Spiritual Warfare 101: Reaping What We Sow, Part 4

Mission Possible

 

Chuck Colson says, “Every general knows that the first rule of warfare is, ‘Know your enemy’ And knowing your enemy demands that you name your enemy.”

 What do we know about our enemy and what can we do about it?

 Ephesians 6:11-12 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ^.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

·        He’s organized like a military army.

·        We need to be equipped to fight against his forces.

·        He is a schemer

·        Our ultimate enemies are not people, but the forces of darkness manipulating the hearts of people that come against us.

·        Our real battle is in the heavenlies.

 Steven Cole writes, “General Dwight Eisenhower once said (source unknown), “War is a terrible thing. But if you’re going to get into it, you’ve got to get into it all the way.” He goes on to say, “I sense that many Christians are defeated in their Christian lives because they are not seriously engaged in the warfare to which we are called. J. C. Ryle saw this in the 19th century. He wrote,  “The saddest symptom about many so-called Christians is the utter absence of anything like conflict and fight in their Christianity.”[1] He went on to say that they go through the motions of attending religious services each week. Then he added (ibid.), “But of the great spiritual warfare,--its watchings and strugglings, its agonies and anxieties, its battles and contests,--of all this they appear to know nothing at all.”[2]

 Watchman Nee says About our Enemy,

“Satan has in fact a plan against the saints of the Most High which is to wear them out. What is meant by this phrase, ‘wear out’? It has in it the idea of reducing a little this minute, then reducing a little further the next minute. Reduce a little today, reduce a little tomorrow. Thus the wearing out is almost imperceptible; nevertheless, it is a reducing. The wearing down is scarcely an activity of which one is conscious, yet the end result is that there is nothing left. He will take away your prayer life little by little, and cause you to trust God less and less and yourself more and more, a little at a time. He will make you feel somewhat cleverer than before. Step by step, you are misled to rely more on your own gift, and step by step your heart is enticed away from the Lord. Now, were Satan to strike the children of God with great force at one time, they would know exactly how to resist the enemy since they would immediately recognize his work. He uses the method of gradualism to wear down the people of God.”

 How does the enemy use us against ourselves? By slowly pulling us off course to our destiny. It’s like slow rift out to sea. He works in subtleties. He speaks in whispers. He tells us little lies. He speaks in first person language!

 

Ten Myths…Ten Truths (Copyright, Alan Keiran)

Myth One:  “I Am Indestructible”

Truth One: “we all die sooner or later.”

 

Myth Two: “Money Brings Meaning”

Truth Two: “Real Life is in Relationships”

Myth Three: “Love is Romance”

Truth Three: “Love is a Decision”

 

Myth Four: “My Needs Come First”

Truth Four: “Giving People are Healthier People”

Myth Five: “It’s Not My Fault”

Truth Five “We are Accountable for Our Actions”

 

Myth Six: “Nobody will Ever Know”

Truth Six: “God Sees Everything”

 

Myth Seven: “I Am Good Enough”

Truth Seven: “We all need a Savior”

Myth Eight: “I Am What I Do”

Truth Eight: “I am “Whose” I am”

 

Myth Nine: “I Am In Control”

Truth Nine: “God Is In Control”

 

Myth Ten: “Many Paths Lead to Heaven”

Truth Ten: “We Have Only One Way to Heaven”

What myths are you most prone to believe and how will you endeavor to embrace the truth?

 

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[1] Soldiers and Trumpeters,” Home Truths [Triangle Press], 1:90

[2] http://www.fcfonline.org/content/1/sermons/100508M.pdf