Spiritual Warfare - 17

The Christian army – A Team

I cannot see the battle won, when I stand by myself. I have personal victory when The Lord is with me, for I am complete in Him. With Him, I can be all that He has planned me to be and I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.

In many situations, the Lord gives me a partner to work with. When God made Adam, He said that it was not good for man to be alone, and so He made Eve as a suitable helper for him. When Jesus sent the apostles out on mission, He sent them two by two. The apostle Paul went out on ministry together with Silas or Barnabas or John Mark or Luke.

Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

If a relationship between two persons is built in The Lord, it is healthy and not easily broken.

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.”  So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  Exodus 17:8-13 

There is a team here, playing different roles, to defeat the enemy.

                                          Rod of God

                                            Moses

                            Aaron                        Hur

                              

                                             Joshua

                                           The people

The Rod of God lifted up by Moses meant “ Jehovah Nissi”  The Lord is my banner.

Joshua couldn’t win without Moses holding up The rod of God, and Moses couldn’t hold up the rod of God without Aaron and Hur.

When God called Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, he gathered together all the people and they worked next to each other and after each other. (Neh 3) Therefore the spiritual war is fought not only as a team at a given time but also as a baton relay where the mantle is passed on from person to person to continue the battle.  

Rules for a team:-     1)  Play your role well.   2) Support and help others so that they may play their roles well. 

3) Don’t play the role of another and don’t copy another and don’t hinder another. 

God chooses a man to lead His army for a season.

We need to progress united as an army, all submitting to the Commander-in-Chief, Who is The Lord Jesus Christ. Stand or march promptly, at the orders of the Commander. When we are in the battle field, it is necessary to quickly obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, unquestioningly. While playing an electronic game, pressing the right key at the right time increases the score. Similarly, prompt acts of obedience to the Holy Spirit, is like pushing buttons that bring about big changes in the spiritual set up.

 I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.  Psalm 119:60 

Even when you are carrying a mobile phone, it may be turned off or you may be out of range to pick up the signals to be in touch with others. Similarly, it is necessary to be fine tuned and sensitive to the signals and voice of the Holy Spirit and others in the team when we are in the battle field.

The ultimate goal is, not just taking our stand, but gaining territory and possessing the land. This calls for a team effort and I am only responsible to play my part in my place during my life time. In doing this, I enter His rest, although I may not see the fulfillment of all the promises of victory. As I walk in obedience, I see some of God’s promises fulfilled. Others, I see through my eyes of faith, believing that He will fulfill with His hands what He promises with His mouth, in His time.  

Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”  Genesis 15:12-16

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.  Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.  Deuteronomy 34:1-5 

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;  Acts 13:36 

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.  John 19:30

In my day to day life, am I able to enter His rest? This is possible, if I only do what the Lord requires of me and not get entangled, meddling in others’ work and becoming a problem in the battle field.

Garbage truck!

I know at least two little boys who are very excited every Thursday morning. The cause of the excitement is interestingly the garbage truck!

I feel happy as I collect all the rubbish in our home - any old food, waste paper, garden waste and the dust from the vacuum cleaner - and dump all of it into the bin. I keep thanking God for the provision of effective disposal of garbage as I push the big bin out to the curb.
Like the little boys, I enjoy watching the truck pick up all the garbage down the road. I especially feel a relief when I see our household rubbish taken away by the truck.

Isn't it so in the spiritual realm as well? All of us are laden with all kinds of garbage such as anger, hurts, bitterness,strife, pride, stress, confusion and so on. When we are overwhelmed with these things, we unload and pour these onto others, scattering and spreading the garbage. It is no wonder that our world is so dirty!

Where are the garbage trucks and isn't there a spiritual garbage disposal system? Yes, there is! The good news is that it is available to all of us.Calvary is where ALL such rubbish is cleared. That is where the Holy, Pure Son of God was tortured and crucified as a criminal. He has paid for the disposal of ALL our sins and filthiness. His blood that poured out, is the most powerful sin-stain-remover.

You can come to Him now in faith and pour out all that is in your heart to Him. Just humbly ask the Lord JESUS to take away every sin and hurt. Speak to Him as you would speak to a loving father. He is right there with you. As you unload your he, you can have it filled with His love.

Once you are cleaned up, you can be a garbage truck - an intercessor - transporting the garbage of others to Calvary!

1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV)
⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)
¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Spiritual Warfare - 16

Spiritual Warfare – A Ball Game

Imagine a ball game like basket ball, foot ball or net ball.
The two teams represent the two kingdoms of God and Satan respectively.
The ball is symbolic of the attitudes, words and actions passed around from person to person or through the media and so on.
The tools of the devil, pass around a dirty ball of lies, anger, jealousy etc.
The instruments of God only pass around the ball of love, truth and grace.
When a dirty ball reaches a person in the ‘Good Team’:-
He/she first takes it to the goal post of the cross of Christ.
The dirty ball is washed with the precious blood of the Lamb through intercession.
The cleaned up ball of forgiveness, grace and truth is then passed on.
The goal of the evil team is the devil, the father of lies and author of all evil, whose plan is to dirty the good team with his dirty ball and prevent it reaching the goal of the good team.
The goal of the good team is to make sure that every dirty ball is brought to the goal post of the cross of Christ, so that the clean ball which reflects the glory of God prevails!
Now, which team are you playing for and which team are you playing against?
Our heads (minds) are continuously bombarded with thoughts from what we see, hear and remember. As members of the ‘Good Team’, we need to process these carefully.

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:8-12
 

For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 1 Peter 4:3-4

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7-8
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

Spiritual Warfare - 15

Fighting Methods

Even in the old testament, when God’s people faced their enemies, many victories were won through unconventional methods of fighting.

*    Sling and stone against the sword, spear and javelin of Goliath - seems rudimentary and old fashioned!

*          Trumpet, pitcher and torch against the midianite army with their camels without number – seems totally unrelated!

*                  A choir against the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir – seems too spiritual and not practical!

Unquestioning obedience to the Lord when facing an enemy brings us to victory, even if the strategy may seem irrational and very different to the normal trend. In obedience to God, we need to use whatever tools and talents we may possess. When we follow our Commander –in-Chief, He fights for us and we find ourselves on victory side! This is the grace through which we overcome!!

Sling and stone – Spirit and word of God

One man full of faith is able to fearlessly stand against one big man and defeat him with one stone, bringing victory to God’s people.

 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”  1 Samuel 17:45-47

 Trumpet, Empty Pitcher and Torch – Prayer, Selflessness and the Holy Spirit within us respectively

One army of prayerful, selfless Christians through whom the light of the love of God shines makes one powerful army flee.

 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”  And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.  Judges 7:20-21

 Choir – singing praises to God, exalting Him.

A united choir singing in harmony (may have been 3 parts, soprano, tenor and bass!)  Disunited and broke up the threefold army. God dwells in the midst of the praises of His people and scatters the enemy. If God be for us, who can be against us?

  And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”  Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.  For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.   2 Chronicles 20:21-23

 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the assembly of saints.  Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.  Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.  For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.  Let the saints be joyful in glory; Let them sing aloud on their beds.  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,  To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples;  To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;  To execute on them the written judgment— This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!  Psalm 149

Marching in order – following the Commander-In-Chief

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”  But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”  Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  Matthew 16:21-24

We have decided to follow Jesus, who not only taught us, but Himself took up His cross and denied Himself. When we are not willing to lose our lives for His sake, we tend to overtake Him. Thus we become tools of Satan and an offense to Him.

Kingdom against kingdom

  And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  Luke 11:14-22

The demonic spirits of the kingdom of darkness keep people in bondage, but where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Jesus came to set people free from the oppression of the enemy. In the above instance the person was possessed by a demon and the manifestation of the bondage was muteness. He was totally under the control of the demon. Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, who is stronger than the unclean spirit, bound that spirit, cast it out of the man and set him free. The evidence of victory for the kingdom of God was that the man started speaking.

Jesus gives us the keys of the kingdom to bind such powers of darkness and set people free from the enemy’s bondage. We need to understand the spiritual dynamics of a person in bondage or oppression. We need to address the spirit or spirits controlling him or her. As we pray and speak under the authority of the Holy Spirit in us, demons will flee. There will be a physical sign of the spiritual release.

 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.  “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”  Luke 11:23-26

Once a person is released from the kingdom of darkness, it is important that he becomes totally part of the kingdom of light. If I am not in the kingdom of darkness, but not wholly following and serving the Lord, I would be a hindrance to the progress of God’s kingdom. When the unclean spirit leaves, the Holy Spirit has to come in.

  And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.  Judges 7:25

In this manner, we need to capture, defeat and behead the enemy so that he has no power over our lives. Let us seek spiritual insight to recognize the spiritual situation through physical manifestations so that we may specifically pray for victory.

May we diligently study the word of God and ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that we may be free from the oppression of the devil to worship God.

       Set my spirit free, that I might worship Thee:

           Set my spirit free, that I might praise Thy Name.

               Let all bondage go, and let deliverance flow:

                   Set my spirit free to worship Thee.

Spiritual Warfare - 14

Gideon – Judges 6

 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”  So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”  And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”   Judges 6:14-16 

God does not wait for us till we are strong. HE strengthens us as we go. HIS strength is made perfect in my weakness. HE sends me. HE is with me as I obey. HE sends me to save Israel from the oppressor. HE assures me of great victory.

 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”  So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.   Judges 6:23-24 HIS presence is Shalom.

 Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;  and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”    Judges 6:25-26
 Bring down the altar of Baal. Build the altar of God.


Spiritual victory before physical victory.
   I need to experience personal victory before I can be used to bring national victory.

Shaping a valiant army:--

Out of the 32,000 people, 22,000 people ( About 70%) who were fearful had to leave.  Fear has to go. Only about 1% of the original army was taken for the war. These were 300 men who were whole heartedly dedicated.

 It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.  But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,  and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. Judges 7:9-11
The Lord understands us and helps us to overcome our fear.

 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”  Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”   Judges 7:13-14
The Lord reveals to us that the enemy is in fear when he is confronted by a man or woman of God. When we see the defeat of the enemy in faith, courage rises in our hearts.

 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”   Judges 7:15
When fear leaves, we are able to see the greatness of the Lord and we worship Him. Then we are able to encourage others.

  Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a 

trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.   Judges 7:16

We follow the Lord’s instruction and plan of action which could be quite unconventional!

Trumpet – Prayer.  Empty pitcher – Selflessness,  Torch – The light of the Holy Spirit within us. (2 Cor 4:6,7)

 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:  Judges 7:17
Gideon arises as a leader as He is led by the Lord.

 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ ”  Judges 7:18
If my sword is the same as that of the Lord, I am assured of victory.


When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.  Judges 7:22 
The Lord brought the victory when the trumpets were blown. The Lord brings us to victory when we pray. When we get the enemy unawares, he reacts. When he reacts, his character shows up. Fear, anger, murder and destruction are brought about, even within his own army! JESUS came to expose and destroy the evil works of the enemy. (Matt 12:24-26)