Prayer , Faith The Bible often describes the life of someone following Jesus using the language and imagery of warfare. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. When it came to protecting yourself in battle in ancient times, the focus was on protecting the heart and the head. If you are a follower of Christ, the Lord has already delivered, redeemed and liberated you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged (John 16:8-11). And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? His opposition to Job was evident in the form of natural disaster and human illness. I implore You by God, do not torment me! For He had been saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit! And He was asking him, What is your name? And he said to Him, My name is Legion; for we are many. And he began to entreat Him earnestly not to send them out of the country (Mark 5:6-10). Here, Paul speaks of the mystery which God purposed to reveal through him. We are not encouraged to take up the full armor of God, we are commanded to do so. Gods ways are not natural to us. Spiritual warfare - What does the Bible say? - CompellingTruth.org Paul warns every Christian about the danger of self-confidence: Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). 9.What happens to those who are immoral, impure, or greedy? Two times we read that David stayed in Jerusalem at the time when kings go to war: Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and her servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. The narrative of humanitys fall introduces us to the devil, who is also called Satan, and the forces he has brought to the world. Jesus introduced His kingdom into the world like a tiny seed (Matthew 13:3132), and it is growing as people discover the truth of the gospel message and turn to Him. However, Jesus calls for us to be unified in Him with love for each other. Thus, the battle rages in the lives of believers but the victory is assured because we are in Christ. God then granted Satan the authority to afflict Job, but always within strict limits. (12) The nature of our weapons tells us a great deal about the nature of the war we are in, and of the methods which Satan will employ in his efforts to destroy us. War is very controversial today in the physical realm. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Every Gift is Doubled! 10 Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels (1 Corinthians 11:10). What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. And behold, they cried out, saying, What do we have to do with You, Son of God? 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. Question 4: In John 17, Jesus gives a clear message through His prayer to the Father about the seriousness of our lives in this "world." 49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. 1 Corinthians 2:12 NIV Rather than focus on negative things, it helps instead to find the positive in everything and everyone. But the victory will be the Lords, for it is only in His strength that we stand. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? Therefore it says, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 7 Submit therefore to God. There would have been no need to come to die for us if this is all there is. It is a war between Satan and his fallen celestial allies and Christ and His church. The enemy will attack from all angles, hoping to dissuade the person from fully giving their heart to Jesus. "All have sinned and fall short" but the blood of Christ has saved us from destruction. Examples of Spiritual Warfare in the Bible | Doug Addison We are constantly battling between what we want to do versus what we know the Lord wants us to do. 28:12-15). If you are a follower of Jesus, you are on the frontlines of this cosmic battle. Because we are born into this world, we naturally think according to it. Satans strategy for the present time (until the final conflict) is that of subversive activity. And Joab struck Rabbah and over threw it (1 Chronicles 20:1). We cannot see Him but we believe that He died on the cross for our sins. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. From these texts and many others, I believe that it is safe to say that Satan is the arch-enemy of the church. Thus, our armor must be complete. His victory was spiritual, physical and materialon earth as it is in heaven. Spiritual Warfare in Everyday Living - Lifeway Voices This doesnt necessarily mean that youll never suffer difficulty or harm, but in the midst of these trials, dont let the enemy shake your confidence in Gods goodness and plan. Do I really have to think this much about my faith when it only took one prayer to be saved? Even if most Christians do not conscientiously ask these questions, their lives reflect the answer. 8.Share with the group an incident where you have been tricked or deceived. It goes on to explain the church's responsibility to go into the whole world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). It is not a war that is like the wars which are currently going on between nations today (although such wars may be a part of the bigger war). Session 7 Keith Green, a Christian song writer, wrote, I [Satan] used to have to sneak around. Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters. (Matthew 12:2530, NIV). Spiritual warfare is serious business. Jesus tells the Pharisees that what theyre saying doesnt make any sense. SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE BIBLE - King James Bible Online To bring humanity away from the power of Satan and back to a relationship with God, He would have to deal with Satans power and influence among the kingdoms of the world. Answer There are two primary errors when it comes to spiritual warfareover-emphasis and under-emphasis. There is not one thing which Satan is allowed to do which does not promote Gods purposes, His glory, and our good. 16 And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him; And His righteousness upheld Him. (8) Pauls instruction to put on the full armor of God is a command. Taken from the Bible study Spiritual Warfare by Tonilee Adamson and Bobbye Brooks, and used by permission of Daily Disciples. God has purposed to delay casting Satan into the lake of fire because in his freedom to operate as the god of this world he is unwittingly fulfilling Gods purposes. It not only assures us that there is a spiritual war, but it warns us that apart from utilizing the weapons which God has provided for us, we are hopelessly underpowered. Question 3: There are those who believe that fortune telling, horoscopes and ouija boards are harmless fun, but what does the Bible say? Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. The tricky thing about spiritual warfare is that youre never really instructed to attack the enemy. With a few exceptions, our enemies remain invisible to our eyes, but they nevertheless are real, and so is their opposition. Do your daughters dress modestly and tastefully? Why? But he also wants to make sure Gods people understand the boundaries of spiritual warfare. And so I must ask you this simple question, my friend. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death (Revelation 12:10-11). The breastplate of righteousness. And this mystery is now been revealed through the church, even as Paul has revealed it to the church. There have been others who were able to see with their physical eyes into the spiritual realm. What programs do you and your wife view that are inappropriate for your children? And so, when he approached him, Joshua asked this man if he was for or against Israel. 3 Ways Jesus Shows Us How to Practice Hospitality, 3 Times Christians Actually Should Judge Others, 7 Short but Mighty Lessons from the Book of James, When it Comes to Miracles, God Does it His Way. The prayer of John 17 expresses the heart of Jesus, as He knows the battles that we will face in this world. Gods men are pure, obedient, truthful, and sacrificial at all times. 4.Do your children have Internet access in their bedrooms? Do Christians have the authority to rebuke the devil? Satans final defeat (20:7-10) comes not at the hand of the saints, but from the hand of God, who sends fire from heaven (20:9). In this case, Matthew says demonic oppression was the reason for these problems. Now who would have ever considered gossip to be satanic? Spiritual strongholds - what is the biblical view. We believe with the eyes of our heart, instead of with the eyes in our head. Give today! Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Every day victory is achieved by knowing, believing and understanding the battles that we are enduring daily, regardless if we are passive or active in the battles. He cannot fathom why anyone would submit to God and worship him. When the Christian is actively engaged in the battle, it is the Lord who wins the victory (see Joshua 5:136:27). Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:28-29). When some of the first Christians were suffering because of what they believed, another one of Jesus followers, Peter, warned them, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8, NIV). Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:6-7). 9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke you. 10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed (Jude 8-10). No ones looking for my tricks because no one believes in me any more. However, if we choose to ignore or not believe in the spiritual realm, we will find ourselves confused, frustrated, and quenching the peace that God has promised to each of us. 12 Powerful Scriptures For Spiritual Warfare Resistance - Living on the 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. From the early chapters of the Old Testament it is apparent that Satan is the enemy of God, and that he actively seeks to oppose God, His purposes, and His people. We must learn to fight against the very nature within us. Forgive my sins, so that I may be clean in your righteousness. We, as Christians, are Gods children. 3.What are some of the ways in which Satan attacks you indirectly? As Hitlers appetite for power and territory grew, his army began to march across Europe. I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods! (Daniel 3:24-25).
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