Spiritual Warfare – Part 1

The first objective of this is personal, I want to demystify to myself and structure my thoughts around this topic of
spiritual warfare, because sometimes I find myself a bit confused or ill equipped when people start spinning weird
stories about demons, about being attacked, about warring in the spiritual, about possession, about witches, evil eyes
etc.; so this is for me first, then for anyone else who is just curious about this.

A lot of what I will be putting down here is borrowed (“lifted”) from 1985 Bible exposition by John Macarthur titled
“Fighting the Noble War”. And “The believers warfare”

What is War?

The word “war”, strateia means “an expedition, campaign, military service”, implying that this is not a battle, a one-off
affair, this is something that’s drawn out, a long-term continuous campaign.

Spiritual war hence is a cosmic war, not in the flesh, physical or earthly.

What is this war all about?

The primary level of this war is the conflict between God and Satan.

It’s a war of the Lord God Jehovah and His truth against Satan and his lies. It is a war between God and His Will and
Satan and his will.

Who is in this war?

This war is not only fought between God and Satan but between demons and holy angels and between ungodly men
and godly men so that this cosmic warfare at the level of God and the highest creature He ever made, Lucifer, filters all
the way down to involve every human being – including us.

How did this war start?

In Lucifer the son of the dawn, iniquity was found;

Ezekiel 28:12-15 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God;
Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious
stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day
that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from
the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

And the iniquity found in him was this;

Isaiah 14:13-14 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High.

Ezekiel 28: 2b Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the
seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God

Ezekiel 28:17…Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness

This war started because Lucifer was puffed up with pride. He felt so privileged by his position, his glory, his wisdom,
that he thought he could be like God.

And for this reason;

Ezekiel 28:16b …therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering
cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Then in Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

In Lucifer was found iniquity, he was cast out and he wasn’t alone, as he campaigned against God and with him one
third of the angelic host was cast down with him to earth (“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
did cast them to the earth” Rev 12:4);

Revelation 12:9 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 now he is here on earth and he is not alone. He has his demons.

He is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), he is called the adversary (1 Peter 5:8-9). He is called Beelzebub,
Belial. He is called the deceiver of the whole world, the great dragon, the enemy, the evil one, the father of lies (John
8:43-45), the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), a liar, a murderer, the prince of the power of the air(Eph 2:2), the ruler of
this world, the ancient serpent, and the tempter (Matt. 4:3). And he is set against God.

What is Satan’s agenda?

Satan hates Jesus.

From the start, he has been antagonistic towards Christ;

Rev 12: 4b - 5 …and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon
as it was born. And she (Israel) brought forth a man child (Jesus), who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.

He tried to kill the babies in the New Testament time when Christ was born through Herod. He tried to kill Jesus Christ
by having Him shoved off a cliff. He tried to get Christ to fall to temptation and forfeit His kingdom and do
unrighteousness. He tried to kill Christ in the garden. He tried to kill Him on the cross. He tried to keep Him in the
grave.

How long is this war?

The dragon fights against the Messiah. Satan is against God, focusing on the destruction of Christ and His work, and
now he continues to fight against the work of Christ in His church. There was war in the past, there was and there is
war in heaven (Rev 12:7) right now. He will fight against Christ when He comes in His return. He will go on and on until
finally he is bound forever in the pit of hell, the Lake of Fire.

Where is this war happening?

This war is happening everywhere, in heaven (Jude 9 – Satan and Angel Michael fighting) here on earth and in the
present. It is happening between holy angels and demons. And Satan is after “The people who keep the
commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”- Rev 12:17

What are Satan’s tactics?

Deceptions and Lies. Hiding and attacking the Truth.

First, he wants to keep people in the dark, to prevent them from knowing Christ by blinding their minds (their
understanding);
2 Cor. 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them.

He blinds the minds of people, and the ungodly who are blinded are blinded by Satan. They are blinded by his hosts,
and he draws those blinds over their eyes in many, many ways.

He blinds them through ignorance. He blinds them through unbelief. He blinds them through the bad testimony of
those who call themselves Christians. He blinds them with lies and false religion. He blinds them with a love of sin. He
blinds them with fleshly gratification which seems to satisfy.

Next, Satan wants to destroy Christians;

When people believe and receive Christ, he comes back like a roaring lion and he wants to disintegrate those people, to
tear them to shreds, to destroy their confidence, to destroy their usefulness, to destroy their trust in God.

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

Satan went before God as he always does (Job 1:6), as an accuser of the brethren and as our enemy, seeking to destroy
Peter.

And to this attack, Peter urges in 1 Peter 5:8 8 “Be sober” – know your priorities, get your life ordered – “be vigilant” –
have your eyes opened, be aware – “because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he
may devour.” He’s after you. Satan wants to take bites out of you. He wants to devour you into sin.

He has designed false religious systems, perpetuated by individuals teaching false and erroneous doctrines.

2 Cor 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no
marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Another tactic he uses is to attack marriages, this is the one-unit God had designed to pass righteousness from one
generation to another. Malachi 2:15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one?
That he might seek a godly seed.

The devil is breaking up marriages;

1 Cor 7:3-5 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise, also the wife unto the husband….
Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and
come together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your drawing apart, your incontinency.

Am I part of this war?

Yes. I am a soldier in the war.

Satan is attacking the church, he wants to attack the work of God because he hates God. You might be saying, “Well, I
don’t even see a battle.” That’s because you went AWOL. This war has filtered down to us. We are in it too.

This war is not reserved to some “special” Christians. When you confessed Jesus as Lord of your life, you were
automatically conscripted into Christ’s service, and into this war.

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Thou therefore 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.

If you are truly on Christ’s side, expect to suffer hardship, expect to be cut off from the affairs of this world and this life.
expect to do what you must for the sake of the One who called us to be a soldiers.
Satan does not specifically hate you, he hates God. And the war has filtered down to us because he wants to thwart the
work of God. We are simply instruments that he can use to get at God.

When you fail to be what God would have you to be, you become a tool by which Satan strikes a blow at God. When
you and I live as we ought to be, we defend God against that attack.

So we are in a warfare, and he seeks to blind, but those who come to sight, he will seek to devour and destroy and
disintegrate and ruin their usefulness and shred their lives so that losing their confidence and trust, they become of little
help in the battle, and then he will attack. Invariably he will attack the family.

What are marks of victory?

1 Cor. 10:3-6, 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 strong holds;). 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;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Herein then lies the nature of this war, “We do not war after the flesh”, and the weapons of our warfare are not fleshy
but “they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”

We can topple the kingdoms of Satan. We can cast down his imaginations. Every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God can be torn down. We can “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

What are our Weapons?

To wage this war, you do not need fancy mystical formulas, the weapons of our warfare are not human intellect, human
prowess, human ability, human skill, human ingenuity.

The weapon of our warfare is the Word of God. When you put on the armor of God, you start with the belt of
truthfulness, a commitment to fight on the basis of God’s revealed truth. You put on the breastplate of righteousness,
which is His revealed righteousness. Your feet are shod with the gospel of the preparation of peace revealed in His
Word. Your helmet is the helmet of the hope of eternal salvation, and your sword is the Word of God.

When you go against imaginations, strongly held convictions, understandings which are contrary to the knowledge of
God, there’s only one weapon that can prevail… the Word of God.

Verse 6 of 1 Cor 10:3-6 concludes with …. “when your obedience is fulfilled”

You win this war by making a commitment to be obedient to the word of God. You are victorious in your various battles
by being obedient.

This is well captured in the closing of Matthews gospel.

Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world.

Amen.
The Noble War

1 Tim 1:18 18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that
thou by them mightest war a noble warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away
concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that
they may learn not to blaspheme.

What is a “noble” war? What is fighting the “good fight”?

Paul charges Timothy to fight in the frontlines; to confront the false pastors, false elders, false leaders, false teachers in
the church at Ephesus and surrounding areas by confronting both their doctrine and their ungodly practice.

As earlier indicated, deceptions and lies are the tactics used by the devil to attack the church. Paul having mentored and
taught Timothy, knew that he would not be a victim of heresy or error. He was strong enough, mature enough to know
the satanic lie, the satanic deception, to nail it, to aim at it, to hit the target, and to be of use to God in dealing with it.
So, he is the man that God calls through the expression of the will of the Holy Spirit through Paul to this particular part
of the battle.

This is then is the noble war: “the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God”, exposing heresy and error. The aim of which is to “bring into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

In so doing “pull them out of the fire” and that “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them.”

The attacks

In false doctrines and teachings, Satan attacks Christ

It is consistent with false teachers, false elders, false pastors, false prophets and apostates that they attack the person,
the work, and the preaching and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will do that because they are energized by
Satan, and Satan’s attack is against God and His Christ, and so it comes in the mouth of false teachers. They are not just
well-meaning souls who have slipped a little in their understanding; they are agents of Satan.

The Duty

2 Timothy 4:6 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at
his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
long suffering and doctrine.

Therefore, the call to a faithful soldier is a call to understand the responsibility and accountability to the church through
which we were commanded, commissioned, and confirmed, and the responsibility to the Lord by whom we are called to
serve Him with the truth and purity of life.

How then do you serve Him with the truth and purity in life?

Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour 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 armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand.

a) Prepare:
Depend on the strength of God. Recognize that in the Lord the power is available. We are in Christ. We are one with
him. His life is our life. His power is our power. His truth is our truth. We are one with Christ in him and so it is in Christ
that we are strong. It is in Christ that His might becomes our might.

2 Tim. 2:1 “Be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ”, Know that - Phil. 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who’s
strength in me”

The devil is vanquished - Heb 2:14 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”

Ephesians 1:18-19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of
his mighty power,

We have Mighty power. The Power that raised Christ from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenlies
far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but in
that which is to come. The power that conquered death on the cross. The power that conquered death in the grave.
The power that exalted Christ to the right hand and set every angel and demon in the universe under his feet

Now therefore, God has given us “strength”, “power”. That’s the power toward us so that I say to you that every
believer has a resource within him with which he or she can deal with Satan no matter what onslaughts the devil may
bring but on conditions. One that his strength is in the Lord, not himself.

Colossians 1:10-11 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and
longsuffering with joyfulness;

And when you encounter the onslaught of Satan, remember 2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and
ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by
reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s

b) The Armor:

Ephesians 6:13-17 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour 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:”

If you want to win in the Christian life get the armor on, get your life right because it’s going to be a battle till the day
you die.

c) The enemy

Of the devil we are told resist him and he’ll flee. Stand firm. Hold our ground.

We are not asked to attack him. Involvement in the occult always produces faulty conclusions because man as a fallen
creature does not have the necessary equipment or ability to sort out demonic matters. Turn to Jesus, is all you need to
do. Get the armor on.

d) The battle

You can get so wrapped up in your own little life and its issues that you forget what a warfare is going on, and you forget
there are literally millions of souls around the world who are in the grasp of Satan. And you forget the things Satan is
doing so subtly to just debilitate you by what may be the greatest attack of Satan – lethargy, indolence, indifference,
stagnation.
This is the battle; the souls of men and your own faith.

Satan is gaining the victory in our lives because of our indifference and our lethargy. dLook at your life. Where do you
invest your time? Where do you invest your money? Where do you invest your talent? Where do you invest your
energy? If it's all in the things that are passing and mundane, then you don't understand the warfare at all.

You don’t know if there’s a battle or not.

We need to do what we have to do. This is the battle. You can't just let the war pass in front of you without ever
fighting it. Don’t let the enemy drop somebody right in your lap and you do not do anything about it.

This is war, and every child of God is a soldier, and we've all been drafted and you can't dodge the draft and there are no
deferments. This is war.

And if you don't know that there is a war, you just lost the battle.

The saddest thing, would be for us to think that we have arrived – to just get smug, to just sit here and say, “Well, you
know, we've got it all now. We know everything, got a full thing going here. Isn't it all wonderful? We're all here, and
everything is fine.” All of a sudden, we forget that there is a whole world out there that’s lost.

That’s the battle brethren.

Ephesians 6: 12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood...” Man is not our enemy. Don’t hate men. Jesus hated
sin and loved sinners because the sinner was not really the one. It was what was behind the sinner. That's the reason
Jesus would weep over sinners. He wept for sinners because they were duped.

You see, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not lest the glory light of the gospel should
shine unto them.” The thing you should feel about sinners is pity – a loving, sympathetic, gracious, merciful pity
because they are the dupes of Satan. If you're going to hate, then hate Satan and his forces. He’s the enemy.

e) The Victory

The strength is God's, and the might is God's, and the power is God's. It's a question of availability and appropriation.
Without putting on the armor, without exercising the power of God, there’s no victory. Satan is simply winning.

And you know, it's so stupid for a Christian to live his life in a listless manner. It’s so silly to fill yourself up with the
things of the world, to just move along at a snail's pace when all the power of God, the God of the universe, is available.
God is our strength, but that strength can only be appropriated in obedience.

In obedience is the victory.

Finally,

Finally, brethren, Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Our foe is strong, he is backed up by zillions of demons, his agenda is clear, he is organized and he is determined, we
cannot see him, and when he submit to his lies, when we do not put on the armor, he scores one against God and gloats
over us when we fall.

So let’s keep each other in prayer, that we might keep the armor and walk in obedience, loving man and hating the
devil.

God Bless.

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