What Is Spiritual Warfare

Messianics discuss spiritual warfare

PHOENIX (BP)--Followers of Jesus often look for the devil's attack in the wrong places, a speaker told the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship June 11.

While many believers think of the occult or moral evils when they think of spiritual warfare, Satan's schemes often are focused on misleading God's people through trusted spiritual leaders, said Bruce Stokes, dean of California Baptist University's school of behavioral sciences, in a gathering at CrossPoinTempe Church in Tempe, Ariz.

The Messianic fellowship was one of several groups meeting prior to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, June 14-15 in Phoenix.

Stokes, drawing from Referring to Ephesians 6:10-17 and 2 Corinthians 2:11, noted that spiritual warfare is about "standing firm" and "resisting the devil's schemes" but lamented that many believers today don't understand how the devil works.

"In our Darwinian world, predators go after the weak, and we're told [in Scripture] to beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. The false teacher will go after the weak sheep," Stokes said. "But Satan's going to go after the leadership, because if he can tweak the leadership, he takes the whole parade in that direction."

The devil's two primary schemes -- and the field of battle in spiritual warfare -- are deception and sowing discord among the brethren, Stokes said.

DECEPTION

"2 Corinthians 11:13 says Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness," Stokes said.

In Middle Eastern culture -- unlike Western culture -- the serpent that deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden was seen as a symbol of wisdom, not evil. In Western culture, the deceiver would have been an owl, Stokes said.

Satan's disguise "is going to give the appearance of wisdom," Stokes explained. "This is Satan walking into the garden in doctoral robes, with a Bible in his hand. ... That's Satan's primary thing. He deceives by trying to look like the truth. He doesn't deceive by being obvious deception."

Like the devil deceived Eve by twisting what God had said, Satan deceives spiritual leaders by getting them to add their interpretation to what the Bible actually says, Stokes said.

Sea of Glass: spiritual warfare

The Church needs to secure itself against loss and defeat. We as individual Christians also need to be wise how we walk through this life, and not suffer personal loss and defeat. Jesus portrayed our enemy as a thief who comes to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). The one who knows how to destroy the works of satan is Jesus, for that is why He came to the earth (1 Jn 3:8). Our enemy, satan, is not all that unpredictable. If we do not want to suffer loss physically and spiritually, we can find great strategy in Jesus’ words. To begin with, we can prevent ourselves from going into spiritual bondage if we forgive. If we fail to forgive, we become bound and tormented (Mt 18:23-34). Jesus warned us about this in the parable of the unforgiving servant, and yet many people fail in this area by listening to the accuser of the brethren berate the one who has offended them. What is the weapon that maintains victory in this area? Blessing, and prayer (Mt 5:44-45). Our relationships are not based in the realm of justice, but in grace. If we weigh the behavior of others and consider that they have taken more than they have given, we will justify our wrong and unloving, unforgiving attitudes towards them. Jesus asked us to extend grace to those who ask from us. “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Mt 5:41-42). If we want the accuser off our backs and out of our thoughts, we must extend both grace and forgiveness to our brother. When we justify unforgiveness by weighing our brother’s contributions to our and others’ lives, we are standing in God’s privileged spot as judge. Yet both forgiveness and grace, when they come from our hearts towards others, are the image of God found in Christ Jesus. Jesus asked His disciples to be on the watch so that He would not come and find them naked and “be shamefully exposed.” (Rev 16:15). Failure to clothe ourselves in the likeness of Christ will cause us shame. Yet obedience to His words will cause us to defeat our enemy’s purposes in our lives, and in the lives of those around us. Spiritual warfare always begins with obedience to the scriptures. In Jesus’ words we find Life.

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