ-likeness. The strong
determination to do only what
my Father says and to reject the voices of the devil, the world, and the flesh
is something that must be cultivated. How is this done?
We work hard in the world to make a living and devote our
energy to raising a family, keeping a home, etc. After one is saved, one may
not watch television or other corrupt programming which seeks to destroy one’s
spirit, soul, and body but one must not be idle either.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is
to come. 1Timothy 4:8
The spiritual exercise of godliness
in all of our thinking and actions will build our spiritual muscles and
strengthen us against the enemy.
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your
flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness. Romans 6:19
Please note that the same devotion,
interest, and energy we use to spend on idle pleasures and foolish thinking and
talk must now be used for growing in grace by eating the Word daily and practice what is read, going from
spiritual milk to the spiritual meat. If you do not have such an interest in
the things of God and truly look forward to reading the Word and praying to the
Father in secret as much as possible throughout the day, then you are a retreating
soldier on a sure path to defeat!
Rather, take the energy once used for
sin and foolish waste of time to worship God and serve Him in private devotion
and public shining of the light by good works for His Glory alone.
Remember as the verse at the beginning
of the article and highlighted here at the end declares, we cannot be proud to
confess that we are Christians and sit down on the couch of complacency
watching TBN, CBN, GOD TV, Rainbow TV, HOLY GOD TV, etc. and fool ourselves
that we are growing in grace. We must not simply be smug and think that finding
a, “good” church and being involved in a youth group or carol singing group
etc. is the solution. We must reject status quo socialization and entertainment
and engage militantly in the true warfare over our soul and the souls of our
loved ones. It takes godliness and vigilance to accomplish that. We must go
into our prayer closet, shut the door and pray to the Father to discover why He
saved us and what He wants us to do. Daniel, Elijah, and Paul among other
victorious soldiers of Christ did just that and so must we if we are going to
survive, defeat sin and receive the crown from the Blessed Hands of Jesus!
It is because we have this evil, rebellious force working
contrary to what God commands, that we must be strong, vigilant,
and sober in our daily fight.
May the Lord give wisdom and strength in the inner man to all
who read this so as to obtain the victory over sin and devils in Jesus’ Name!
Amen.
Thou
therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus…
Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who
hath chosen him to be a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:1, 3-4