NEW CHRISTIANS-Basics of Discipleship-Spiritual Warfare-Part 2-by David Nelson

Posted: 2008-02-27 19:59:02

Scripture verses referenced in this study:

Ephesians 6:12
Daniel 10
II Timothy 2:3
I John 5:19
II Corinthians 2:5-11
Ephesians 4:26-27

Eph. 6:12:  “For we are not wrestling against flesh and blood.  We are wrestling against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Do you hear that list of things?  Do you think that it is meaningless?  Do you think, “da, da, da, da, da, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, da, da, da, da, da, DA, DA, DA, DA.”  No, every one of these things means something.  Look, “the wickedness in heavenly places.”  Do you know that Satan is called the Prince of the power of the air?  He controls the air over certain things.  He controls the air over parts of Des Moines.  But you know what, God has won a lot of victories in this city.  God has won victories and it has opened up the airways for the move of God.  There is a break in the airways so God can send revival.  There is free reign here for angels to ascend and descend.  If the demonic powers had control over the air, the angels couldn’t get through.  Daniel, Chapter 10, gives an an example of a battle in the heavenlies--how Satan's armies (demons) battle against God's armies (angels) for control of large geographical locations.  Eph. 6:12 says, “we are contending against principalities.”  Principalities means there are principal places where Satan is stronger than other places.  Just like you have a city—isn’t there more people in a city than there is out in the middle of the corn fields?  That is called a principality.  It is called, “this is a principal place where people dwell.”  Satan has principalities where he has set-up strong things.  In the city of New York there are strongholds and principalities that have many demons over them.  There are rulers of this present darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.  Therefore, take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

In war, you are not sitting and relaxing.  You are not off your guard.  You are not side-tracked into other things.  You have a keen interest in warfare.  It says in II Tim. 2:3, “take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  No soldier, on service, gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is satisfy the one who enlisted him.”  Do you think a soldier who has been called over to Iraq says, “I think I am going to take a day off today—I think I am going into the city and do what I want to do.”  No, not unless your Commanding General says you can go.  You are on active duty.  You cannot go and do what you please.  We are soldiers, enlisted by our general, to do what he is telling us to do and we should not be entangled in civilian pursuits.  That is when we get slowed down.  We get side-tracked and we are entangled in civilian things, when God has a war raging all around us.  Now, sometimes, he has mercy and he says, “What are they doing now?”  “Oh my, I guess I have to run down there and protect them.”  Then, he sends an angel to protect us while we are getting side-tracked at something.  We can get side-tracked. 

What are Satan’s wiles and his deceptions?  Back in Eph. 6, it says, “Put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to withstand in the evil day.”  We are in an evil day.  It is more wicked now than it has ever been.  There is more trouble.  There is more rebellion.  There is more betrayal.  There is more backbiting and slander and haters of God.  We need to do everything we can do to stand.  It says, “having done all, to stand.”  We have got to keep standing.  We have got to keep alert.  We have got to keep our feet planted and have the armor of God.  Satan is going to try every trick he can. 

In I John 5:19, it says, “The whole world is in the power of the evil one.”  Don’t think about him just being the price of the power of the air.  Cities all over this world are in control of Satan.  It is only the Christian soldiers who come in who are going to redeem the land and set the captives free and set the prisoners free that are actually the soldiers that are releasing people from the hold of Satan.  It says of Satan, “He has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers.”  They are not going to be able to see unless they hear the truth.  The truth will set you free.  “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”  This is one of the weapons of our warfare, the sword of the Spirit.  When Jesus was battled in the wilderness and tempted by Satan, he always said (when Satan said something to him), “It is written.”  Then, he quoted an Old Testament verse; so, he slashed out with the sword every time he speak to Satan.  Satan would say something to him and Jesus would say, “It is written”  “Ye shall worship the Lord Your God and Him only shall you worship” and he had to back down on that one.  But God didn’t release him yet.  He came back on another one.  Then he came back on another one.  After Jesus won those victories, it says “Satan left him for awhile until he had another opportunity.”  See, Satan will have his seasons. 

Satan, in the book of Job, had to always get permission as to what he did to that righteous man Job.  In Chapters 1 and 2 of Job, Satan was allowed to hurt Job.  He was allowed to send a great wind.  God ordained the wind, but Satan was the one who said, “Send a great wind and knock it into his house, like a tornado.”  Have you ever heard anyone say a “dust devil,” a twister?  Those twisters, if you ever saw one in real life, you would think about, “What is this evil coming for my house to destroy my house?”  This world is filled with evil.  Satan can use winds to destroy.  In Job, Chapter 1, Satan used a wind to knock Job’s house down and all of his children died.  His sons and daughters died when his house collapsed.  Then, Satan also sent the Sabians, which were a group of people.  The Sabians came through and stole his cattle, killed his cattle, killed his servants.  Then, Satan was allowed to touch Job’s body, but Satan could do nothing unless he got permission from God.  So, no matter what Satan throws at us; and it says in Eph. 6 that he will throw every fiery dart at us.  Eph 6:16 says, “An above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.  We need to take the shield of faith to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.  What is he going to throw at you?  He is going to throw the wind, blow your house down, your children are gone.  Now, that’s a fiery dart, would that knock you out of the ministry?  What if your house fell down and your kids were all killed?  Would that make you say?  Now, I’m bitter against God.  I’m not going to serve God anymore.  Or, he blows something else at you.  Destroys your goods.  Or, he touches your body and that is going to make you not serve God anymore because he touches your body?  He might cause you to get in an accident where your neck is broken and you can’t even move your arms and legs anymore and he might now allow you to get healed, like Joni Eareckson-Tada, who was not healed, but she goes all over the world speaking for God in a wheelchair.  She can’t move her arms and legs and she is used by God, mightily, not because he healed her but because she loves God even when she is still paralyzed.  She did this in a swimming accident where she dove into some shallow water.  No one can say that Joni Eareckson Tada did not have the faith to be healed.  Many great, mighty, faith healers have prayed over her to be healed and she is not healed.  You know why?  Because God is going to get more glory for using her to go all over the world saying, “God has made me close to Him, even thought I am not healed with my arms and legs.”  No matter what God does to you, no matter what flaming dart Satan hurls at you, you quench it by the shield of faith.  Which means, God, you have given me children, you have taken them away, Blessed be the name of the Lord.  I still trust you and love you.  You have given me all this cattle and all these homes and now they are all swept away.  Lord, you gave me good things and now you have taken them away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.  Lord, I had health.  Now, you have taken my health away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.  It said, even when his health was taken away, he STILL did not find fault with God or charge God with wrong.  He didn’t get mad at God; he said, “I still trust you.”  You know what else he said, “Even if you slay me, yet will I trust you.”  Even if I have to go and die for you, God, I will still trust you.  Because trust is the shield of faith to quench all the flaming darts of Satan.  No matter what he does to you, you say, “Lord, I believe in you, Lord I hide in your refuge, Lord, Satan can’t do anything to me because I am going to believe in you no matter what.  If anybody here has been going through trials, Satan has been hurling darts at you. 

The tricks of Satan:  If you don’t know how your enemy is battling and what his tricks are, then you will be deceived.  You will have to learn by trial and error what he is like.  I will give you some ideas in Part 3 of this writing about what he is going to do; so, you can anticipate what he is going to do. So, you can be a good warrior and a good soldier.  In II Cor. 2:5-11, verses 5-10 tell the context of the 11^th verse.  “To keep Satan from gaining the advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his designs.”  The word “designs” means devices, schemes, tricks.  We are not ignorant of his tricks.  We want to be smart.  You want to know what his devices, designs, schemes are because if he can get in and do one of his schemes, he will have the advantage over you; unless you know how to overcome his schemes.  One of his designs is unforgiveness; holding a grudge against somebody.  Now, many times, I have been tempted to get mad at somebody.  I have been tempted to hold a grudge against somebody or not forgive them or let a separation come.  Sometimes, I have wanted to say, “Forget them.”  I don’t need them.  I can go on without them.  No, that is not God’s way.  That will be one of Satan’s tricks.  It says here in verses 5-11 that unforgiveness is a trick of Satan, that if you will forgive—and they are talking about forgiving a certain person, then you will clear the path for reconciliation.  But, if you will not forgive and you hold a grudge, then Satan will have the advantage over you and he will have tricked you into separating from someone.  Let’s turn to Eph. 4:26-27, “Be angry, but do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no place to the devil.”  Remember the one I just read in II Cor.  It said, “let not Satan get the advantage over you.”  Unforgiveness is giving place to Satan.  Sometimes Satan can cause trouble in your family.  He can cause husband and wife to not be cooperating and be working at odds with each other. 

If you were fighting a heavy battle and you had 50 people fighting and, all of the sudden, 20-30 of them said, “Hey, we are not going to do this anymore, this is crazy!”  “We are not going to make it.”  They all start running for the trees.  Now, you have only got 10-15 people and you are looking out at the enemy, saying “We don’t have much to fight with now but we better stand our ground.”  And then, more leave and pretty soon you only have 3-4, isn’t it harder when people are deserting?  It is harder, but you are going to say, “We are going to stand our ground.”  “God is with us.”  It doesn’t matter how many we have.  The race is not to the swift.  The battle is not to the strong.  The battle is to the Lord.  The Lord will beat them.  The Lord’s hand will reach forth and beat our enemy.  It doesn’t matter how many we have.  We have to stand strongly.  We have to keep going.  So, it says in Eph. 4:26-27, “Anger will give place to the devil…”  If the devil gets a place in you, he has gotten a foothold in your life.  He gets an advantage in you.  Anger will do it.  Unforgiveness will do it.  For example, if you don’t get along with your wife or husband, it says in I Pet.3:7, that will hinder your prayers.  Satan knows how to hinder you.