Habakkuk & The 3-D Matrix of Spiritual Warfare

Hercules Fighting Antaeus (1634), by Francisco de Zurbarán

The Greek mythological character Antaeus (gk.,antao,opponent, ‘to oppose, to face off, Anti), was the offspring of Gaia & Poseidon, he was a huge wrestler and every time he threw his opponent down to earth he got stronger. However, Hercules defeated him with a crushing bear hug, not allowing Antaeus to get him on the ground.

Habakkuk, not a mythological Titan, was called the ‘ardent embracer of God , the wrestler. Some scholars date his work around 606B.C., because he is foretelling the invasion of Judah by the Babylonians. His prophetic calling, Journey and words became the cornerstone of the New Testament doctrine of justification by faith, “as for the proud one his soul is not right, but the just shall live by faith” (Hab.2:4; Rom.1:17; Gal.3:11; Heb.10:36-38). In addition, Habakkuk’s word launched the necessary Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther read Romans 1:17 which slew the “monster of uncertainty” which fed upon a salvation built on works rather than by grace through faith alone.

Habakkuk , saw all the violence, lawlessness, iniquity, perversion, strife and wickedness flourish and unchecked in his day (Hab.1-11). He wrestled in antiquity (and we must wrestle with today) with the great philosophical and theological question of ‘theodicy’ or “why is there evil if there is a God who is good and all powerful in moral authority and justice?” He took his complaint to God and wrestled with the LORD (Habakkuk 1:12-2:4). Eventually, his complaints—about the seeming inactivity of God’s justice and the proliferation of evil—were quelled into a posture of trust and faith in God in the midst of a flood of evil, destruction and death. God’s warfare, God’s holiness and God’s goodness can tame the most angry, timid or unruly heart producing a quiet spirit of deep humility and trust in the heat of the battle (Hab.2:20;3:16). Our messianic silence forged in the place of watchfulness (Hab.2:1) and intercession (Hab.3:1) can defeat the arrogant boisterous, mocking shouts, advancements and celebrations of our spiritual enemies. The full-throated prayer life of Jesus in secret before the Father was the ‘golden-silence’ of faith that disarmed principalities and power in earthly and heavenly places (1 Peter 2:23). God has , is and will exercise His justice of grace and wrath in His way and in His time. In the mean time, we must bring his justice through the gospel of the kingdom to the broken-hearted, the prisoners of sin and shame , the poor and marginalized!

God the Father seeks worship-warriors, who know when to speak and when to be silent in a humble attentive “submissive” spirit. The Father supplies ‘grace’ to the humble, who in their brokenness and contrition surrender to Him who works “all things” together for good which triumphs over evil. We must wage war in word and deed!

We wage war or struggle or wrestle on three different levels as followers of Christ. This spiritual warfare is kind of like 3-D Chess. We war against the world, our flesh and the devil.  The better we are at wrestling with God and ourselves in submission and humility, the more triumphant we live when dealing with spiritual wickedness. John, the beloved, taught “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” It stands to reason, our first focus must be on knowing Christ above us, through us and in us!

 Know God, know yourself and know your enemy.

  1. We wrestle with God… The Most High God  seeks to subdue us for His purpose. Jacob wrestled with God (God wrestled with Jacob) all night at the River Jabbok and was transformed in name and character. Wrestling with God releases a new name and future for us through weakness and humility.  Daniel wrestled with God in Babylon concerning the captivity of His people and the restoration of all things.  Paul wrestled with God to remove a “thorn in his flesh”. Also Paul, wrestled with the incongruity between his mind and his will and his actions (Romans 7). In Paul’s case, God’s will prevailed not with healing but with grace and power through weakness and limitation.  Peter said, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, casting all your anxiety upon Him for He cares for you.”  The love of God is the most powerful weapon formed by God to subdue our pride, our vices, our unbelief  and our fear in order to release His grace. 

 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak…So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” (Genesis 22:24,30)

  • The Call to Character:  Glorification of the Believer: We are transformed from “glory to glory” into the likeness of Son of God (Rom.8:29) by total surrender to the firm hand of God that changes us spirit, soul and body (2 Cor. 3:17-18). 
  1. We wrestle with our sinful nature: This the backdrop of Romans 7, which ends,  “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.  Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Rom.7:24-8:1).  Not unlike the necessity to get dressed everyday, we must daily “put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make now provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts” (Rom.13:14). 
  • The Call to Purpose Driven Life of Service: The Sanctification of the Believer; this progressive process is what “sets us apart” to be Spirit-driven to serve others through self-mortification.
  1. We wrestle against the kingdom of darkness: We must not be empty-headed when it comes to our knowledge of the schemes of Satan. He takes advantage of ‘ignorance’. The devil is the ‘god of this world’ but He is not God Almighty, nor the Creator-Redeemer of all things.  We must respect evil powers, for even Michael, the great warring angel, said “The Lord rebuke” you when dealing with the body of Moses (Jude 8-9). Our appeal against darkness is first and foremost always an appeal to the Father and His kingdom will, authority and power. We are commanded by the Apostle Paul  to do everything we can (which is to first seek God and deny ourselves) to stand against evil in acts of obedience. This obedience to Christ and the gospel  will inevitably  bring some level of backlash, opposition, persecution and suffering. We are to “put on the full armor of God” and take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word to win this battle (Eph.6:10-17). 

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a 17th and early 18th Century minister of the Gospel in England

  • The Call to Victory: The influential enthusiastic believer seeks to both preserve, enhance and advance the victory of Jesus Christ against the kingdom of darkness. Similiar to the example of Jesus in the wilderness, with the direct aid of the Holy Scriptures these private and public victories transform the fullness of the Spirit into the “power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:1,14). 

A New Year Paradigm for 2025

    Below is a kernel of truth which emerged while reflecting on 2024 and looking ahead to 2025 on New Year’s Eve. May the Father of Lord Jesus Christ help us yield afresh to the Holy Spirit, who passionately seeks to transform us into the like-character of the Son of God to a greater depth in 2025:

    There is a glory that can follow success and a glory that can follow failure. The “glory of God” is found in seeking him in both triumph and adversity. We are called to be transformed from “glory to glory” (2 Cor.3:17-18). The Christian’s call is clustered around the continuous growth in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ to combat callousness and complacency (2 Peter 3:18). The enemy of “glorifying God” in our beliefs, our behavior and our affections is passivity. Our past failures or limitations can become to daunting to overcome; or our successes lull us into a slumber of a prideful contentment.

    The Father’s grace is what enables us to progress in holy purpose, which is allowing the entire person to be apprehended by God for greater works in and through us to benefit those around us.

    In 2025, will we press on to know the LORD and make him known? I believe each of us will! Stop at the New Year, get in a quiet place of humility and look and listen for Jesus to speak deep into your heart. This “pause” may take an hour, a day or a week, but it will set the pace for a new season of the pursuit of God and fruitfulness!

    Let’s Stop and Go!

    You’re My Best Friend

    The friendship Barnabas displayed to Paul reveals many ways we can become friends to those around us. Jesus Himself taught “friendship” is the highest call to love. Please read the Scripture references for meditation and prayer and application!

    Barnabas: Steps to Becoming a Friend of God

    1. A Friend of God is a “born-again” citizen of heaven. (Acts 4:36)
    2. A Friend of God lays everything at the feet of Jesus. (Act.4:37)
    3. A Friend of God protects His family and friends. (Acts 9:23-25)
    4. A Friend of God opens doors for you to be involved in the work of God. (Acts 9:26-27)
    5. A Friend of God focuses on grace more than failure. (Acts 11:22-24)
    6. A Friend of God finds you when you get lost. (Acts 11:25-26)
    7. A Friend of God has compassion for the poor and can be trusted with money.(Acts 11:30)
    8. A Friend of God finishes the job given to him/her. (Acts 12:25)
    9. A Friend of God is constantly seeking God first. (Acts 13:1-4)
    10. A Friend of God feels the pain of others and heals them. (Acts 13:50;14:19-20; 2 Cor.1:3-7)
    11. A Friend of God keeps moving forward with joy. (Acts 13:51-52)
    12. A Friend of God sticks close to you in difficult times. (Acts 14:22)
    13. A Friend of God can stay on mission even in the midst of disagreement. (Acts 15:37-39)
    14. A Friend of God is always open to reconciliation and restoration of broken relationships. (Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11)
    15. A Friend of God Believes God and His Word/Promises (James 4:23)

    Swimming Upstream

      ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants.’ Isaiah 44:3

      I feel like I have been swimming upstream both to survive and spawn for the past eighteen months. The last devotional blog I wrote to you all was while I was ministering in Iraq, Bulgaria and Israel in the late spring of 2023. Today, one year ago, my mother, Meredith Diane Langskov, passed into the arms of Jesus after a long battle with cancer. Three months prior to her death, my father-in-law, Rev. Richard C. Howard, finished his race after a long battle with Alzeihmer’s. This season of finality and completion of life purpose by the two most important individuals in my life launched my wife and I into a journey that could only be described as the spawning of a Pacific Salmon from the vast ocean, against all odds of survival, swimming upstream to both survive and secure the next generation of salmon at the bottom of some remote mountain stream or creek. The death of parents or immediate family can set in motion a deep longing to return to ancient native territory, memories, emotions and relationships in order to honor them but also to decide I want to finish my life purpose strong and productive.

      Cheri, my wife now of 40 years, and I pretty much sold everything, left Texas, couch surfed and wandered about for the past year.  In May, we purchased a home almost 10,000’ above sea level in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains near the Wyoming border.  We swam upstream to my native home of Colorado! 

      I suppose something as radical as the literal death of family or friends or foes or fellow citizens is not always necessary to trigger our deep desire to go against the flow by swimming upstream.  As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to “deny yourself and pick up your cross daily”.  The strong currents of our polluted American culture, international strife, and self-preservation course violently and coldly against our best instincts, our dreams, our vision, our hopes and willfulness to live a productive life.  Everywhere we go to try and make a difference,  a hungry brown bear is seeking to swat us onto the shore and devour us.  Thankfully, the enduring love and power of the Spirit of God swirls in, through and around us to keep us moving in the right direction toward resurrection!  

      Streaming In the Holy Spirit

        Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)

        Here are a few insights from some biblical texts on “STREAMS”. We need to learn to STREAM in the SPIRIT more than live-stream on Wi-Fi!  In fact, Jesus Himself promised if we trusted Him, He would cause His Spirit to flow like artesian streams/springs out of our innermost being. Our native thirst for the things of God began with the gracious prevenient and prevailing cries of Jesus as an newborn infant, as a Jewish pilgrim at a feast in Jerusalem, as a frequent  intercessor in the Garden of Gethsemane, His final cry at Golgotha on the cross and His final cry at His return.  

        An abundant life full of the Spirit often begins in the most difficult seasons of life turning deserts into gardens of fragrant and fruitful good works.  The Holy Spirit seeks to transformatively navigate in us , before and as we navigate this world with His power and love.

        Psalm 78:20 : The Stream of Brokeness

        “Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, And streams were overflowing;”

        Unfortunately or graciously, He must crush the ‘rocks’ in our life in order to release the streams that bring us into true healthy pleasure and purpose.  Sometimes that “rock” is the hardness of heart and our unwillingness to truly trust Him.  This verse foreshadows the obedience of Jesus to the point of death on a cross. He was “struck” for our sin, to release the Spirit of forgiveness to flow in our life.

        Job 28:11: The Stream of Revelation

        “He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light.”

        The damn-dams in our lives are meant to bring revelation and illumination.  When the provision, the joy, the passion, the hope, or the love stops flowing, it is time to learn something about ourselves, or about the invisible attributes of God or to change the direction of our lives. Blockages can bring breakthroughs!

        Exodus 7:19: The Stream of Judgment

        “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt,”

        The judgments of God in our world are allowed in order to bring us to a place of repentance and recognition that the world is passing away with all its lusts and rustable treasures.  The only thing that matters is worshiping and serving God to the fullest extent possible by the power of the blood of Jesus.

        Jeremiah 31:9: The Stream of Weeping

        “With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”

        The Heavenly Father desires to lead us refreshing still waters of weeping and solitude.  Pay close attention to the stillness of God, for there you will find His quiet love and stability in the season of shaking. 

        Psalm 126:4: The Stream of Restoration

        “Restore our captivity, O Lord, As the streams in the South.”

        The streams of the Holy Spirit pour fourth from the watershed of the love of the Father for His Son and the Son for His Father.  This love of God can break any bondage to sin and repair our relationship with God and each other. We only have to be willing to swim upstream against the torrents of a Babyonian system that is hell-bent on destroying us.  Remember nothing can separate us from the love of God in our Lord Jesus Christ…Nothing!

        Our Father in Heaven,  we humbly askYou to  freshly fill us with the eternal vigor of the Holy Spirit to help us navigate our way to streams of joy and deep contentment in Your life-changing grace.  We thank you for the crushing, for the chastening, for the dry season and for the seasons of sorrow for they are meant to lead us to your streams of restoration. Amen

        The Secret Sacred Place

        Sanctification is the transformational collision of the Sacred Place with the Secular Market Place that releases the grace of Jesus Christ to save and send us into our worlds of influence.

        Greece, Patra, Agios Andreas church. Of note, true iconography always paints a full frontal face depiction. Therefore, no matter where you stand in the church, the “eyes” are looking directly at you. A facial side view would imply hypocrisy.

        Be careful with embracing this devotion and putting it into practice. Why? You might end up somewhere you never expected, but you will be where you belong.

        (Greetings in Jesus Christ from Sofia, Bulgaria. I just finished two weeks in Northern Iraq among the Kurds. Over the next 3-months I will be traveling to serve the saints at three strategic geo-political-spiritual gates. They are Kurdistan/Gateway to the Middle/Near East; Sofia, Bulgaria Gateway to Europe; and Israel Gateway to the Nations.)

        Recently, this verse below from Proverbs has been boiling in my spirit and producing an overflowing expectation for greater glory. Each day we have an opportunity to grow in our experiential knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus, the Anointed One, the High Priest and the Apostle of our confession.

        Yes, “deep darkness” is covering the earth, BUT the eternal life and light of the Spirit of Jesus is burning in the Lampstand of the churches throughout the earth. We must know Him in secret places and paths to make Him known in the public places and paths.

         The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18

        Imagine with me, everyday you can “behold” a facet of God’s radiant and complex glory. This glory of God, in the face of Christ, is beheld in a sacred moment. Transformation can happen when you become aware of His burning presence focusing upon you in holy love. Moses’ “burning bush” prompted him to turn aside to “behold” the glory of God and begin a life altering conversation. I truly believe if we are not careful, we might unknowingly walk by these “burning bush” moments each day. I pray for myself and each of you that we will become more keenly aware of the burning Holy Spirit of love toward us in your daily routines. May His Presence change you, fill you and commission you with His peace to your troubled world.

        Sanctification in Christ is a position, a process and a progress. True sanctification begins with His gaze upon us and progresses with our gaze upon Him (Heb.12:1-2). If sanctification is simply a ‘position’,nothing is permanently changing in our character; oh yes we are saved, but becoming righteous involves death to our self-life and obedient faith. If sanctification is only a ‘process’ then we wander in circles like Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, the scenery may change but for the most part we may or may not. If sanctification was only ‘progress’, we may win or we seem to advance but with a lack of love, humility or peace.

        Preaching on Friendship with God with Pastor Shorsh Ali Hassan

        Ultimately, sanctification is not simply an important sound doctrine to help explain the will of God to become righteous in our morality, in our daily service and in our mission. Rather, true sanctification is the sum total of a divine encounter with the Image of God, Jesus Christ resulting in permanent unfading radical transformation, a “glory” that does not fade over time. Paul said,

        16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

        The beauty of transformational sanctification (aka, glorification) is it occurs in real world (carnal, cultural, spiritual) real time (chronos & kairos) and real space (earthly & heavenly). In eternity, our sanctification began when the eyes and face of the Father lovingly fixed on us to be chosen and predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son (Eph.1:3-4; Rom.8:29-30). In time and space, by grace sanctification begins with the work of the Holy Spirit in a intensely pressurized private place deep in the human heart and soul. This work continues to emerge publicly bearing the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. This restoration is consummated at end of the age when our lowly body is permanently transformed into a resurrection body likened unto the first-fruits of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, replete with the fullness of His joy.

        9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
        my body also will rest secure,
        10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
        nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.
        11 You make known to me the path of life;
        you will fill me with joy in your presence,
        with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:9-11

        Maranatha and may your path burn brightly today with His Presence,

        Jeff

        P.S. Thanks to my friend George H., who has encouraged me to start blogging again.