Do you know what Spiritual Warfare is all about? Most Christians do not!
Satan's role is to take and steal, and God's role is for us to build and grow. Satan doesn't want us to have what he has freely given up himself and cannot have back such as intimacy with God, ever abundant love, triumphant life, goodness, and purpose with relationships that glorify Christ. Satan wants all the glory for himself.
It is not we who overcome the world in our own strength. We do not have a power plant inside ourselves that can overcome the world. The overcoming is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we have already seen. There can be a victory, a practical victory, if we raise the empty hands of faith moment by moment and accept the gift. "This is the victory that overcometh the world. God has promised, and the Bible has said, that there is a way to escape temptation. By God's grace we should want that escape.- Francis Schaeffer
Beware! Satan and his agents thereof seek to destroy and manipulate us. Spiritual Warfare is about Satan and his minion seeking to take what is God's. He wants God's chosen to be seduced to put their trust in him so their eyes are not on God or His ways. The devil wants his arrogance and pride to be contagious and be fuel for us, and for future Christians.
Take heart! The battle has been won, Satan score is zero; for God, the score is countless. The devil may have his anger and his bag of tricks, but He can't have those who are in Christ!
Do you know what Spiritual Warfare is all about? Some Christians spend all their energies on this subject while others do not even know that they are to be on guard against Satan and his demons.
Satan the Roaring Lion! We cannot ignore Satan and spiritual warfare, nor can we turn a blind eye to his characteristics and schemes.
The Devil's Lies! Satan has several ways in which he lies, tricks and deceives, and what is great about this for us is he does not change his game plan.
We are already Triumphant in Christ! What can Satan and his war on Christ and His followers do to me? He can do to you only what God will allow for His glory.
Have you ever been hammered by Satan and/or temptations? Satan is real and he is powerful. Satan is our enemy, but we have access to an immensely far, far greater power.
How did Jesus respond to Satan and Spiritual Warfare? Immediately following His baptism by John and just before the start of His public ministry, Jesus was hammered and challenged by face-to-face!
Christians can stand against Satan by being in Christ. God gives us all of the armor we need to defend ourselves. So, we are to trust Him and use Him and His gifts and tools!
More Good News on Spiritual Warfare! The knowledge of who we are in Christ will be the driving force of how we are with others...
"Evil!" When this word is proclaimed, images come to mind of Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, a sadistic serial killer, or the mother who murders her own children. Perhaps Rwanda, Bosnia, the Killing Fields, concentration camps, gang violence, rape, heinous abuse, and murder are all images of evil. There is little dispute that such actions are evil; but, have you considered that evil can also be anything that goes against God? We may not think of ourselves as evil; perhaps sinners, moreover...
Have you ever wondered what we are being saved from? This is not a pleasant, happy subject, but, nonetheless, it is extremely important for those whose call it is to help save the lost. We are saved, by Christ, from God's wrath and an eternity in Hell! But, what is Hell?
Real spiritual warfare has more to do with the battle of the will. Rarely will we see the fire and brimstone that we expect; rather, we see what we want to see. Our will is the prime motivator; our needs are motivators and our desires are agendas. God's precepts are there, perhaps even known to us, but they go unheeded, unapplied, and/or unused. God's desire is for us to be formed in Jesus Christ, and in Him as Lord. Satan wants us to be centered on anything but that; he wants us disobedient and distorted to the things of God, and God wants us surrendered and dependant with faith upon Him. This is the battle of real "Spiritual Warfare," where the line is drawn, where what we choose will determine whether we serve Satan or Christ. There is no in-between, no middle ground, and no other choice for us to undertake.
