Saturday 15 September 2012

Understanding the reality of spiritual warfare


“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
The Devil is real. Spiritual warfare is also very real. While we do not and cannot blame the Devil for every calamity we face, he is very much at work.

In my Award-Winning book Crushing The Devil: Your Guide to Spiritual Warfare and Victory in Christ, I make the following statement, “There is a furious, fierce, and ferocious battle raging in the realm of the spirit between the forces of God and the forces of evil. Warfare happens every day, all the time. Whether you believe it or not, you are in a battlefield. You are in warfare. The moment you become a Christian, the devil’s grip over your life is broken, you cease to be his child, and you become a threat to him. He begins to see you as his enemy and seeks to either win you back or destroy you. You are therefore immediately thrust onto the front line of this brutal battle whether you appreciate it or not, whether you like it or not, and whether you know it or not.”

The Bible makes it very clear in Ephesians 6 that we are not fighting against human beings, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. In other words, your neighbour isn’t the enemy. Nor is the enemy your spouse or your boss at work! You’re fighting an enemy who is a spirit. You are waging war against an enemy who is invisible to the naked eye. To stand a chance, you must rely totally, utterly, and completely on God, because He is spirit. He can see the end of a thing from its beginning. Our weapons are mighty through God, and we are nothing without Him. In reality, the battle is His; you are merely a battle-axe, a sword, or an arrow in His awesome and powerful hands!
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (NIV)

On the cross of Calvary, Jesus obtained victory over sin, sickness, and death. He triumphed over the Enemy through His death and resurrection. This gives us a distinct advantage because it enables us to fight from victory and not for victory!

As long as you depend on the Lord Jesus and use His weapons, the devil cannot overpower you because the outcome of the battle had long been predetermined, and your victory as a believer long guaranteed! So, you engage the devil, not in the fear of defeat, but to enforce Jesus’s victory, and to make known to the enemy the manifold wisdom of God!
What’s your understanding of spiritual warfare? Let’s have some feedback!

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Pedro Okoro is a Professional Blogger, Copywriter, Coach, List Grow Strategist and Pastor. He is the founder and CEO of Astute Copy Blogging. He is also an Award-winning and bestselling Author. He is married with two delightful daughters.

2 comments:

  1. I didn't understand spiritual warfare when I was first baptized. The first lady of the church I was baptized into said you're smiling now but you won't be smiling for long. It hurt me that she said that but now I understand that my life as a believer is not a game and the souls of the lost are precious. I always like things to be explained to me but I had to learn for myself what spiritual warfare is and whose strength and power I need to keep treading victoriously. Great post brother. Know that your post are not in vain. B/C God's spirit is in you, these posts sometimes cut like a two-edge sword but it's ok bc it's for edification purposes. God bless.

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  2. Thank you so much for your encouragement. Spiritual warfare has been given a bad name I and doing my best to unpack it in bite-size posts on this Blog. My Book 'Crushing The Devil' is a guide on the subject. God bless and keep you!

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