We always think of this as spiritual warfare. Yet is seems spiritual warfare is not about going to battle but about obedience. This was the gist of my lesson on Sunday but there seems to be so much more to say (or maybe more I should have said).
We always think of the book of Ephesians when speaking of spiritual warfare. Chapter six is the "whole armor of God" section. Are we called to go to war? Interesting enough the word 'war' isn't used in the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:10-11
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
It seems we are called to be prepared for war. We are to put on this armor and the armor seems to imply we are going to war. Are we prepared?
1 Peter 5:8
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Satan is the god of this world and his primary weapon is deceit. How are we to be strong in the Lord in his mighty power? The Greek implies this is given as a command and to be done continually. We are to put on the whole armor. There is urgency in this command and we are not put just part of it on. We are no match for Satan by our self, in our strength. Satan is scheming against us.
Ephesians 6:12-13
12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Our struggle is against Satan and his minions. These principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness are ranks of fallen angels. Our struggle is against them in the heavenly realms. The only way we can withstand the attacks of these demons when the evil day comes is to be able to take a stand with the full armor of God. If we are a believer, we are in this warfare without choice. Do we have an area of vulnerability? See 2 Kings 6:15-17 for a glimpse of reality. See Daniel 10:12-21 to see an angel (Michael?) fighting the power behind the empires.
Ephesians 6:14
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
We are to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waist. Pilate said, "What is truth?" It is our most precious commodity. Without truth we are shaken in our hope, our faith, and our trust. With all the information coming at us, how much do we really know is the truth? Of the Roman soldier, the armor and weapons all were supported by the belt. The belt was fit before battle, always. Truth is where the word and the deed become one. We serve the God of truth. Jesus is the ultimate truth. He is the truth. We serve a God who makes promises and keeps them.
We are to have the breastplate of righteousness in place. Our most important stewardship is our heart. Where is our heart? Do we guard it? The breastplate was to secure the vitals. Piercing the breastplate led to death. Do we have personal integrity? Do we guard ourselves from corruption? Is there a line we won't cross? Are we committed to anything? Our righteousness is useless; the righteousness imputed to us from Christ Jesus will protect us.
Ephesians 6:15
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
We are to have our feet fit with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. If you are going into battle you must have good footing. Foundation is key. Note this is not just the gospel of peace but the readiness that comes from it.
Ephesians 6:16
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
We are then to take up the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. The shield was primary protection, the breastplate was secondary protection. The Roman shield was 4 ft high and 2.5 ft wide. The integrity of the shield was important. Before going into battle you checked your shield and after every battle you checked your shield. How do we do this with our faith? Get answers, be diligent to get the answers to your faith questions? The Romans had what was called the tortoise formation with 27 men became a protective shell that was an offensive weapon - there was an example of this in the Gladiator movie. We stand alone with our shield of faith, but what if we joined with other believers?
Ephesians 6:17
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
We are then to take the helmet of salvation. The victory is ours. We must know our salvation is sure. No matter how each battle goes we should stand strong and true knowing that we win the war for Christ overcame death already. Our salvation is fixed, true and victorious. See Romans 8:28 to remember that "we know".
Then we are to use the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The Roman sword reinvented the sword. It was sharp on both edges, cutting both ways. Its specialty was close quarters fighting. But without special training and practice you would be in trouble.
Ephesians 6:18
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-
Our heavy artillery in this battle is to pray in the Spirit. We are to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Our prayers can affect spiritual warfare on the other side of the world. Do we use it enough?
We are called to be prepared with our armor in place. We should be able to take a stand, be shielded and guard ourselves from the attacks of the enemy. By our faith, the attacks against us have no affect. We are to use the word of God as our weapon while praying in the Spirit and being watchful to the end.
2 Corinthians 10
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Here we see the word warfare as it refers to our weapons. We need these weapons daily to hold our ground; to stand as a Christian in a dark and dying world. However, we also are being sanctified in Christ. The Holy Spirit will show us the things in our life that need cleaned up. We tend to refer to these as battles and wars because they are difficult and painful. We tend to want to fight them on our terms. It would be like Joshua ignoring the instruction from the Lord and leading his 600,000 men in a full out charge against 30 foot tall walls. The fortress was impenetrable. The Lord granted the victory by bringing down the walls.
We use this 'war' and 'battle' terminology frequently. In doing so, we have to be cautious about claiming any victory or winning any battle. Joshua had to act in obedience in marching around the city as instructed. By doing this, it was abundantly clear that the victory was the Lord's. No flesh could glory in His presence. We must be diligent in giving God the glory for every victory.
Put on your armor, be prepared to fight, pray you don't have to. Know your salvation is true, plant your feet and hold your ground and be prepared. Sharpen your sword and know how to use it. Oil your shield so you can protect yourself. Be a diligent watchman, wait on the Lord and be obedient when He says move, march or jump.
When David was delivered from the hands of his enemies he wrote this:
2 Samuel 22:2b-4
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Just Thinking
Doug
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