Does Spiritual Warfare Really Exist? Yes
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Spiritual warfare affects evangelismOne of the functions of spiritual warfare is to “blind the Spiritual eyes” of the unbelievers to “seeing the Gospel” and to “block their Spiritual ears” from “hearing the Gospel” for its’ purpose of stopping the advancement of the Great Commission. The battle of Spiritual warfare is mentioned all throughout the Bible. One such evidence is spoken of by Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church when he says that “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News…”(2 Cor. 4:4, NLT).
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If the unbeliever responds to the call of the Holy Spirit and accepts salvation, Satan then immediately begins to work against them to impede their Spiritual growth, damage their Spiritual walk, and thwart the effectiveness of their evangelism to others.
An example from Scripture can be found in the letters to the church of Thessalonika in which Paul writes, “We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us” (1 Thess. 2:18, NLT). Paul goes on to further speak of it in his letter to the church of Ephesus where he indicates that his imprisonment is a direct result of preaching the Good News. (Eph. 6:19-20) As the Christian attempts to follow the Great Commission they must always bear in mind the warning given to the church by Peter, “Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
The wiles of the Devil
The wiles of the Devil are numerous and effective and the Christian has to be ever aware of his schemes. Paul provides some insight into the nature of Spiritual warfare in Ephesians (6:12, ESV), “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Of interest is to note Paul’s use of the word “wrestle” which in Greek translates to “hand to hand combat to the death”
Unnatural death was ultimately proven true for Paul, as for almost all of the Apostles of Christ, when he was glorified by means of execution. While certainly most Christians in the American church are not experiencing death as the result of evangelism, they are experiencing many of Satan’s other attacks—primarily ineffectiveness. As Satan’s overarching desire is to see as many people remain in their unsaved, separated state as possible, he utilizes a four-part strategy to keep evangelists from witnessing to the world. First, he attacks the soul of the believer making accusations about imagined inadequacies to damage their confidence and ensure that they never take a step forward in to the unknown territory of evangelism. Next, he corrupts the soul through temptation so that he may accuse the believer and heap guilt and shame upon them, thereby making them an ineffective witness. Satan then deceives the would-be evangelist about the real need for the sharing of the Gospel by appealing to their sin-natures of pride, sloth, insecurity, and fear. Finally, he fills the lives of the Christian with a multitude of distractions and idols so that their focus is not on the eternal things of God’s kingdom but rather earthly pleasures.
Actions you can take
SPEND TIME WITH GOD
While Christians can fully expect to wage a constant battle against the powers of Spiritual warfare, they need to understand that they do not enter into this war unequipped or alone; they have access to the Full Armor of God. Paul implores the Christian twice in Ephesians 6 (v.10-20) that in order to “be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might”, they must employ the “whole armor of God”: truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation the Word of God, and prayer.
PRAYER IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL ACTS YOU WILL EVER DO- NOTHING CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT IT!
While Christians can fully expect to wage a constant battle against the powers of Spiritual warfare, they need to understand that they do not enter into this war unequipped or alone; they have access to the Full Armor of God. Paul implores the Christian twice in Ephesians 6 (v.10-20) that in order to “be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might”, they must employ the “whole armor of God”: truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation the Word of God, and prayer.
PRAYER IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL ACTS YOU WILL EVER DO- NOTHING CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT IT!
Additionally, the believer should not only recognize that Christ has already won the ultimate battle when He conquered the grave but also grasp the gravity of just how much Satan and the fallen hate the believer and do not wish him to succeed on his mission.
2 Corinthians 2:11 warns Christians no to be ignorant of the enemy’s devices and Romans 8:37-39 encourages the followers of Christ to claim His promise that absolutely nothing can pluck them from His hand or separate them from Him. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Peter reminds the Christian to pray for alertness and perseverance! He understood that as a Christian “you fight a spiritual battle on your knees” (Earley, et al., 2010, p. 161). Evangelists must realize that they can do nothing on their own. Christians are commanded to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” and not to be anxious about persecutions. (1 Pet. 5:6-8, ESV) “The Word of God gives [the Christian the] power to overcome” through the recognition that evangelism is actually Spiritual warfare and through the execution of the Biblical principles of Spiritual defense.
Morning & Evening Steps to take:God has created us with phsycial, emotional, and spiritual needs that need daily care
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Reference Earley, D., & Wheeler, D. A. (2010). Evangelism is--: How to share Jesus with passion and confidence. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic. |
How have I handled it personally?
One word: PRAYER.
The specific actions I personally employ are to be saturated in His Word daily in order to be truly aware of God's power and promises and to be alert to the devices of the devil. I pray for wisdom, discernment, and purity of heart in my walk. I am also in communion with fellow Christians, be it through my familial relationships, my small group, or my church family that support me, pray for me, and help me to recognize Spiritual obstacles. While we can not blame every impediment on satanic warfare, it is important to be able to recognize the battle field that we find ourselves upon. I have found that by exercising God's promises and being in prayer, the battles I have faced are turned and indeed used for my own spiritual refinement and improve my strength against Satan's ploys, ultimately glorifying God.
I know that whenever there is going to be something that can be deemed "spiritually significant" happening to expect some type of satanic attack-- relationship problems, sicknesses, or mechanical issues, etc. Having this foreknowledge and expectancy allows me to not just be more alert but also to be in prayer for the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the adversity. When something does happen, the first thing I do is stop and PRAISE GOD for the situation, fully trusting in His divine wisdom and providence over all things. I then pray the promises of God and rebuke the satanic influence. The longer I have practiced this, the more my faith and trust in Him has grown and my absolute confidence that absolutely nothing can separate me from His hand or harm my Spirit. I think its also significant to note that when we are consciously planning on evangelizing (regular church service/confrontational evangelism/servant evangelism) that part of our team is specifically devoted to prayer before, during, and after the activity.