Month: December 2022

Spiritual Warfare Pamphlet: Developing An Overcomer’s Lifestyle

In Accordance with the Letter to the Ephesians

*This pamphlet is designed  to serve as a quick reference basic outline to guide the individual, a small group as followers of Jesus. There are several Spiritual Disciplines to conduct victorious spiritual warfare directly and indirectly. Of course, above all we are to “deny ourselves and daily pick up our cross” to follow Jesus as Lord (Luke 11:23).  Some of our battles, we bring upon ourselves and then blame it on the devil. Peter wisely said out of his experience, “Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul”(1 Peter 2:11).  Thus, the constant  immersion, the mandate to “pick up” is our daily purpose  without any thought for down time,  vacation time or a retirement plan is critical to war against our carnality, the war within our body.

The 3-D Matrix of Spiritual Warfare

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, the 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 in us!

 Know God, know yourself and know your enemy.

1. We wrestle with God… who seeks to subdue us for His purpose. Jacob wrestled with God all night at the River Jabbok and was transformed in name and character.  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”, God’s will prevailed not with healing but with grace and power through weakness.  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 and release His grace. 

2. 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). 

3. 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, the Creator-Redeemer of all things.  We must respect evil powers, for even Michael, the great warring angel, said “The Lord rebuke” 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 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. 

The Gospels, Jesus and Spiritual Warfare

Most importantly we must note, Jesus, upon Whom we must fix our eyes (Heb.12:1-3), experienced satanic opposition from the beginning to the end of His life and has yet to finally judge His enemies. He Himself overcame the world, the flesh and the devil typified in the three temptation narratives.  If Jesus experienced warfare without committing sin in heart, thought or deed; we must be very vigilant and sober to not give our adversary an open lane to take us down in the field of battle. 

(Highlighted in Purple are spiritual warfare principles gleaned from the life of Jesus in the gospels; we mustn’ t’ be ‘ignorant of the schemes of Satan’)

• At the moment of His conception: righteous Joseph chose not to secretly put away Mary by divorce or stoning because an angel appeared to him in a dream.  Satan attacks at the conception or the hidden beginning of pre-public stirring for godly purpose, godly relationships, godly desires and vision. He desires to get us to “secretly put away” or dismiss a divine idea, divine missional strategy, a divine relationship/friendship/marriage, stealing the ‘word’ of God before it even has a chance to germinate. 

• At His birth; the jealous, power-driven and prideful king Herod went on a bloody genocide in Bethlehem, killing all male toddlers and infants 2 years old and under. Joseph supernaturally led his young family to Egypt until God told him to come back to Nazareth, Israel. Satan attacks anything or anyone born of God. He attacked Moses at birth too; who was destined to confront the ‘principalities and powers’ over Egypt to let Israel be born as a nation to worship and serve the LORD. At the end of the age Satan, the dragon, will once again rally in great rage to devour Israel, all the people of God in Messiah (Rev.13).  The Scripture says “whatever” is born of God overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil by the blood of the Lamb, the testimony of Jesus and loving not their life even unto death.  

• His baptism and wilderness temptation; the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and it was in that private personal warfare all hell broke out against Jesus.  Satan will attack you in your private life to discourage you from obedience in your public life. According to Luke’s gospel (Luke 4).  Jesus went into the wilderness “full of the Holy Spirit” and came out of the wilderness into public ministry “in the power of the Holy Spirit”.  Obedience in our unique warfare converts our fullness into fruitfulness or His presence into His powerful purpose for the help of others. 

• Hosts of wicked/evil spirits; Jesus was continually setting people free from evil spirits while he healed them and forgave them of their sins.  Satan has a host of wicked spirits that are assigned to humanity to mar the image of God at a very granular personal level.  We don’t ever ascribe omnipresence to the prince of darkness, but we must discern his presence in order to set people free in the mighty name of Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit to do battle against unholy/evil spirits. 

• Among His closest friends; Peter became a satanic mouthpiece of Satan to sow seeds of opposition to the necessity of suffering on the cross; Judas ultimately was filled with Satan as the one who betrayed Jesus.  Satan when given an opportunity can use those closest to you or use you to hinder God’s purpose in someone’s life. Keep your spirit clear of aggressive anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, ignorance, pride, jealousy, envy, greed, impurity etc.  These can all become a foothold or stronghold of the enemy to attack those around you.

• Conspiracy of All the ‘rulers and powers’: ignorantly conspired together to put the Lord of glory to death on a cross in accordance with the will of God and the witness of prophetic Scripture. Interestingly,  Herod and Pilate became friends during the special counsel meetings and public trial of Jesus.  Satan will gather a coalition against the people of God to thwart the advancement of the gospel. He wants to kill the people of God.  We must be careful to not equate material prosperity or the favor of man for the will of God. Persecution and hostility often give us a green light to continue in obedience no matter what the cost. John told the church, “children be on guard against idols.” Why? Behind every idol is a spiritual entity motivated by impurity, greed and immorality that seeks to defile, destroy and take captive. 

• Jesus descended to the underworld in death; to proclaim the fulfillment of God’s promises, snatch the keys of death and hades, empty the righteous bosom of Abraham and lead captives captive into resurrection.  Satan uses the “fear of death” , pain and the perceived necessity of punishment to thwart progress. The counter insurgency is the love, acceptance and forgiveness of God in Christ.  John said, “perfect love casts out fear.” Resurrection from the dead is the death nail to death itself. 

• Jesus wars now against evil through His obedient militant church, who war not with carnal or military weapons but the weapons of faith, hope, love and the word of God.  Satan, as a defeated foe, still wages war against the saints. He will attempt to wear us down in exhaustion, keep us ignorant of his schemes, distract us from simple and pure devotion to Christ and from making a bold witness of the gospel of God to all nations. 

• Final war at the end of the ages; Jesus will come again to judge, rule and reign for a millennium from Jerusalem on the earth, and finally will forever judge into a horrible ‘lake of fire’ Satan and all his followers.  Satan always thinks he can win…he is the so-called come back kid. Even after the millennium , Satan is loosed to deceive the nations again, but He is forever judged in the lake of fire in short order by the Lord Jesus Christ. The devil nearly always over plays himself and reveals his strategy because of pride. 

A good friend of mine, an expert in the area of helping Christians with addictive behavior, shared a great acronym with me…H.A.L.T.  When we have 2 or more of these symptoms we need to stop what we are doing and immediately reach out to a trusted friend or family member.  Practically, when we have healthy habits of eating, exercising, socializing and sleeping we can seriously hold back indulging destructive fleshly lusts.  Keep in mind, fasting with prayer is one of the most lethal spiritual weapons of warfare we can harness.  This self-awareness will help us not give in to impulsive destructive decisions or emotional outbursts. Paul said, “be angry, but do not sin, lest you give a foothold to the devil… Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Eph.4:26-27;Rom.12:19). When we exercise restraint we make room for God’s resources to invade the arena of our lives. The battle belongs to the Lord, therefore, our surrender to Him becomes His victory on our behalf. 

H= Hungry

A= Angry/Anxious

L= Lonely

T= Tired

Certainly, the devil is an ‘opportunist’, seizing moments and seasons in our lives when he particularly lays siege to our lives to discourage, distract and destroy our souls and purpose. He really thinks in himself he can change God’s mind about His purpose for us…in the end Satan is the fiery ignorant fool, the deceiver deceives himself in prideful unhinged rage. 

Ephesians: 3-Phases of Spiritual Warfare

Phase I: Sit in Christ & Kneel before the Father

Ephesians 1-3

In a place of adoration and prayer we learn our identity,salvation by grace and authority in Christ through His resurrection & intercession.

Phase II: We Learn to Walk with Christ

Ephesians 4-6:9

We learn to walk worthy, walk in love, walk in the light.

Phase III: We take a Stand against Evil

Ephesians 6:10f

We overcome evil with the Goodness & the Strength of the Lord.

The following simple outline is a practical tool chest to help us fulfill the mandate of “pick up your cross”.  Metaphorically, in Ephesians, we “pick up” 8-disciplines to wage effective spiritual warfare:

1. The Harp:  A Life of Praise
2. The Golden Bowl:  A Life of Prayer
3. The Artist Palette: A Life of Purpose
4. The Towel: A Life of Humility
5. The Trowel: A Life of Work
6. The Shield: A Life of Faith
7. The Helmet of Salvation:  A Life of Hope
8. The Sword of the Spirit: A Life of Obedience

  In my mind there is a sequence or a progression to these disciplines of fighting the good fight of faith.  We begin with Praise, then prayer, then purpose, then character, then service, and then “having done everything” (Eph.6:13) we stand against evil.  However, there is merit to mix and match these disciplines and apply  in your unique race and battle. We must train and practice using the spiritual  weapons of our warfare before the actual battle. 

You can privately  develop these disciplines one by one in secret with the Father. You can also publicly exercise these with your family, your church or a small group. You can spend 5 minutes on each focus or an hour on any given arena.  Naturally, some of these disciplines are fulfilled in acts of service in and outside the community of faith. Perhaps the secret sauce  is in being both “intentional” and “specific” about what we say and do.  Jesus, our Chief Example of an Overcomer, always spent time with the Father before He said or did anything (John 5:19). 

In general, I believe the vast majority of the biblical narrative teaches us that most of our spiritual battle is won by a focus on God not the enemy.  We simply draw near and He draws near to us. We ask, knock and seek Him and all things come under His divine will and kingdom. The greatest act of spiritual warfare is total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ by the strength and love of the Holy Spirit. If we want the enemy to surrender we must surrender to God. If we want the enemy to lose, we must lose everything for the sake of Christ and the gospel. If we want to win, we must lose our life in exchange for knowing Jesus Christ. In those ‘face-to-face’ unique convocation with God in privacy of the cleft of the Rock, we see God’s glory and advance in victory without a single shot fired by us at the enemy in our gates. 

Phase 1: Sit & Kneel in the Presence of God

6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they *sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

10 You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” (Rev.5:6-10)

1. The Harp: The Call to Discovery of Our Identity in Christ Through High Praise in All Things (Ephesians 1:6,12,14 & Ephesians 1-3)

• Recognize you are currently “seated in heavenly places in Christ” (which is a place of resurrection victory & authority)  as a member of the royal priesthood with direct access to the throne of grace to praise God and offer up to him the fruit of your lips with thanksgiving (Eph.2:6).  Spiritual Warfare begins at the throne of God.
• Practice Ephesians 5:18-20: “be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;” 
• Sing out Loud with or without worship music.
• Declare verbally the Psalms or the reading Scripture that extols God and His mighty works.
• Sing with your spirit , sing with your understanding. 
• Spontaneously sing new songs to the Lord. Nobody is listening, just go for it in the secret place.
• Acknowledge God alone is “holy”, “worthy” and “glorious”.  I call this the eternal perpetual weather forecast of the 3rd heaven. Not only do these shouts of praise affirm who God is, but they also have a direct bearing on our calling to be holy, to walk worthy and be transformed from glory to glory.

2. The Golden Bowl of Incense: The Call to Deep Prayer in all Seasons of Life (Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21; 6:18-20)

• Read Biblical prayers in a quiet place.
• Find and pray all Paul’s prayers of purpose in his letters.
• “9’s”: Pray Nehemiah 9, Ezra 9 & Daniel 9
• Pray freely through the Lord’s prayer, make it a free flow style based on each phrase. For example, repeat “deliver us from evil” and then begin to pray everything that comes to mind about how and when God has delivered His people.
• When we “kneel” in prayer before the Father, all heaven is released on and  in our inner spiritual man to fill us with strength and love (Eph.3:14-23). But also, all heaven is discharged against our enemy. Isaiah 30:15 proves many of our battles are won in prayer to God, in communion with the Almighty. The Assyrians routed themselves because Isaiah and king Hezekiah repented and turned their sacred cry and quietness toward the LORD of the armies of heaven. Kneeling before the Father is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons we have in our arsenal against evil. 

Phase II: Walk Worthy of Our Calling

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 So resist him, firm in your faith (1 Pt.5:8-9)

3. The Artist Palette: The Call to Manifest the Full-Spectrum of the Wisdom of God in Unity, Community and Eternal Purpose(Ephesians 3:1-13)

• Thank God you are a joint-heir, joint-parterer and joint-member of the body of Christ with a divine purpose and particular assignment to discharge and steward every day. 
• Seek God to further elucidate your particular divine assignment to discharge it fully by His grace and strength. This is His expectation for your stewardship. Paul knew he was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, functioning as a preacher, teacher and a minister. This was his stewardship. Each of us has a specific grace-gift to release to serve (Eph.4; Rom. 12:1-4).

4. The Slaves Apron/The Towel: The Call to Serve One Another  in Humility (Ephesians 4:1-6)

• Walk worthy (Eph.4:1), walk in love (Eph.5:1-2), walk as children of light (Eph.5:8), walk in maturity (Eph.4:13).

• If you have not found a place of service in your local church, serve among your family and friends. 
• Discharge in humility a specific act of servanthood with no expectations for any recognition or reward…just raw love of God stuff.
• Greatness in the kingdom is measured in the lowly servanthood marked in with love and humility (Luke. 22:24-27)

The Trowel & The Hammer:  The Call to Edify the Church by Speaking the Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:9-16)

• Find someone or a situation where you can “speak the truth in love” to bring strength and encouragement. The more accurate translation of Ephesians 4:15 could be , “truthing in love”.  Our lives speak loudest.
• Thank Jesus for the many ministers who are dedicated to teach and preach the word of God. Pray for a fresh openness in your heart to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
• Jesus said “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  Every time we take the time to encourage, strengthen, exhort, and strongly urge our brothers and sisters to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we advance the kingdom and destroy the works of darkness.

Phase III: Stand in the Strength of the Lord 

No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;

And you will condemn every tongue that accuses you in judgment.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,

And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord. (Isa.55:17)

6. The Shield of Faith: The Call to Please God (Ephesians 6:17; Heb.11:6)

• Without “faith” it is impossible to please God. (Heb.11:6)
• With “faith” all things are possible because of the Father’s personal involvement in our lives and the lives of those around us. 
• By grace through “faith” are we saved spirit, soul and body.
• “Faith” works through love to release divine power to transform us, change our families to become households of salvation, outposts for the kingdom of God.
• The “just shall live by faith”.
• “Faith” is the most valuable possession we have with eternal reward.

7. The Helmet of Salvation: The Call to Full Assurance of Faith and the Hope of Salvation (Ephesians 6:18)   

• We have 3-gates on our head which we must govern and guard with all diligence.  All Three are gates that lead to our mind & heart, which we are to guard with all diligence according to Proverbs.

1. The Eye-gate: The eye, according to Jesus, is the window or lamp to the body or soul. We must keep our eyes clear, cleaned up and filled with oil, so our bodies will be full of light. Our spiritual “eyes” of our heart must be “fixed” on Jesus who is our Chief Shepherd ourselves to others as a point of superiority or inferiority. As C.S. Lewis said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Guarding our eyes in this world from an invasion of sensuality, materialism, deception and distraction is a difficult but necessary task for all of us. I find it eye-opening that the devil’s final  temptation in the wilderness was based on “showing” Jesus all the glory, splendor and power in the kingdoms of the world. There is a danger of “too much” knowledge of this world that can blind us or misguide us from an eternal value system.  Jesus said to the Laodecian church, to purchase “eyesalve” from Him in order that we might see our true spiritual condition, see Him and see our mission (Rev.3). 

2. The Ear-gate:  Our warfare often begins in our ability to ‘hear’ spiritual truth and obey.  Jesus taught, the stability and foundation of our life is based on how we listen and whether or not we obey His words (end of Matt.7). The Scripture says, “let him who has ears to hear, hear!”  God made both the seeing eye and the hearing ear. With our ear we hear the Father say to us in Christ, ‘you are beloved son, whom I have chosen to go forth and bear much fruit”.  With our ears we hear the father of lies, ‘ you are damaged goods, a pain in the ass, a cautionary tale, a lost cause, small-minded, a big mouth, unloveable…” Who must stand in confident prayer and learn to hear the voice of the Father speak His blessing and purpose and love over us.

3. The Mouth-gate: With our mouth “we both bless and curse”, according James, the Lord’s brother. Our mouth can release words that bring someone to faith in Jesus Christ, what a marvelous privilege. Our words can strengthen the family of God and friends to not give up or give in to temptation.  Imagine living in that home with Jesus, talk about always being under conviction between Joseph, Mary and Jesus. I wonder what their conversations were like around the dinner table, at work, at play, at synagogue, at Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Booths. With many words “transgression is avoidable” (Proverbs). Three times Jesus spoke directly to the devil , “it is written….”

8. The Sword of the Spirit: The Call to Activate Scripture Through Obedient Love (Ephesians 6:18)…”It is written….”

• The Scripture is to be meditated upon day and night (Ps.1)
• The Scripture is to be diligently studied (2 Tim.2:15)
• The Holy Scripture makes us wise (2 Tim.3:15) unto faith in Christ.
• The Holy Scripture equips us  to fulfill every good work God designed for us to walk in (Eph.2:10; 2 Tim.3:16-17).
• The personal application of Scripture to our unique battle is essential for us to stand firm against evil. 
• Satan often tries to twist the truth and distort the character of God or question God’s motivation of love and goodness. This is why we must seek to come under the authority and truth of “ALL Scripture” inspired by God (2 Tim.3:16). 

In conclusion, the follower of Jesus who continually praises God…prays to the Father…gathers with the saints in the presence of God…serves in humility…speaks the truth in love…looks only to God for salvation…walks in faith…and obeys the Scripture will truly be an overcomer!