Spiritual War
It’s been said that to win wars, you have to train men and women to be warriors. When we hear the words warrior or soldier, we picture bravery, discipline and training. All of these things are important if you’re going to war. What if, however, you don’t KNOW you’re going to war?
Many of us walk into spiritual battles without even being aware that there is a war going on for our hearts. The Bible talks often about our battle against darkness, against spiritual forces, against evil. So why don’t we pay more attention to preparing for it? How do we prepare for it, you ask? We strategize for battle.
In his book “Lead”, Paul David Tripp talks about 3 important ways we should strategize.
We must humbly accept and be growingly aware of our susceptibilities.
Know your weaknesses. Sound familiar? Sometimes we are aware of our own weaknesses. Often, we aren’t. Sometimes we even think that our actual weaknesses are strengths. We see our knowledge, success, gifts and experiences as personal victories. That can turn from healthy to pride really fast. Tripp says that “Perhaps there is no better defense against spiritual attack than humility; that is, a sense of constant need for protective and empowering grace that then motivates us to watch for danger and cry out for God’s help and the loving help of fellow leaders.” When we don’t live in humility and stay alert, our guards are down and we are open to attack.
Personal and corporate spiritual war must be a regular part of our ongoing conversation with one another and a central focus of our prayer together.
Outside of movies like “Mission Impossible”, or “The Bourne Identity”, it is not an effective strategy to go into a battle alone. Soldiers live, train, serve and fight together. They support each other - through good and bad. They challenge and hold each other accountable to stay focused and moving toward the mission’s goals. We have to do the same. We need people in our lives that we can lean on, call to, and who will tell us if we’re getting off course. We need them to keep reminding us of the mission - and vice versa. If we don’t allow those honest voices in our lives, we set ourselves up for danger. We need to be willing to confront one another and accept confrontation from one another so that we can continue to stand together. Our enemy loves nothing more but to divide us in order to conquer. Standing together and calling on our ultimate leader, our Heavenly Father, gives us the strongest defense against spiritual defeat.
We must examine and defend ourselves against Satan’s devices.
Satan is not called a “crafty deceiver” for no reason. He’s sneaky. He knows us, and knows what he can use against us. He knows how to get us just off track enough that our mission is affected or derailed. He can even use some great things to get us off course. Sometimes, he even uses our ministry to do it. He can take our natural satisfaction over successes and easily turn it to pride. How many of us have experienced a bit of that pride in a job well done, and quickly patted ourselves on the back and wanted more? What started as a pursuit for good things can quickly turn to threatening things because they have become controlling things. Tripp says “Public acclaim can alter the way we think about who we are and what we need. Leaders who once led with a servant mentality assess their track record and become comfortable acting entitled and demanding. The trust and respect of fellow leaders tempt us to give way to fear of man, becoming as a result, less than candid about spiritual attack and our spiritual health.” “A strong sense of ministry calling doesn’t free you from attack; rather, the feelings of being different, special, and set aside may, in reality, be what the enemy uses to get at your heart, causing you to let your guard down.”
So, warriors, lets evaluate. Lets evaluate our mission, our goals, our relationships, and our defenses. Be aware of the enemy, how he works, and how easily he can creep in. Allow voices into your life to help keep you on mission, and who allow you to do the same. Be honest with each other and pray often and hard for one another. Then, be alert. Don’t allow the enemy to divert or distort your mission. Stay in step with your Commander and His plans for triumph. OUR Commander has already won!