Christians Need To Understand Spiritual Warfare
Some followers of Christ tend to overemphasize the role of the devil, blaming him for every conflict, sin and problem. At the other extreme are those who completely ignore the fact that the Bible speaks about a battle against spiritual powers. In the light of these two extremes, it becomes important to help believers understand spiritual warfare. Many Christian authors have written about this topic and their books are sold at online stores today. Fighting against the enemies of God is part of establishing His kingdom. This is not carnal or fleshly aggression. It is using discernment, authority and unwavering faith to overcome evil.
Many do not realize just how different this spiritual battle is from the kind of wars to which we are accustomed. It has different enemies, different weapons and instead of an unknown outcome, believers have the assurance of victory. Christ has already won the battle. Instead of carnal aggression, the means used to overcome evil and manifest this victory are the authority of God, discernment and unwavering faith.
Firstly, this is not a war against enemies of flesh and blood. Believers are not fighting against other people like themselves. They are fighting a completely different kind of fight against powers and principalities. They are fighting what is unseen.
In this battle, weapons like guns, bullets or bombs are not effective. Instead, Christians are instructed to use the weapons of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, prayer, and the word of God to fight the battle. In facing the battle against deception, temptations and accusations, their primary defense is their salvation and their primary offense is the sword of the Word. Jesus Himself used the Word to counter temptation.
This battle is not motivated by hatred but by love. When a mother sees that her children are under threat of any kind, her deep love motivates her to fight for them. It was the deep love of God for mankind that motivated Him to send His son to His death on the cross. A victory was won on the cross and this has to be claimed by believers and become a reality in their lives.
When Christ died on the cross, this was not a partial victory. The works of evil were completely destroyed. Many people do not understand why evil is still so prevalent on earth when Christ won this victory on the cross. It is for this very reason that they need to fight. The fight is to manifest the victory He won and establish His kingdom.
Many Christians become discouraged at some point in the fight against evil. It is only Christ who is able to bring victory and so they have to make sure that they are not fighting in their own strength. They need to constantly draw on the authority of God and rely on Him to establish His kingdom through them.
Many Christians feel a sense of inadequacy when it comes to waging war. However, their strength lies in trusting God and not relying on their own strength. God has already won the victory. They simply have to believe this until it becomes a reality in their lives.
Many do not realize just how different this spiritual battle is from the kind of wars to which we are accustomed. It has different enemies, different weapons and instead of an unknown outcome, believers have the assurance of victory. Christ has already won the battle. Instead of carnal aggression, the means used to overcome evil and manifest this victory are the authority of God, discernment and unwavering faith.
Firstly, this is not a war against enemies of flesh and blood. Believers are not fighting against other people like themselves. They are fighting a completely different kind of fight against powers and principalities. They are fighting what is unseen.
In this battle, weapons like guns, bullets or bombs are not effective. Instead, Christians are instructed to use the weapons of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, prayer, and the word of God to fight the battle. In facing the battle against deception, temptations and accusations, their primary defense is their salvation and their primary offense is the sword of the Word. Jesus Himself used the Word to counter temptation.
This battle is not motivated by hatred but by love. When a mother sees that her children are under threat of any kind, her deep love motivates her to fight for them. It was the deep love of God for mankind that motivated Him to send His son to His death on the cross. A victory was won on the cross and this has to be claimed by believers and become a reality in their lives.
When Christ died on the cross, this was not a partial victory. The works of evil were completely destroyed. Many people do not understand why evil is still so prevalent on earth when Christ won this victory on the cross. It is for this very reason that they need to fight. The fight is to manifest the victory He won and establish His kingdom.
Many Christians become discouraged at some point in the fight against evil. It is only Christ who is able to bring victory and so they have to make sure that they are not fighting in their own strength. They need to constantly draw on the authority of God and rely on Him to establish His kingdom through them.
Many Christians feel a sense of inadequacy when it comes to waging war. However, their strength lies in trusting God and not relying on their own strength. God has already won the victory. They simply have to believe this until it becomes a reality in their lives.
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