Spiritual Warfare! Those two words can and do evoke all types of reactions. Typically, they are either “YIKES!” or “YEAH!” Mention that the messages for August will be on Spiritual Warfare (which they will be this month at The Way in Middleton) and people think either “YIKES! Let me outta here! I don’t want anything to do with the ‘demonic’ or such things.”
Or, you have those who start to pump their fists and yell “YEAH! About time. Hang on while I get my ‘spiritual bazooka’ and I’ll join ya!”
It is readily apparent that there is conflict all around us, and not just between nations or organizations. The enemy of our soul senses the time to do his best to hurt God is dwindling so he is going after the hearts and minds of men and women. As believers, we need to be wise about spiritual warfare. First, we must understand that it has two components, offensive and defensive.
1 Corinthians 10:4-5 gives us a battle plan: “The weapons of our warfare are not worldly but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.”
We are to demolish strongholds on offense. We are to take every thought captive to obey Christ Jesus on defense. The main battlefield has always been our thought life. Spiritual warfare is much, much more than just inserting the “name of Jesus” in commanding sentences.
It is meeting the enemy of our soul right where he wants to insert himself … in our thoughts, choices, and decisions, and drive him away. It is placing our souls and spirits in that wonderful refuge and fortress—God Almighty! It is recognizing the authority that has been given to us to be victorious over all the wiles of the enemy.
The Scriptures also describe the weapons used to win the battle. The first thing, however, is to recognize and acknowledge that we are in a battle!
