The Lord’s army

How many times don’t we hear Christians say that they are under attack or that they have been under attack? I used to wonder what they were talking about because I didn’t think I experienced any spiritual attacks. Until the penny dropped and I realised what is was all about. The Bible tells us that we are in a spiritual battle. And by ‘we’ I mean believers.

Ephesians 6:10-13, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Here it is clear that there is a spiritual battle and that believers are the target. Satan and his demonic forces are the enemy.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Here we are given a hint as to the nature of the battle. It speaks about thoughts. One part of the battle is in our thought life. The demonic forces are very good at planting thoughts in our minds. Negative thoughts, misleading thoughts, deceptive thoughts. We have to learn to identify these thoughts for what they are and reject them as fast as they appear. We have to renew our thinking as it says in Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This all takes place in our minds and we have an internal battle which is ongoing which we have to overcome.

But what about when people attack your character?

Matthew 10:22, And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

John 15:18,  If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

I remember reading these verses and thinking that they were more specifically for people like missionaries who were being persecuted, or people in communist countries who were arrested if they preached or went to church. In the meantime I have discovered that this isn’t the case. If you are a believer, you are the target. The enemy doesn’t cross reference or leave footnotes as evidence of the reason you are being attacked. There can be people who will actually make reference to the fact that you are a Christian and how the choices you make aren’t what the world would consider good sense. And they will be mean about it. This is easy to recognise and accept. You could even be a little smug about it because it feels like persecution as you understand it. But at other times people will say that rudest, nastiest things to you which you never saw coming. They might attack your character or your morals or your children. In fact anything that is going to hurt you. You are left reeling and you don’t understand where it came from. This is an attack from the devil. He sees your weak points and he targets them. We know that he plants thoughts, so all he has to do is plant a thought in the right mind. This person is not going to come out and tell you that they are being hateful because you are a Christian, they might not even know that you are. The result is that you feel mortally wounded and crushed. Please realise that this is just another one of the devil’s tricks and don’t fall for it. Except for you feeling really awful, there is now animosity between you and whoever has been used as the instrument of destruction. That is why Matthew 5:44, says,  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Just remember that like in a regular army the best soldiers are sent to the front to be in the toughest battles. If you feel like you are under attack all the time take heart, God loves you!

War

War

 

I received a Whatsapp message from a dear friend. It was one of those pictures with little angels and harps and fluffy clouds. The message printed on the picture was something like “the angels are going to sing you a lullaby so that you can sleep peacefully.” It’s a very nice and peaceful thought but what went through my mind when I received it was that we are involved in a war and I think angels are doing far more serious things than putting us to sleep.

We are in a war with the devil if we want to recognise it or not. People are not our enemies.

Ephesians 6:12, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

1 Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour

John 10:10, The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The devil is not an opponent to be disregarded or ignored. I have so often heard people say that because they don’t believe in things like demons or evil spirits, they cannot be affected by them. I have also heard people say that things like evil spirits do not exist and are all in the mind.  It’s like saying that because I don’t believe in earthquakes they can’t affect me. When you are in the vicinity of an earthquake and you don’t take the proper precautions, you are going to be affected by it. Evil spirits or demons can affect you and even enter you when you leave doors open. If you are constantly drinking too much you can invite a demon of addiction into your life, and it won’t leave until you resist it.

James 4:7,  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

It doesn’t matter how upset you are at someone who did something to hurt or offend you, that person is only the conduit through whom the devil works his schemes.

The whole world is fighting against each other part of the time for whatever reason. I don’t think there has ever been a period in history when there hasn’t been conflict. People are constantly fighting with each other and fighting each other’s beliefs and ideologies.  They don’t realize that the enemy isn’t the other person or the other country. Religions, races, languages, countries and systems are all entangled in the web of deception that the devil weaves. It isn’t going to end any time soon. The devil isn’t about to give up on his campaign of sowing conflict and hate. He isn’t going to suddenly change and become good. He is a liar and a murderer.

John 8:44, You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

If Jesus is our shepherd we are going to have to learn to hear His voice. That is the only way we are going to know when it’s the devil and his demons whispering sweet nothings into our ears. A baby consumes milk for the first six months of its life and then starts eating solids and soon enough can follow instructions and before you know it that baby is a toddler and if you look away and blink and adult appears. Well, that’s how it feels anyway. That is the way with a believer. You can’t be satisfied with hearing from others what God is saying. You have to start to learn and listen. We have to put on the armour that is prescribed in Ephesians 6:10-20 and be ready for battle. If you don’t think there’s a battle, just start reading your bible and speaking about your faith to others. You will very soon be right in the middle of the war. So be bold and strong because the Lord is with you.