This week’s lectures were definitely an
eye-opener and a reality check. I have come to realise more and more that Satan loves to deceives us
through making think that he does not exist. My brothers and sisters, Satan
exists! The word warfare means the process of military struggle between two nations
or groups of nations. The warfare is spiritual and is unseen. Ephesians 6:12
GNT declares that “we
are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces
in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark
age”
Spiritual Warfare begins
when the enemy (Satan) perceives that someone is trying to seek God’s purpose
or to protect the well-being of God’s people!
When you give your life to Christ you
become a child of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings (John 1:12). You are no
longer an orphan neither do you live in darkness because God has brought you
into His kingdom, His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). Being a child of God means
you not only inherit God’s blessings but His enemies too. The Lord’s foremost
enemy is Satan and his purpose is to destroy the work of God (John 8:44) BUT
Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
Who’s The Devil?
The devil is Satan who is also known as Lucifer
(Isaiah 14:12). He was an angel who became prideful and wanted to become like
God. As a result He was cast out of heaven and some angels went with him.
Isaiah 14:13-14 WEB says “You said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven! I
will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of
assembly, in the far north! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I
will make myself like the Most High!”
Satan is a fallen angel and is a created
being. He does not have the same authority and power as God. I repeat He is in
no way equal to God, the creator. While Satan is superior in intellect and
strength to mankind, he is inferior to God in every way. He is the god of this
age who has blinded those who do not believe (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit who works in the sons of
disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). As believers we have the power of the indwelling
resurrected Christ because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the
world (1 John 4:4).
The
Result of the Fall of Man
Satan
is the ruler of this world (John 12:31). When Adam and Eve disobey God in the
Garden of Eden, Satan was given authority over the earth (Luke 4:6). In Genesis 3:14 God said to the serpent who
was Satan, “because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and
above every animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat
dust all the days of your life.” Mankind came from dust and the enemy was given
dominion. Authority was transferred from mankind to the enemy. However it
doesn’t end there because God then said to Satan in verse 15 that He “will put
enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel”. When Jesus was
crucified Satan bruised his heel, but when Jesus resurrected He crushed Satan’s
head. All authority was given back to Jesus (Matthew 28:18) and we share in
that authority when we become a child of God.
The
Character of the Enemy
He
is the father of all liars, everything that comes out of his mouth is lies
(John 8:44).
He
is cunning (Genesis 3:1)
He
is proud (Isaiah 14:13, 16; Ezekiel 28:2, 4, 5, 17)
He
was created with superior wisdom (Ezekiel 28:2, 3,12)
He
is evil (Ezekiel 28:15)
He
is deceptive in appearance (Genesis 3:1; Ezekiel 28:14; 2 Corinthians 11:14)
His
ambition is to like God (Luke 4:6-8; 2
Thessalonians 2:3,4)
The
Work of the Enemy
He accuses and slanders believers
(Revelation 12:10), he wants us to experience guilt and condemnation but the
word says that if we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Remember
there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Satan tempts believers to lie, steal etc
(Acts 5:3) He
is the tempter not God. He tempted Adam in the Garden of Eden and he also
tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:3). It’s important to remember that
although he tempts us, we have the power and authority to overcome temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says that even when we are tempted, God will give us the
strength to endure it, and will provide us with a way out.
We must “be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.
1 Peter 5:8 NKJV. Satan looks for people to attack, he wants to destroy your
faith and relationship with God and others.
He
opposes the work of God (John 8:44, 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 2
Timothy 2:26)
His
purpose is to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come that we may have life
and have it in abundance (John 10:10).
He urges people to renounce and disobey God
(Genesis 3:1-5).
He entices us towards sexual sin (1
Corinthians 7:5).
He places obstacles in our path (1
Thessalonians 2:18).
He persecutes (Revelation 2:10).
He hinders the Gospel (Matthew 13:19,
Matthew 16:23)
He performs miracles to deceive people
(Revelation 16:14)
He seeks to promote confusion and division
in the church (Matthew 13:38-39).
More Strategies of the Enemy
So as we can see the opposition of enemies
and spiritual warfare are inevitable when people are doing the work of God.
Satan’s tactics as seen in the book of Nehemiah include;
Ridicule
Slander
Opposition from within and without
Oppression
Unrighteousness
Discouragement
Demoralization
Distraction
Physical Threat
Nehemiah combated these tactics with;
Continual prayer
Single-mindedness
Wisdom
Righteous Living
Nehemiah’s counterstrategies helped him
persevere and finish his task and God’s people in every age must employ these
same weapons.
The
Armor of God
Believers have been given the whole armor
of God “to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). The word
wiles means devious
or cunning stratagems employed in manipulating or persuading someone to do what
one wants. Each piece of the armor is to be “put on” to help believers overcome
the temptations and attacks of the Evil One.
Gird
Your Waist With Truth (Ephesians 6:14)
The waist or abdomen area
was generally thought to be the seat of emotions. The word gird means to secure
and prepare and strengthen oneself for future actions. To gird this area with
truth is to commit your emotions to believe the truth. As believers we must
hold a commitment to truth regardless of the repercussions (John 8:32,36)
Put
On The Breastplate of Righteousness (Ephesians 6:14)
The breast is generally
thought of as the place of the soul. The heart must be kept pure and righteous
because sin gives a foothold to the enemy. Confession and forgiveness on the
basis of the blood of Christ cleanse the heart (1 John 1:9)
Shod
Your Feet with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace (Ephesians 6:15)
Proper shoes enable the
feet to go from place to place. The believer is to be about their Father’s
business, which is to spread the gospel of peace and reconciliation. An
undaunted sense of this mission keeps the believer heading in the right
direction (Matthew 28:19-20)
Take
the Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)
The Wicked One is “the
accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10) and will send his fiery darts to
instill doubt, fear and guilt. Faith acts as an invisible shield that deflects
such false accusations (Hebrews 11:6)
Take
The Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17)
A helmet protects the head,
this is, the brain and thoughts. Assurance of salvation is a mighty defense
against doubt and insecurity and the kinds of works bred by them (1 John
5:11-13).
Take
the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)
The Word of God, the only
offensive weapon in this armor, was used by the Lord Jesus against Satan (Luke
4:1-13). The living Word is powerful, effective and instructive (Hebrews 4:12;
2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Pray
Always (Ephesians 6:18)
Pray opens the channels
between us and God. In the midst of battle, we as believers must keep in constant
communication with our Leader for directions and encouragement. Our prayers for
one another mare important and effectual (James 5:16).
Warfare
It is important to remember that spiritual
warfare is never flesh and blood. When we go through things we must take our
anger and frustrations to God and go and speak with Him. In the church we shoot each other instead of
edifying each other. We need to understand the warfare we are in and keep
encouraging one another. Our enemy is
the devil and he is very good at creating division, condemnation and also trying
to take the freedom that God has already given us.
2 Corinthians 10:4 says “for the weapons of
our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ”. God is the one that will pull down the strongholds and that have been
holding us down. The warfare happens in the mind, our thoughts. The mind is so powerful
and no one can see it but God. Sometimes our mind will even deceive us.
Warfare is a lifestyle that’s why it is
important that we speak life and not death. There is power in our words and
Proverbs 18:21 declares that life and death lies in power of our tongues. It is
also important that we pay close attention to what we listen to and watch. Warfare
is moral purity at all times, purity of our heart and mind.
Spiritual Warfare Is A Process
Warfare is a
process, you will experience one thing this week and another thing next week.
We will continue to go through trial and tribulations until we die but remember
God has a purpose. God wants to deal with the condition of our heart so that we
can become righteous and holy. Job 23:10 says that when God has put us to the
test, we will come forth like gold. He
puts us in situations that we can’t escape because He believes that we can get
through it. James 1:2-4 says that you should “count it all joy, my
brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of
your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you
may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”.
Freedom comes when we apply the truth of
God into our lives. It is also important
to remember that God looks at our hearts, He wants our hearts to be pure and
set apart for His glory. . Our hearts need to be hungry for more of Him. We
can’t be satisfied with what we have already learnt about God. As believers we
need to walk in victory otherwise the enemy will try his best to make us fall.
The way we think affects the way we see ourselves (Proverbs 23:7).
As believers we have authority over the
enemy in Jesus’ name. Jesus has given you all authority. “Behold, I give you
the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemy, and noting shall by any means hurt you” Luke 10:19 NKJV
Angels of God
As a child of God, God assigns angels to each one of His children; they protect and fight for us. An example of this is found in Daniel 6:22 when God sent His angels to protect Daniel and shut the mouths of lions. Psalm 91:14 declares that God will put His angels in charge of us to protect us in all our ways. Angels are God's servants-spirits sent to care and minister to people who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).
Examples of Spiritual Warfare
When you feel
spiritually heavy, that is warfare going on! Another example of warfare is
unforgiveness. Forgiveness sets us free. God wants us to face it our issues and
work with Him. Once we forgive, we cut off any ties and take back the power
that the person may have had over us. If
God has set us free, why should we allow someone else to have power over us? It
doesn’t make sense does it? Other examples include:
Divorce
Adultery
Drug and alcohol addictions/abuse
Lack of prosperity
Promiscuity
Fornication
Lust
Abortion
Unbelief
Pride
Suffering
Fear
Strongholds in the mind
Associating with the wrong circle of
friends
Sexual/Physical/Verbal abuse
Discerning
spirits are essential for warfare; this is being able to detect and discern
whether something is from God or from the enemy. One of the key things needed
during warfare is prayer and fasting. As God sets us free from bondage and difficult situations He will put us in situations to help those who need to be free.
To be honest
with you all, I don’t feel as though I have any friends on the base and have
been feeling down lately. The other day I got so frustrated with everything. My
arms and feet are filled with bug bites and I have been getting sharp stomach
pains. I went to the doctor to find out that I have contracted scabies and
stomach worms. AND to add to it I woke up with a lip that looked like someone
had knocked me out in a boxing ring. I couldn’t believe my eyes that morning.
An insect thought it would be great idea to bite my bottom lip (sorry no
pictures available lol). 
I didn’t even
want to go to lectures that morning and then decided that I’ll go but would use
a mask to cover it up. God instructed me not to wear the mask and I told God
that I didn’t want people to see me with my lip looking the way it did. God
responded by saying “Yes Josie you look like this today BUT I love you just the
same”. I was like woooo! I didn’t feel as beautiful as I did the day before
because of my lip yet God loves me just the same, His love is unconditional and
endures forever. God’s love is incomparable. Whether you have one arm or three
arms, God’s love you just the same. He loves us with an everlasting love
(Jeremiah 31:3) therefore what He thinks about us is more important than what
others think about us.
What else has been happening this week?
Ohh yes on Friday we had all night prayer, which I really enjoyed. It was from
6pm till 7am! I had the privilege of meeting YWAMers from Hawaii and also
America. I felt so encouraged speaking to one woman in particular called
Alison. I shared with her my feelings about being the only non-fijian on the base and my
struggles. God truly blessed me-she completely understood where I was coming
from and encouraged me greatly. Through being here God is teaching me so much about endurance and perseverance. 
