Spiritual Warfare

​Imagine If you and I could pull back the cosmic curtain, the spiritual veil separating earth from heaven and take a sneak peek at what our natural eyes cannot see. Our finite minds would be blown away with what is going on upstairs. Unbelievable, breathtaking battle scenes would make Star Wars look like a picnic in the park!
Spiritual war is happening in the heavenly places right now.
Heavenly warfare is a spiritual rumble, a super-heavyweight fight between the forces of God and good and Satan and evil.  
The war is fought over the eternal souls of men, women, boys and girls.  
Have you ever wondered why some things happen and you have no natural, rational, reasonable, earthly explanation or clue as to why? You scratch your head in bewilderment at what is going on. What’s happening doesn’t make sense. Or does it?
Spiritual warfare is not fantasy. It is real.
A distraught Christian lady I was counseling, with tears streaming down her face, lamented “Pastor Steve, our marriage and family is under attack.” I responded “Mam. you are correct. Christians are always under spiritual attack. Some battles are fiercer than others. Spiritual warfare is real. Believers in Christ must fight back with the whole armor of God, push back the gates of hell and defeat Satan in Jesus’ mighty, victorious name.”
How do we know about spiritual warfare?  The Bible tells us.
Paul gives us a glimpse behind the holy curtain of heaven in Ephesians 6:10-12.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.”
I get spiritual goose bumps reading those words. Let’s summarize what Paul teaches.

• You and I are exhorted to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.
• The devil is a schemer, a strategist who opposes all of humanity.
• Followers of Christ can stand firm against Satan’s schemes. Three times in verses 10, 13, and 14 we are exhorted to stand firm.
• Human struggle is not against humans. Our fight is not with each other.
• Our battle is with rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness. The Evil One, evil forces and evil are our arch enemy.
• Christians are to put on the whole armor of God to stand firm against the devil.
• In two weeks I will lay out the whole armor of God and how to put it on. (Ephesians 6:14-18)

Too many people, some Christians included, don’t believe in spiritual warfare. Not believeing in its existence does not negate it. Those who deny the reality of spiritual warfare often fight the wrong fights in life.
They pick fights with people, government, institutions, business, political opponents, the church, religious leaders  and even mother-in-laws! Those who pick the wrong battles fail to realize and recognize that behind their fights is a bigger fight going on, spiritual warfare.  
The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy, his son in the faith and soon to be a minister of the Gospel, concerning what fight to fight. ”Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (I Timothy 6:12).
The right fight is the faith fight. The faith fight is all about eternal life. Next week we will discuss being spiritual warriors, good soldiers of Jesus Christ, who fight the good fight of faith.
Stop picking fights with people. Instead, pick your fight with spiritual forces in wicked places through faith in Jesus Christ.
A few things I have learned about spiritual warfare in forty-eight years following Jesus.

1. Satan and his evil, demonic forces hate me. I am not real fond of them either!
2. I am covered by the blood of the Lamb and my testimony in Christ is unshakable. The devil cannot touch my life when I stand firm in my confession of faith in the Lord.
3. The devil battles, but he has lost the war. He knows it. His forces battle in vain. He is a sore loser who harasses Christians by trying to discourage them in their faith and seeks to keep unbelievers from coming to Christ.
4. Satan cannot penetrate the whole armor of God. God’s spiritual armor that I am to put on every single day is impenetrable.
5. Spiritual war is real indeed. So is the overwhelming power of God to defeat Satan and the forces of evil because of His Son’s death and resurrection from the dead! l
6. I have red my Bible from cover to cover many times. The conclusion of the matter is: GOD’S SIDE WINS!!!

Keep fighting the right fight against evil and see the goodness of God prevail!
 “The battle is the Lord’s…” I Samuel 17:47
“But victory belongs to the Lord.” Proverbs 21:31
 A Word For Your Week: Walk by faith in the victory Jesus has won for you over Satan.