The Christian environment that I grew up in considered the topic of spiritual warfare impolite. Growing up as a kid, there were a number of things in my Christian community considered taboo to discuss, things like unplanned pregnancy, divorce, the enemy of our souls and spiritual warfare. Spiritual forces of darkness are what those other denominations discuss and talk crazy about.
In his book on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, prominent New Testament scholar N.T. Wright says that every time he starts to write about spiritual warfare, weird things happen. The electricity goes out, the computer freezes up, pages get erased. He says that he has come to accept this as normal because the enemy doesn’t want him to teach others how to win the spiritual battle.
Wright also quotes C.S. Lewis: “As C. S. Lewis says in the introduction to his famous Screwtape Letters, the general public prefers either to ignore the forces of evil altogether or to take an unhealthy interest in everything demonic, which can be just as bad in the long run.”[1]
We readily believe the story of the serpent tempting Eve in the Garden. We know that Jesus encountered and defeated the enemy in his time among us. Why then are we reluctant to accept the reality that we have an enemy of our souls at work in the world? What do scriptures have to say about these spiritual matters and how do we address the subject without either ignoring it or letting it consume our thoughts?
My purpose in doing this research and writing this article is simple. I have become aware in the last few weeks that my own mind is subject to intrusive thoughts. Negative thoughts can be a product of bad mental habits. We develop a pattern of being down on ourselves or believing the worst to be true. I also believe that sometimes the intrusive thoughts aren’t our own.
I’m not talking about hearing voices. These are thoughts sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, that come out of nowhere. As an example of what I mean, I was listening to a story about someone who has received a terminal medical diagnosis. I thought to myself how scary it must be to live with imminent death. Then a thought came out of nowhere that said “What difference does it make? You don’t really live anyway.” What in the world? That didn’t come from me. This kind of thing happens frequently, many times a day, picking up on sensitive topics and using them against me. And I have spent years believing these thoughts to be truth.
I feel a sense of shame when I realize how easily I believe the noise in my head. I feel a sense of shame when I think about the decisions I have made as a result of believing lies to be truth and the anxiety that comes from it. The best way to conquer shame is to get it out into the open. Someone somewhere has said that confession is good for the soul.
What the Bible says about spiritual forces in the world.
The name satan (deliberately not capitalized) means “adversary” in the Hebrew. This creature led a rebellion against the Lord God and was cast from heaven. He caused the fall of the human race (Gen 3) and continues his conflict with man (Eph 6). Jesus said that the devil was a murderer from the start, is the father of all deception, and that lying is his native tongue (John 8:44).
He is a thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). Peter wrote that satan is like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pe 5:8). In the parable of the sower and the seeds, Jesus says that the wicked one comes and snatches up some of the seeds of the gospel message so that people do not believe (Matt 13:1-23). The enemy has an army sent out to try to destroy Christians by temptation, false teaching about Christ, discouragement, despair, or other forms of subversion, and lies, lies, lies.
There are many books in print that discuss the types of tactics and tricks the enemy uses to deceive and hurt us. I’ll be honest and say that I had to stop reading those books because they freaked me out. When you pull your head out of the sand for the first time, it can be overwhelming. I’ll stick with what scripture says for now.
Paul’s Assessment of Spiritual Battles.
(This passage can be read in its entirety at this link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ephesians+6&version=NIV).
Anyone who grew up in church has been taught about the armor of God that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6. Little kids sing the song, Bible quizzers can recite the pieces of armor with accompanying body movements. The armor of God is the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit.
I want to focus today on the first verses of the passage that maybe I haven’t paid much attention to before now. I think I’m talking to myself here, a bit of a self-pep talk.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph 6: 10-12).
Be strong in the Lord’s mighty power. You can’t think your way out of it or do it alone.
The devil’s got schemes. Be ready to deal with it when it comes, not if it comes.
God has provided this armor to give us everything we need to succeed in the Christian life. So, use it.
Take a stand. Maybe you can’t run ahead or move forward. But don’t get swept away. Stand your ground.
Our fight isn’t against things we can see in this world. Our fight is with spiritual forces. Stand firm in your faith.
What do we do to face the enemy?
1. Resist him.
“Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
2. Be watchful. “Be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pe 5:8).
“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Cor 16:13).
3. Stand firm. “But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Pe 5:9).
4. Fix your mind on things above.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Phil 4:8).
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5).
5. Be humble and understand your need for the Lord’s help.
“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one” (2 Thes 3:3).
6. Put on the armor of God (Eph 6), as discussed above.
7. Pray.
“ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Eph 6:18).
8. Remember that Jesus has already won!
“But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57).
PS.... I am laughing as I edit this for publication. Just as I was trying to load the page, the website crashed.
[1] Wright, N.T.. Ephesians: 11 Studies for Individuals and Groups (N. T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides) (p. 54). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
Copyright @ TA Boland 2024
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