Warfare

The Warfare

We are all involved in warfare whether we know it or not.

It is not warfare that’s waged in the flesh and blood realm, and neither are the enemy and his weapons flesh and blood. This war rages in the spirit realm.

The enemy is skilled at this spiritual warfare and in the use of his arsenal which is being deployed in a relentless, moment by moment attack whether we’re aware of it or not.

One of the purposes of this warfare is to prevent God’s most precious creatures, us humans, from learning of and acting on the promises He has made to us for His eternal plan.

The battle plan of the enemy is simple, destroy or pervert God’s plan by attacking TRUTH.

In the Gospel of John chapter 8:31-32 we hear, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

You see it’s the truth that sets us free both in this material world and in the world to come. So, what are we set free from?

First of all, knowing and acting on God’s truth will free us from an immovable, unchangeable law. It’s called the law of sin and death. We have all sinned and the wages, or the penalty, for that sin is death, eternal death. Eternal death is to exist eternally but permanently separated from God.

God’s truth tells us that the One Way by which we can have that eternal life and escape eternal death is by believing that Jesus (the Christ), who was God in human form, died according to ancient scriptures, was buried and rose again from the dead three days later according to those same scriptures.

Secondly, by trusting in and acting on God’s revealed truth, we can be free from the burdens that affect us because of the trials and temptations that we endure on our journey through this world. We learn that, in Christ, we no longer need to feel guilt, shame, condemnation, anger, fear, hatred, frustration, addiction and all else that prevents us from enjoying peace. We can instead walk through this life with His love and His wisdom always available.

Of course, it’s impossible to destroy truth directly. You simply cannot make the truth untrue.

However, you can attack the source from where the truth comes. You can try to discredit the source by which truth is made known or, if that won’t work, hide the truth from focus.

Perhaps the most effective spiritual weapons deployed against truth are deception and distraction. Deception causes us to doubt the truth while distraction causes us to focus on anything other than the truth.

Truth is under attack everywhere in today’s world.

“You have your truth and I have mine,” Is a commonly heard statement today. In other words, there is no such thing as absolute truth, it’s all relative. The truth is whatever you believe it to be.

However, truth is independent of our beliefs. Believing something doesn’t make it true and not believing something doesn’t make it untrue.

One plus one equals two is the truth, whether you believe it or not.

Now, there’s one source of truth that’s been relentlessly attacked for thousands of years. Despite these attacks, not one particle of the truths it contains has been proven false.

This source of truth is, of course, God’s Word – The Bible.

The Bible overrides all other sources of truth regarding man’s origin and eternal destiny, and, this statement can be easily proven for those of us who truly desire truth. The Bible alone gives us the only sure route through this world and into the next world.

The Bible reveals the truth about the purposes of God, the Almighty Creator of the universe and in particular His plan for each one of us.

It’s also the source by which we learn of the enemy and his attempts to destroy God’s eternal purpose along with His most precious creation, us.

Deception and distraction will pervert the truths in the bible and ensure we don’t enjoy the freedoms that God’s given us at His enormous cost.

So, where does the warfare take place? The battleground in this warfare is our minds!

Romans 12:2 urges us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in order to prove what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.” To prove is to experience the truth or reality of something.

The “world” mentioned here is not the earth. It’s the mix of humanity we call society. To be conformed to this world is to act in accord with the current and ever-changing standards, attitudes, practices, and beliefs of society.

In Proverbs 23:7 we read, “for as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…”. Or, What your mind is full of, you will become.

Many scriptures point to the mind and what we think and believe, as the key to how we live our moment by moment lives. We act out from moment to moment what is foremost in our thinking.

Through the powerful weapons of distraction and deception, we can be made to set our minds on this natural world and its beliefs and systems. We see its senselessness, brutality, and evil and we feel powerless, overwhelmed, and even sick inside. Our day to day lives reflects that hopelessness and fear as our minds accept only what we see in this world as truth and we disregard the reality of God who is high above all the things of this world.

In Romans 8:6 – 7, we read that to be carnally minded (or fleshly, natural-minded) is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind (or the fleshly, natural mind) is opposed to and hostile against God.”

What’s the result of a mind that’s conformed to this world? Well, Romans 8:28 tells us, “And even as they did not think fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate (unprincipled or depraved) mind.” Romans 1:29 -32 then goes on to give us a rather nasty list of the results of that reprobate mind.

For those of us who are believers in Christ and His salvation, James 1:8 makes us aware that, “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” A double-minded man is always anxious.  We’ve all been there in that uneasy state of being distracted, unfocused and divided within ourselves. We listen to inner voices of fear and despair and we begin to trust our feelings instead of our faith.

We start to feel out of control and believe that something bad is about to happen and a sense of doom and hopelessness begins to overtake us. Our mind is constantly tossed between the things of God and the things of the world, making us unstable.

Deception and distraction will drive us to this awful anxious state and we must find out how to stand against them if we are to be truly free.

Deception casts doubt on the truth itself.

The first deception was with our original parents in the garden of Eden where God’s enemy, Satan, spoke to Eve and convinced her to doubt that what God said was true. Genesis 3.

Ever since then deception has been the force by which doubt and disbelief have been used to attack the words that God has spoken and the promises He has made.

God’s Word, the Bible, has been attacked as no other book has ever been attacked. Yet it has ministered and still does minister to millions of people around the globe, and it has been doing so for several thousand years. It has had a tremendous impact upon the human family and deserves the attention of every man and woman.

Distraction works by getting us to focus only on the things of this world such as homes, cars, travel, social media, money, entertainment, current events, friends, family, career and the list goes on and on.

Now, we must take heart because although this battle rages in all of us and the weapons are powerful, there is something we can do about it!

In Proverbs 3:5 we are urged to trust in the Lord, with all our heart; and lean not to our own understanding.

Philippians 4:6 – 7 tell us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. “

The problem for many of us is that because of the weapons of deception and distraction we hesitate to lean on and trust in God’s infinite wisdom and eternal perspective. His perspective is more far-reaching than we can imagine. His knowledge of what’s happened in the past and what will happen in the future is complete, whereas our knowledge and perspective is microscopic by comparison. We see only a tiny piece of the puzzle of life but God sees the entire picture with all the puzzle pieces in their perfect place.

The things of this world can easily make us replace our trust in Him and “lean on our own understanding”.

So, how can we overcome the weapons of deception and distraction?

Remember this is a battle of hearts and minds and God’s earnest desire is for us to walk with sound minds.

In Isaiah 26:3 we see that “You (The Lord) will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.

And, in Luke 12:29 – 31, Jesus said, “And do not seek what you shall eat, nor what you shall drink, and stop being in anxiety. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you have need of these things. But rather seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. “

Ephesians 4:23 tells us to, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind”.

In Philippians 2:5 we are told to, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” And again in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

And to top it off 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us, “we have the mind of Christ.” Think about that! If we are “in Christ” we have the mind of Christ!

Now, God has not left us without our own weapons with which to fight this spiritual battle. Let’s look at the incredible passages in Ephesians that tells us about our armour and our weapons. After that, we’ll look at the practical application of how we put these weapons and armour to use.

Ephesians 6:10 – 18 says. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Wherefore take up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

How are we to use these spiritual weapons and armour? What does the practical application of this chapter look like?

To begin with, every piece of armour and weaponry in this incredible chapter is a statement of who and what we are in Christ. Every piece points to Christ Jesus and is revealed by the Word. And, here’s the connection, Jesus IS the Word and the Word is Jesus.

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:1 – 4.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14.

So where does Jesus (The Word) dwell today?

Ephesians 3:17  tells us. Christ dwells in our hearts by faith!

When we were born again we were born not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. That’s in 1 Peter 1:23.

Jesus, Himself told His disciples that after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit would come and dwell in them. “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17).

Jesus, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit and God the Father are One.

In John 15:5  Jesus said, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who is dwelling in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; because apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Christ in us! What a great, unfathomable yet wondrous mystery this interconnection is! God the Father, God the Son, Who is the Word, God the Holy Spirit and the reborn Human son all together as one. Just as the branches need to be one with the vine to live and produce so we are one with Christ.

At this point If there is anyone who cannot say Christ is in them and they are in Christ, you can learn more in our “How to know God” article on the top menu.

I said all that to try to illustrate as best I can that Jesus lives within our hearts.

Although we can never fully understand the magnitude and the mechanics of it we have the complete, fullness of God’s Word within us.

So, the armour and the weapons of our warfare are already inside of us.

The armour of God is nothing more than the awareness of who and what we are in Christ.

Knowing who and what we are in Christ is what will destroy the enemy’s strongholds over our lives and cause us to overcome and triumph in the face of adversity.

The armour as Paul explains it in Ephesians 10 is a parable or a picture drawn to help us understand the power of who we are in Christ and how to use that when the enemy attacks our minds.

Let’s break this wonderful chapter down so we can understand each vital part fully.

First, we’ll see that each piece of armour revolves around three keys;

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Our reality of Who Jesus is should be like Peter in Matthew 16:16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
2. The Word of God – The Word is the source of our knowledge. 2 Peter 1:2  proclaims, “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”
3. Our faith – Our faith is the vehicle by which we believe that the Word of God within us is truth. We get faith by the Word. In Romans 10:17 we hear, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Then in James 2:1 -20, we see that faith not acted on is not faith. It is through our faith that the Word of God is truth that we speak and act in our moment by moment lives.

Notice that these three keys all dwell inside the heart of the believer. Jesus Christ, the Word of God and our faith all reside in the heart. From Romans 10:8 we see that “The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart.” The heart is the inner person, the spirit, which is the real, eternal us.

Power

So back to Ephesians 6 now and before explaining the weapons and the armour, God tells us in Verse 10 to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.”

Notice with who’s might we face the enemy. We can’t win in this war in our own puny spiritual strength. We need to be strengthened by the Lord and His might, not our might.

But how do we actually do this?

We use those three keys; The Lord Jesus Christ, The Word of God and our faith.

1. The Lord Jesus – Christ is strength and might.
2. The Word of God – Ephesians 3:16  tells us that He (Christ) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you, Lord. I believe that you have granted me strength and might on the inner man.”

Stand

Next, in Verse 11 and again in Verse 13 we are told to put on the armour so that we may stand. Notice we don’t attack! We stand. How? Use the three keys.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Christ is the Rock on which we stand.
2. The Word of God – Isaiah 54:17  Tells us that No weapon formed against us shall prosper. Also in Isaiah 41:10, we are told, “Do not fear; for I am with you; be not dismayed; for I am your God. I will make you strong; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. “
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you, Lord. I can stand strong today because I believe that you have promised that no weapon formed against me shall prosper and that you are with me, you will help me and you will uphold me in your  righteousness.”

Know the Enemy

It is in Verse 12 that we get to see who our enemy really is and it’s not other people! It’s against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness. Can we use the three keys here? Yes.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Jesus is the real target of the enemy. Since He is in us we are in the fight.
2. The Word of God – 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. And, in James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you Lord that you have revealed to me where the real battle is taking place and who my enemy is. Thank you also that you have given me all that I need to resist the adversary.”

Loins Girt with Truth

It is in Verse 14 that we’re told of our first piece of amour which is a girdle around our loins. Remember these are the loins of the mind! Remember 1Peter 1:13,  “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind.” We need God’s truth in the face of the onslaught of lies that are cast at us from every direction today.

Key 1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Jesus is the truth.

Key 2. The Word of God – I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. That’s John 14:6. Also, in John 17:17 Jesus says,  “Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.”

Key 3. Our faith declares  – “Thank you Lord that you are the truth, the way and the life. I am what you say I am, not what any other being says and no matter even what my feelings tell me.”

Breastplate of Righteousness

Again, in verse 14 we’re told of the breastplate of righteousness. The attack on your righteousness that you have in Christ is often the jump-off point for the enemy. If we doubt that we’re the righteousness of God when we’re in Christ, we believe that we’re beyond the Lord’s help because we‘re not good enough for Him to work on our behalf. We were never good enough in our own works! It’s by His Grace and Mercy and sacrifice that we’re made righteous. Again, the keys.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Christ is the only One righteous and without sin, but he became sin for us so that He could pay the penalty for it and in so doing we may be made righteous.
2. The Word of God – 1 Corinthians 1:30  It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in his presence. Christ is the one who set us free from sin.  2 Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you, Lord, because of the price you paid in your death and burial. Because you rose again from the dead you defeated sin and death and by believing in you I am righteous because my sin has been paid for and forgiven. No force or human can convince me that I am rejected of you because of my unrighteousness because your Word tells me that in Christ I am the righteousness of God. If I sin I know that I can confess my sin and be cleansed from all unrighteousness according to 1 John 1:9.”

Feet Shod

In Verse 15 we are told to have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. What is the Gospel? It’s simple. Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, he was buried, and he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. The keys are;

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Christ is the only subject of the Gospel.
2. The Word of God – 1 Corinthians 15:3 – 4  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you Lord that I am a product of the Gospel of peace as well as a proclaimer of it. Please reveal to me and to all those people I share my life with the power and the beauty of the Gospel.”

Sheild of Faith

When the world tries to tell us that there is no God and that we evolved from apes. When religion tries to convince us that Jesus was just another prophet.

When deception and distraction roar to us that the resurrection and the virgin birth are just myths.

When doubt and disbelief about any of the things of God begin to overtake our mind we take up the shield of faith in verse 16. Notice we must “take it up”. Notice also that the verse says “above all”. The analogy here is that the shield covers the whole person. All the pieces of the armour and the weaponry require faith as their fuel. Notice also that the shield is able to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. The shield is able but it’s not automatic.

Key 1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Christ is the one who gives us faith.

Key 2. The Word of God – Ephesians 2:8  says, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”  Romans 10:17  gives us, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” And  Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Key 3. Our faith declares – “Thank you Lord for the gift of faith. You have made it possible for me to believe your word and the promises to me that it contains. Through your gift of faith, I know who I am and what I have in you. It’s not just theory but fact. I am who you say I am and I am a partaker in all you have paid an enormous price to give me.”

Helmet of Salvation

One major source of mind attack is a constant barrage of lies that try to convince you that your salvation is false and that you are hopelessly lost. Verse 17 urges us to put on the helmet of salvation which protects us against these attacks of deception. Notice it is us who “put it on”. The fact that we have salvation should wipe away our fear of death’s dark vale. Salvation means we’re saved from the penalty of sin which is eternal death, eternal separation from God.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Christ is the one in who we have salvation. Only in Him, do we have eternal life and forgiveness of sin.
2. The Word of God – Hebrews 5:9 tells us, “ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you Lord for my salvation. Even though I walk through death’s dark vale I will fear no ill because I will live in the house of God forever.”

The Sword of the Spirit

As anxiety begins to take hold in your mind and the things of this world start to sap the peace and the joy of the Lord from you, Verse 17 urges us to take up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. This is one of only two offensive weapons. The keys are;

1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Christ is the Word of God and He is in us. He reveals Himself and all His words to us through the Holy Spirit. Only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit can we understand His Word.
2. The Word of God – John 14:26  tells us that the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Ephesians 1:13 says, “ …in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. There’s nothing that you could encounter that God’s Word does not have an answer for. Use a concordance or do a search on the blue letter Bible or eSword app to find what God says about your situation.
3. Our faith declares – “Thank you Lord for your word. I know that your word is truth and I have the truth in me.” Then use the results of your search and speak those scriptures to your mind as well as to the enemy.

Prayer

In the midst of the attack, when the enemy is doing his worst to steal your peace and rob you of your joy, pray. Verse 18 reveals the last piece of weaponry and the second offensive weapon, prayer and supplication. Prayer is simply conversing with God and supplication is a humble request. You don’t need a long drawn out prayer life that speaks out everything that pops into your mind. It should not, I believe, be a religious rite. Much could be written here on prayer but sufficient to say that we are always in a state of awareness that God is with us and never leaves or forsakes us. He knew us before the world was formed and the true power of prayer is to live in the conscious knowledge of His presence and His desire for your ultimate good.

Key 1. The Lord Jesus Christ – Jesus is the one in whose name we pray to the Father.

Key 2. The Word of God – Philippians 4:6  tells us to, “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Key 3. Our faith declares – “Thank you Lord that because I am in right relationship with you I can approach you boldly. I can ask anything of you in the name of Jesus and you hear me. I know you always hear me even though often the answer is “no”.

Now, if there is anyone who cannot say they have a personal relationship with God, you can learn more in our “How to know God” article on the top menu.

I hope and pray this rather long article may help you to understand the power you have in Christ Jesus. Thank you.