FIGHTING WORDS; WARFARE
September 6, 2024
Military verbiage gets our attention, even when it’s used to speak to a non-military issue.
In addition to declaring war on nation-states, our Commanders-in-Chief have used militaristic language to declare war on poverty, drugs, the national debt, covid-19, and inflation, just to name a few.
When presidents use the word war in this way, they are sending a message that our nation is going to go all out, no holds barred, to eradicate this or that problem.
In much the same way, the Bible uses military language to describe the seriousness of a life of following Jesus. Paul likens Christians to soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3-4) who are willing to die for Jesus. He tells us to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12).
Of course, the picture Paul paints by this language has nothing to do with guns and tanks. But he isn’t being metaphorical, either. We actually do have an enemy. He is cruel and crafty. He has set himself against us – and he doesn’t fight fair.
Chief among Satan’s aims is to derail believers in Jesus from following Jesus. He tempts Christians to believe things that are not true about God, to give in to sin, and to lose heart.
He will use anything – health problems, business failure and success, marital tensions, problems with kids, sex, money, worry – to get us to take our eyes off Jesus. He wants to “steal, kill, and destroy” YOU. (John 10)
The New Testament assures us that Satan is our enemy and that warfare between Satan and us is real and ongoing.
And, of course, we want to know how to engage our enemy in this uniquely spiritual war. The Apostle Paul gives us a list of weapons and armaments in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6.
1 – PUT ON THE BELT OF TRUTH. Be people who tell the truth and who “live not by lies.”
2 – PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Let there be no moral compromise.
3 – PUT ON SANDALS that prepare you to go and share the good news of Jesus. Evangelize.
4 – TAKE UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH. Remember that there is more going on than meets the eye.
5 – PUT ON THE HELMET OF SALVATION. Reflect on the finished work of Christ on the cross for you and be encouraged by the victory He has won for you.
6 – TAKE UP THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT (THE WORD OF GOD). Immerse yourself in Scripture. Learn it, love it, live it, and let it loose!
By these weapons Paul says that we’ll be able to “stand firm” (3x in Ephesians 6) against Satan’s schemes. Or, to use words from 2 Corinthians 10, these are powerful for “the destruction of fortresses.”
Then, after listing the ways Christian warriors can personally STAND FIRM when Satan attacks, Paul immediately turns to another theme to highlight how Christian warriors can PRAY victories for each other.
We are to [Ephesians 6:18] pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request FOR ALL THE SAINTS…
It is this last item – prayer – that prompted me to sit down and write today.
Our battle with Satan is a real thing, and to deny the essentially spiritual nature of that battle by minimizing the importance of prayer dooms us to defeat from the start.
If we are going to battle successfully for each other, we must do so by way of prayer.
You know that you have brothers and sisters who have been dealt hard blows by life.
We don’t know if Satan was behind these hard blows (as in the story of Job) or if their losses are the result of their own actions, or if they have suffered because of the brokenness of the world.
Regardless of the source of the suffering, your enemy, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking to devour your brother, your sister. He wants to use their suffering to tempt them to stop following Jesus.
He is going to tempt them to believe lies about God and about themselves. He will accuse them and tempt them to feel guilty for sins that have already been forgiven. He will toss temptation in front of them to lure them into sin, despair, lethargy, or bitterness.
He’s been tempting God’s people for a long time, and he knows what he’s doing.
So, yes, we live “in the flesh.” But “we do not wage battle according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 10:3) and “our struggle is not against flesh and blood.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Our battle is fundamentally spiritual.
You can stand firm against Satan’s schemes by your God-honoring life. You can fight for and serve your friends best by taking them to God in prevailing, passionate, zealous, fervent prayer.
Yours…His,
Dave