JUST THINKING: Spiritual Warfare
I was just thinking about a series Chenal Valley Baptist Church Pastor Allen Morton has been sharing for several weeks. It is about Spiritual Warfare in believers’ lives. Over the past few days, I have examined some aspects of such warfare and felt it appropriate to share some of them.
• Spiritual warfare is no joke! — Satan’s influence is huge today. Of course, it has been since he tempted Adam and Eve in the garden. His primary goal is to distract humans from a walk with God. While Adam and Eve saw a serpent before them, humans today do not.
For centuries, artists have rendered the devil, who is God’s adversary, as a ghoulish creature or an imp with a red suit, piercing eyes, horns and wielding a pitchfork. Jokes are abundant about his influence. Comedian Flip Wilson gave us the saying, “The devil made me do it!” Cartoons show an imp in a red suit poking individuals with his pitchfork, prodding them to do evil. But God does not think the influence is a joke. He knows it is a battle for truth and the souls of humans.
• Spiritual warfare is not against humans. — Paul, addressing the Church at Ephesus, wrote: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of darkness of this dark world and against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12 NIV1984).
I often write about the false teachers who are prevalent today. However, they are not the real enemies. They are the ones who have lost the spiritual battle because they have succumbed to the influence of Satan’s emissaries. But here’s the kicker — when believers depart from the way of truth and follow the false teachers, the wolves in sheep’s clothing, they are also losing spiritual battles.
• Spiritual warfare is a battle with the unseen. — At a recent Bible conference, Cory Mitchell, pastor of Archview Baptist Church in Little Rock, taught on the Unseen Realm. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible speaks about the demonic forces who dwell in this realm. They sometimes take on human form to deceive and lead people astray, but they are not human. They are spirit beings who wage spiritual warfare. That is not fantasy! That is biblical truth.
Halloween is upon us. While to many, it is merely a fun time for children to Trick or Treat, it is steeped in the idea of ghosts, witches, skeletons, etc. — such images of evil. Yet, Christians fall prey to such so easily because, to many, it is just a joke… a fantasy. But it is not.
• Spiritual warfare requires spiritual armor. — Paul gave the reason believers should be equipped with spiritual armor in the battle of spiritual warfare. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11). This is the armor — a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, sandals of readiness accompanied with the gospel of peace, a shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Since spiritual warfare is no joke, neither is being prepared for it in your daily life. Additionally, believers must be prepared by praying with all sorts of prayers and requests of God.
In these last days, may we always be vigilant and stand guard for our families and our nation. While he may not be seen, remember this: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).
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Dr. Tom Mitchell
Dr. Tom Mitchell pens a column titled, Just Thinking, in which he addresses many topics relative to the Baptist Missionary Association. His Trailblazers series provides biographies of many BMA trailblazers from the past.
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