The Art of War
As a person who ministers in the area of deliverance regularly, one of the things that I am asked about the most is spiritual warfare.
People want to learn it because they know that they have lived without it, and as a result, they see areas of their lives where Jesus has guaranteed victory, but they have lived in defeat. It’s also true that people don’t know how to war for their families, their cities, their marriages, etc…
I truly believe that in this season, God wants us to know more; not only so that we might do and accomplish more, but also, that we might receive more. I want all that Jesus died and rose again to give me.
So I’m going to take this time to share with you a little bit about the art of war.
Often times, what easily appears to be is not so at all. So you must ask yourself in the middle of an attack: “What’s really happening?” Satan - your only TRUE enemy -is the master of the “ruse.”
Ruse: A ruse is a trick of warfare that relies on guile to contribute to a larger deception plan.
Here are 5 key points in staying spiritually aware in battle:
1) Satan has made you believe that this battle is a natural one when, in reality, what you are feeling/sensing/seeing right now are the manifestations in the earth of a much greater battle going on in the spirit. The natural things that you see easily are meant to keep you so preoccupied that you don’t see what’s really happening in the spirit.
2) The devil doesn’t need to kill you to take you out. He’s fine with wearing you out. You have to stop engaging in every battle that you’re invited to, and don’t say a thing unless the Holy Spirit leads you to say it. Exhaustion is one of the greatest weapons of the enemy against Christians. He’s not a stupid enemy. He’s a deceitful one. He has mastered the art of making Christians prideful about their busy schedules and even the amount of attacks that they face. His plan is to make you feel important, but so exhausted that you don’t see the true war that you were meant to have victory in.
3) If you are a Christian, then your goal is ALWAYS to glorify God in ALL things. Arguments rooted in the wisdom of men do not bring Him glory, even if they are in some ways factual. Changed lives glorify Him, and no life will ever be changed through argumentative debate. Before you say it, do it, or type it, ask yourself: “Is there any glory in this?” If he can keep you mad at people, then you’ll never get fed up with him enough to do anything about his scheming.
4) Being silent doesn’t make you weak. Not learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit makes you weak. People often lose a war because the power of their words are directed at the wrong people and the wrong things.
5) Finally, the problem is not that people have remained silent and passive in the natural, it is that many/most have been silent and passive in the spirit. While many have enjoyed comfortable Christianity wrapped up in social club atmospheres suited to entertain their flesh, the enemy has been planning and plotting. THIS IS NOT NEW. Many people are more than willing and ready to fight an enemy that they can see, but avoid the one that they cannot. The one that they cannot see is the one doing the real damage.
I am praying for those who are reading this and who are ready to see victory in every area of their lives. My prayer is that you remember that your enemy is never flesh and blood, and my declaration over you is that you are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!