Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is real. We need to be prepared and know how to handle ourselves in the midst of a battle. The strongest attacks rarely come along when you are ready for them or at least not when you are expecting them. Some of that is because Satan is sneaky and he often attacks in such a way that you don’t realize at first that it is him. Doubt or fear creeps in and you just attribute it to your situation or your own reasoning, but it may not be. No matter where you are at in your walk with God, remember to keep your eyes on Him. He can handle all your doubts, fear, pain, suffering and anything else you can throw at Him, whether it is just a result of the fallen world, or a strategized attack to fight for your soul.

The enemy has been defeated

And death couldn’t hold You down

We’re gonna lift our voice in victory

We’re gonna make Your praises loud.[1]

The above lyrics from Hillsong’s “Shout unto God”, along with Newboys’ “He Reigns,” bring a smile to my face in remembering the awesome victory that Christ has already achieved. In Jerry Rankin’s book, Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for God’s Glory, he makes it clear that his interpretation of Isaiah 14 is that it is the account of Satan’s fall from heaven. While scholars have not come to a consensus on this and I also find this interpretation to be debatable, we will for a moment build on that interpretation. Satan thought he should be exalted above God (Is 14:13, 14), one could even say he thought it was possible, for he does not have the foresight of the Almighty God. Yet he saw defeat when Jesus rose from the dead, conquering the power of death and defeating Satan once for all. Thus, “all the powers of darkness tremble”[2] when they hear God’s people rejoice in the glorious fact that Jesus is King and He reigns. Satan now knows his fate, for he already suffered defeat in the war. Yet he continues to wage battles for the souls of man.

No matter Satan’s reason for continuing to battle against God, he does continue. Spiritual warfare is real and it’s ongoing. Some of the battles are more recognizable than others, and I believe the forces of darkness like to stay under the radar when they can because it is harder to fight an enemy you don’t recognize. If you don’t believe in demons or hell, it doesn’t make them any less real, it makes you all the more vulnerable. I have had the joy of traveling to India and meeting numerous young Christians on fire for Christ who were studying to become missionaries in their country. Rankin notes that in India “The spiritual darkness was overwhelming.”[3] Though my experience there was almost solely with those who were on fire for Christ, they often had harrowing stories from their life before knowing Jesus, which made the spiritual war for the souls of man more apparent to my eyes. I have also frequently been attacked by demons by way of dreams. Some attacks can be obvious, but they can also be a subtle spirit of fear, or perhaps anxiety. The enemy can attack you by luring you from righteousness or implanting impure things into your thoughts (though I don’t believe they can read your thoughts, which also makes it vital that you rebuke them aloud). Like with many other aspects of the Christian walk, you need to saturate yourself with God’s Word and do your best to pray continually.   

           

There are a few verses I run to when met with resistance from the enemy: Psalm 49:15; James 4:1–10; and 1 John 4:4. Although John’s letter is specifically addressing false prophets, I believe it also has application against Satan himself, for he is the king of the false prophets, is he not? The passage from James is a continual reminder that I must submit myself to God and continually die to myself, that Satan cannot touch me when the Holy Spirit resides in me (that is, the only power he truly has over me is that which I allow him to have, for I belong to God and not Satan), for I am in the light and darkness cannot overcome the light (Lk 11:34-35; Jn 1:4-5). This is not to say that I cannot be attacked, and horribly so at that, but I know God’s got me, for He surely has snatched me from the power of death (Ps 49:15).

           

In addition to having God’s Word to run to, you must also be able to come to God with your needs in the moment, under the authority of Jesus’ name, when you are dealing with spiritual warfare. In Spiritual Warfare, Rankin wrote of a time he commanded, “’In the name of Jesus, be quiet!’”[4] He did this because he felt darkness trying to take over when God had work to do. Now, I am one of those people who is constantly playing out worst-case scenarios in my mind. In everyday life I often ask myself active shooter scenario questions. What would I do if someone came into the store right now with a gun and starting shooting? Where do I put my girls to keep them safe? How can I help everyone else? Can I get to my weapon and change the balance of power and save lives, or will my girls end up without their mother? Is there a good escape from this situation? Etc. But I also ask myself these things for spiritual warfare. Most especially at night, and normally when I am already experiencing a spirit of fear. Am I ready for a corporal demon attack? What would I do? Do I believe the power of Jesus to make the demons leave? What about my girls? How do I make sure they do not experience the fear I felt while growing up? In the face of demonic attack, you should simply cast them from your presence in Jesus’ name. Rankin’s account is a good reminder of that and the power we are given through Christ. It can be something as simple as Rankin’s command, or something similar. I suggest, “In the name of Jesus, God’s only Son, my Lord and Savior, I command you to _______.” Fill in the blank with “leave this place,” “stop attacking,” or whatever befits the situation. The wording is not vital, rather, that you believe and are making your command under the authority of Jesus. This too can be used for exorcisms.

That power given to us, as well as the love God has for us must not be forgotten. Rankin writes, “Satan delights in practicing his deception . . . [leaving us] feeling abandoned by God.”[5] Much of what allows Satan to so easily deceive us into this feeling of abandonment is poor theology. As mentioned early, spiritual warfare won’t always be obvious. Perhaps we will just find ourselves feeling like life should be better than what it is. When God’s sovereignty is misunderstood in its relation to Free Will, it is easy to fall into step with false prophets who preach prosperity theology. It is not that God does not want good things and comfort for His people, it is just that we have the opportunity to choose things that lead to heartache. Also, God at times “allows us to suffer because it is our greatest opportunity to grow in faith, experience the depth and sufficiency of His love and grace, and glorify Him.”[6] James tells us to put trials among our joys because of those trials effect in us (Jas 1:2-4), and in 1 Peter we see many admonitions that we will suffer for our faith, yet Peter encourages that “if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed” (1 Pt 3:14). Rankin points out that Satan wants us to stew about the adversity we face because it takes our focus off of God. After telling the horrifying stories of suffering he and his family experienced on their first mission assignment, Rankin writes, “[T]hrough adversity we came to know the reality of God’s presence and the sufficiency of His grace in a way that we would have never otherwise known.”[7] Jesus has already won the war, and we must remember this. We can live in this victory. We are forgiven and live in God’s grace; there is no need to buy into Satan’s deception that we must do things upon our own efforts, for we have Christ and in Him we have victory.[8]

                       

Bibliography

A-Z Lyrics. “He Reigns.” Newsboys Lyrics. Accessed November 17, 2016. http://www.azlyrics. com/lyrics/newsboys/hereigns.html.

A-Z Lyrics. “Shout Unto God.” Hillsong United Lyrics. Accessed November 17, 2016. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/hillsongunited/shoutuntogod.html.

Rankin, Jerry. Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for God’s Glory. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2009. Kindle.

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[1] A-Z Lyrics, “Shout Unto God,” Hillsong United Lyrics, accessed November 17, 2016, http://www.az lyrics.com/lyrics/hillsongunited/shoutuntogod.html.

[2] A-Z Lyrics, “He Reigns,” Newsboys Lyrics, accessed November 17, 2016, http://www.azlyrics.com/ lyrics/newsboys/hereigns.html.

[3] Jerry Rankin, Spiritual Warfare: The Battle for God’s Glory (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2009), 67, Kindle.

[4] Ibid., 3.

              [5] Ibid., 196.

              [6] Ibid.

              [7] Ibid., 200.

              [8] Ibid., 229.