Spiritual Warfare-Part 1

The truth is not a democracy. It has never been a numbers game, and it makes little difference if most people in your community stand for it or against it, whether they proclaim it openly or passionately resist it, or whether it carries in the next election cycle. For that matter, the fact you made the choice to believe in the truth is a wonderful thing, but that never made it any more or less true.

It’s easy for us as Americans to lose sight of this principle. Most of the wars we fight, the products we make, and the divisive political issues of our day are decided at a level of scale, and we tend to tackle evil the same way.  But the fact is, lost souls have outnumbered found ones every single day since Jesus was here (“narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few ever find it,” Matthew 7:14). That didn’t stop Jesus from finding you, and it won’t stop him from finding the next lost soul either.

Pastor Aaron pointed out that we aren’t fighting people, and we shouldn’t spend time attacking people – our spiritual warfare is against Satan. Deceived people are, at best, cannon fodder in his war campaign, and he has made himself the adversary of God and deceiver of his people. But God gives us the tools as Christians to turn back his attacks, if we use them properly.

Pastor Aaron also reminded us of the warning in Ephesians 6-13 that we are not to wrestle with flesh and blood, but dark rulers of the present age. We must be prepared to fight, and we must fight to win, not only to survive. And the stakes have never been higher. We aren’t to be strong in our own might, but in his.

 Finally, Pastor Aaron notes that the devil’s primary plan is to blind us to the gospel truth. Paul touches on this theme and reveals that the easiest remedy is found in turning our attention to God’s word. “By setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel… .” (2 Corinthians 4:2-3 NIV).

I find that a comforting idea, to think you can unwind so much deception and blindness in yourself, and in the world, by studying and sharing Biblical truth. It’s an easy task, and more importantly, it is often a solitary one. This truth is never a function of the size of the body of its believers, or its resources, or its opposition. Those things can be obstacles, because they divert your attention. You only need to give truth a little alone time, with an open heart.

Written by: Chad Halcom

Edited by: Jenelle Kelly