Spiritual Warfare Part 1

Introduction

We come to know Christ as Savior and some paint the moment as the cessation of all strife. “Come to Jesus and find peace, love joy and happiness you have never known.”

It is true that in Christ we find these things but that moment of salvation from sin and death is the moment we are placed in the camp of of our God in the midst of a great cosmic war.

There are spiritual forces at work all around us. Some of these are good and some are bad. Paul mentions some of these evil forces in Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 CSB

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

These are our true enemies. They seek to destroy our life. They are actively working against our good. They want to thwart and success in the cause of Christ. 1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 CSB

Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

If prevented by God’s hand from killing us our enemy will do all they can to keep us frightened, depressed, in error and as far away from the frontlines of battle as possible.

Our enemy wants to end our life or at least end our usefulness for Kingdom work on earth.

Some of you may be sitting here this morning with doubts. In fact, you may be thinking to yourself I have never dealt with spiritual warfare in my life at all.

Karl Payne, author and someone who routinely deals in the subject of spiritual warfare says, “The most common method of attack I have discovered in working with believers struggling under demonic affliction is habitual, debilitating and paralyzing mental accusation.”

SHARE THE PAYNE STORY HERE

These are the fiery darts that we read about in Ephesians 6:16

Ephesians 6:16 CSB

In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Some of you have been dealing with this kind of thing your whole life and had no idea it was a part of what is spiritual warfare. You thought it was all demon possession and people foaming at the mouth…it is so much more pervasive, subtle and ruthless.

God has created us for good works which He has prepared in advance for us to be a part of with Him. Satan and the forces of hell are determined that those good works will go undone.

Over the next several weeks we are going to look into just what this war looks like. Who are enemy really is, their strategies and how we fight back against them.

Today we begin with the most important of all facts if we are going to be victorious in this fight. Our God and His strength.

Brethren Be Strong

Brethren — This word on spiritual warfare is to the church, the army of God, not the individual soldier.

“It must be remembered that the verses which follow depict the Christian not as a gladiator, but as a soldier in an army. The Christian is not intended to defeat the enemy single-handedly, but as part of a united, marching army. This army is the church.” Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 6:10). Joplin, MO: College Press.

We do not fight alone but alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ! We have had far too many lonely battles and subsequent defeats because we fought a lonely battle instead of calling for backup and reinforcements.

We, the church, are called first and foremost to be strong...we do not fight in our own power but in the power of our God.

Be Strong — This means to become able to do something. The same idea is presented to us in Philippians 4:13 Paul is calling us to do something here…something specific and necessary. Apart from the Lord’s strength we are in trouble!

Philippians 4:13 CSB

I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

John 15:5

John 15:5 CSB

I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.

Philippians 2:13

Philippians 2:13 CSB

For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

We can do absolutely nothing apart from Christ. Our enemy is far stronger, powerful, smarter and capable than we are. On our own we do not even begin to measure up to the enemy against us.

“We that can do nothing in ourselves, we are such weaklings, can do all things in Christ as giants (John Owen).”

Paul says first and foremost be strengthened with a strength that is not your own. Be strengthened with the strength of the Lord.

How...

First — Believe, really believe, completely, totally and finally, that God is almighty in power.

Almighty — Absolute, unlimited power.

This word, almighty, can only truly be used of God. We might refer to someone or something as mighty but they are never almighty. There is only one who has absolute and unlimited power and that is God.

Nothing and no one can whip God. Nothing can take Him by surprise and nothing can defeat Him. But we have to believe this even in the face of circumstances, people or even spiritual entities that appear unconquerable.

Our problems, our enemy, can appear large. In fact, they can often appear to be completely insurmountable and unbeatable. If we were to see the demons around us, if our eyes were open to what they look like, what they are capable of doing, we would likely be very frightened.

But even the most formidable opponent is dwarfed in the face of almighty power.

Second — We must believe that God’s power is engaged for our help. We can lean upon God’s power. We make use of the power of God as freely as if it were our own! We are joined to the strength of God…His might!

We are united to Jesus by our faith in Him. He is one with us and we with Him. His power continually fills us and we, by faith, make use of it as though it were our own.

We are being “urgently exhorted to lay hold on that power in order to meet and vanquish the evil forces that assail them.”

When engaged in spiritual warfare it is not enough to believe God is almighty. We must believe that His almighty power is at work on our behalf and by faith appropriate it to our circumstance.

So we pray, speak the word of God and act on our faith. I pray knowing the answer is given because God’s word says it is given.

If I am tempted I choose the way out…

If I rebuke the demon in Jesus name who speaks lies into my conscience I do so in faith he will flee...

So to be strong in the Lord is to, by faith, be continually filled with His strength and enjoy its exercise through us for our benefit.

Conclusion

Acts 19:13-17

Acts 19:13–17 CSB

Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem.

These men had faith in Almighty God operating through the person of Jesus but that power was not their own. They had not been strengthened by it because they had no faith in it.

In order to be strengthened one must belong to Christ in the first place. (Share the Gospel here)

If we know God then we should, by faith, continually be filled with His strength...Are you walking with God? Believing in His power? Appropriating it by faith? Or are you still getting beat up by the fiery darts of the enemies accusations and faithless negativity?

The power for our victory is from Christ but it is as if it is our own when we have faith for its application to our need. Christ fights for us in and through our faith in Him for His strength…this happens in temptation, marriage problems or direct battles with demons themselves.