Spiritual Warfare
Personally, I do not know a Christian that would verbally confess to disbelief in the reality of spiritual warfare. However, in my experience, many Western Christians are either naive or willfully ignorant to those spiritual realities. I also know Christians who have hyper-focused on those realities, taking their eyes off the main thing: Jesus Christ Himself.
Ephesians 6:12 notably says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Fight!
In the Greek, the word “wrestle” (in verse 12) can also be translated to mean fight or conflict. Too often as believers we are lulled to sleep by the cares, worries, and “shiny” things in the world. At best we have neglected our call and identity to struggle, to war, and to resist the enemy. I am not saying this as a distant judgmental bystander… I myself used to be a spiritual couch potato. I spent most of my time in “neutral,” allowing myself to be tossed and turned by the seen and unseen things going on around me. I had almost no control over my emotions (I was a slave to them), I could not say no to sin, and I was dominated by those who functioned via spirits that were not the Holy Spirit.
It took several wake-up moments from God to progressively sober me up to realize just how much of a push over I had been to the devil. The most recent wake-up moment was getting to see and participate in hundreds (yes, literally hundreds) of deliverances over the past year. I saw Christian friends, family members, and church members getting demons cast out of them. As you can imagine this really woke me up.
I share this because many, if not most, of the battles you face on a daily basis are not accidental or coincidental. I know most Western believers struggle with feelings of spiritual apathy. If just in this past year I have seen so many Christians (who wanted freedom) have demons cast out of them, then how much demonic activity is going on in the non believing people and atmosphere around us that we don’t see?
It’s time for us to sober up! We need to take off our rose-colored glasses and surrender our “American dreams.” We need to actually believe that we belong to another kingdom (John 17:14).
“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
Read the above passage again. Now, let it read you. Are you truly sober? Are you staying vigilant? Or have you been tricked into agreeing with secular culture, into opening your heart to the devil, and (God please help us) into watering down the gospel?
To many, this seems intense. Maybe too intense. Maybe reading this seems harsh or offensive. If it does, then it is probably for you. This is why Paul said, “Awake you who sleep… and Christ will give you light.” Ephesians 5:14
Sons and Daughters
The first time I had someone talk to me in the way I shared above was when I was 20 years old. The conversation shook me, offended me, and cut me. I had shared with my then 15 year old sister about how I was feeling depressed. This was not a new thing. In fact, I had felt depressed for years and considered suicide many times before. In the past my sister or mom had comforted me in my pain, but this time the Holy Spirit rose in my sister to speak to me. In response to me sharing about all the negative things I was feeling she said, “Austin, get up and fight!” Like I said, I felt shook up and offended. I remember leaving that conversation, complaining to God about how my teenage sister just corrected me. Me, a junior in college majoring in Biblical Studies! What right did she have? But soon after my complaining ceased, I felt the familiar nudge of God on my heart. “Oh… she is right?” I asked Him. An suddenly I realized how right she was. I had been such a victim. All my pride left me and I humbled myself before God, asking Him to change me and save me from spiritual laziness and to help me take up my identity as a son of God.
I have been on an upward trend (regarding walking in my identity) for years, but this last year doing deliverances helped me to experientially know and receive my identity on a whole other level. As I saw demons manifest in people- talk through people, laugh at me, try to kick, punch, and choke me- I obviously awoke to the deeper reality of spiritual warfare. However, I also saw these same demons who were causing so much drama do exactly what I told them to. When I told them to be silent, they had to be quiet. When I told them to stop kicking me they stopped kicking me. When I told the one demon who was trying to choke me to death to stop, literally the arms of the man the demon was in were suddenly pinned to the floor. When we told the demons to leave people, they had to leave. It was wild. I had no idea as a child of God I had so much authority.
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18b, 20b.
The great news is not that I am special in this regard (although I am special to God :D). Between you and me, there is no difference here. We are sons and daughters of the most high God (John 1:12) and He is with us. By faith, we can choose to walk in this very same authority.
I recognize that every problem we face will not be suddenly fixed through this revelation about spiritual warfare, but receiving this revelation and walking in it will drastically change the way you live. You are a son or daughter of the most high God. He IS with you. He has set His seal of approval upon you. You do not have to let the enemy continue to push you around. You can stand up, you can fight, and you can know that our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ will be faithful to His word and be with us always.
Joy
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8
A big mistake that can be made, that I have made, is to recognize the realities above and then forget about all of Christ’s benefits (Psalms 103:2). The call of God is both simple and difficult. We must continue to let Him lead us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). We must embrace the reality that we are in a war, that we must get up and fight with His authority, and then we must commit to doing this all His way.
There is a continual invitation to abide in Him and to have fullness of joy in Him (John 15:1, 5, 11). As God’s children, we have the opportunity to war from victory and sonship. We can war from the place of joy, keeping our hearts and minds on things that are “true, noble, just, pure, and lovely.”
You are a child of the living God. He is with you. He is for you.
Stand up and fight. Fight for your own heart and destiny. Fight for your family and friends. Fight for the dying and broken world around you, and do so in the fullness of His Joy.