Preparing for Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare • Sermon • Submitted
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4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
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.
We are starting our series on Spiritual Warfare.
We are starting our series on Spiritual Warfare.
Question is why is it important that we study about spiritual warfare?
Spiritual warfare is a most neglected area of study in Christianity nowadays.
Many Christians think that spiritual warfare is confined to casting out demons out of people
Illustration of Spiritual Warfare and Strongholds.
Image of the an exorcism here.
If your understanding of spiritual warfare is exorcism, you would dismiss spiritual warfare as an extreme case of demonic possession left only to the experts who can cast these demons out.
Some of you may have also thought of this not being an immediate concern to you or the people you love.
Remember that the Devil is a very subtle foe. He does not need to show himself visibly and prove his existence and his power.
In fact, part of his strategy is for him not to be noticed at all or even for people in the world to believe that he does not even exist.
Two simple facts:
Your enemy is real.
He is already waging a war against us.
Your enemy is real.
Satan is a skillful and a deceitful enemy and he has been around the block.
The book of Revelation calls him the ancient serpent.
2. He is waging a war against us.
Second misconception is that:
“I do not have to worry against spiritual warfare as long as I do not enlist in God’s army”.
I will not be subject to attack if I just stay in the sidelines.
News flash:
SATAN HATES YOU anyway.
Listen to this, Satan hates mankind. He wants to destroy you because we have been created in the image of God.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis
For that reason alone the Devil already hates you!
Even worse, if you are a Christian, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ - HE hates us even more because we are being transformed into the image of Christ.
Satan wants to:
Destroy your testimony. - He will tempt you to commit sin and when you do, you suffer the consequences and then you turn the blame on God.
Now when you fall, Satan would have succeeded to make people believe that what God had done for you by saving you is not true.
2. Keep you from being used by God. - He wants to stunt your growth, he wants to deny you the eternal life that Jesus promised.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
3. Walk away from the faith. - Satan wants you to just give up on the Christian life.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you may think you are not actively engaged in a spiritual war but Satan is already waging war against you.
Walk away from the faith.
In studies of Spiritual Warfare, Christians are very careful to “not give too much credit to the Devil”, I am here to not glorify the devil nor give him credit I have declared several times that Satan is a defeated foe, Jesus has won the victory, Jesus in His death on the cross had already delivered the fatal blow on Satan’s head.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Jesus Himself had declared .
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
Note that Jesus Himself said the Devil has no claim or power over Him, He still warned us by the title he called Satan - he is the ruler of the world.
When it comes to spiritual warfare, we should be wise, we should be armed and we should not be presumptuous.
When it comes to spiritual warfare, we should be wise, we should be armed and we should not be presumptuous.
Yes Christ has won the ultimate victory but we have to do our part in our warfare. Do not set yourself in a very lofty place and presume that you are untouchable.
Remember this:
Adam was in paradise when he fell.
Solomon gazed on the glory of God, then he fell.
Peter was with Jesus, and yet he too fell.
Now that we see the importance of Spiritual warfare, are you ready to go to war?
Let us study more.
Note that in everything that Satan wants to do to you his main weapon are lies and deception.
The first area he attacks is our mind.
We can consider the first battleground in spiritual warfare as the mind:
Acknowledge The Three Battlegrounds by Francis Frangipane.
Battleground One: The Mind.
Word study: Stronghold.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
Illustration of Spiritual Warfare and Strongholds.
Image of the word stronghold here.
Stronghold is simply a fortress, or a fortified dwelling as a means of protection from the enemy.
In many instances in the Old Testament, a stronghold is a source of protection for us from the enemy.
In spiritual warfare, a stronghold is a source of protection for the Devil.
Does that mean that Devil can have a place in our lives where he is protected? Even if I am a Christian?
To understand this we need to see the difference between:
Possession versus oppression
I don’t believe that a Christian can be possessed by the Devil or by demons because possession denotes ownership.
If you have given your life to Christ, you have become the property of Christ.. the Bible says you have been purchased by Christ.
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
However, a Christian can be oppressed by Demons.
This oppression is built in the strongholds that Satan has built in our thought process.
These are mindsets that are not yet surrendered or crucified.
These mindsets themselves become the protection for Satan to operate in our lives.
Satan is a liar and the Father of lies and deception, but it takes only an uncrucified thought system to allows him to wreak havoc in our lives.
The Christian’s own self-deception can allow the Devil’s work of deception.
There are self
We will not gonna talk about this in detail but the Apostle lists these strongholds in the believer’s mind.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Strongholds of the mind:
Lofty opinion - Pride is the foundation on which a stronghold is built.
Lucifier was in a lofty place before he fell.
2. Pride breeds rebellion.
This may not be immediately noticeable, but once rebellion sets in, destruction is coming.
This is part 1 of the sermon series and this is meant to serve as a warning.
Prepare for Spiritual Warfare:
Be Wise. - Know your enemy.
Be Armed. - Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17)
Be humble. - Don’t be presumptuous.
The pulling down of strongholds begin with repentance.
12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Note the sequence: Repentance ==> Then Deliverance ==> Then Healing.
The work of deliverance begins with a willing heart...