A Spiritual Warfare Study- The Battle (3)

[hadirfuss]

1-Once you are saved, there is a battle to be fought:it is called spiritual warfare

Yet despite Satan’s vast arsenal of devices and deceptions, a few, by the grace of God, come to Jesus when "He" calls. They come by faith and surrender all to Jesus. They follow Him. They have overcome the many devices and deceptions of the devil by the mercy of God through faith.

Now they face a new battle. Satan can be expected to attack the new Christian in ways that do not even come to his mind. As it is written, beloved, think it not strange (do not be surprised) concerning the fiery (or painful) trial which is to try (or test) you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached (or insulted) for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified-1 Pe 4:12-14.
This fiery trial or battle that a person goes through is called "spiritual warfare."

2-Spiritual Warfare: the battle

We are in a spiritual battle, a spiritual war, a spiritual fight, a spiritual wrestling match, a spiritual struggle.Therefore endure hardness (or hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life (or civilian affairs); that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier-2 Tim 2:3,4. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a soldier. You are in a war. That war is against Satan. It is against the forces of darkness.

This battle never ends until we die. If we are on Satan’s side, the Lord may deal with us to get us to repent. If we are on the Lord’s side, Satan tries to cause us to fall, as the sow that was washed...returned to her wallowing in the mire-2 Pe 2:22. Do not underestimate Satan and his powers to deceive. As it is written, be sober, be vigilant (be on your guard, be alert); because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour-1 Pe 5:8.

Do not underestimate Satan and his powers of deception. His ability to put obstacles in your path is great. He deceives some that are going to hell into believing there is no hope. He also deceives others that are going to hell into believing they are really going to heaven. Those that are saved, Satan often tries to deceive them into thinking they are not.

An army that is going to war that teaches nothing but victory, health, and success will lose the war. An army that is prepared for the battle will win. The army needs to know about the enemy; they need to know who the enemy is. The army needs to know how the enemy will attack and what weapons he will attack with. The army needs to know when the enemy will attack and from where, and to be ready at all times. The army needs to know, if they get wounded, what they must do to get healed. The army needs to know, if they get captured, what they must do to get free. The army must know what weapons they have available and how to use them. This comes from first being trained, then practice, and finally engaging the enemy, and on to victory.

All facets of warfare must be taught and practiced, lest the enemy gain an advantage and win the war. We need to know who the enemy is and all there is to know about him, his tactics, and his capabilities. We also need to know our own weapons and capabilities. We need to know the consequences of surrender to the enemy. We need to know when to use our weapons and when not to. We need to be ever vigilant, for our enemy the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour or conquer.

A person that is never taught about the battle he is in will probably lose. A person that is taught nothing but victory, success, health, and prosperity will go forth with great zeal but little knowledge. He will be unprepared for the onslaught of the enemy. You may go forth with the most advanced and powerful weapons, but these are of little value, if the enemy successfully sneaks up behind you and takes you by surprise. This is exactly what the enemy is planning to do.

Jesus had the victory, but do you? Will you hold firm to the end, or will you fall into Satan’s cunning deceit working in your mind? Will you be defeated and never realize it till the judgment? Beware, lest it happen so slowly that you never recognize you are backsliding. Through knowledge shall the just be delivered-Pv 11:9. "My people" are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge...therefore hell hath enlarged herself-Isa 5:13,14.

Beware. Satan will try to keep you from reading your Bible, as it is your spiritual warfare instruction manual. It covers everything you need to know. Read it, study it, hear it, meditate on it, and obey it.

There is strife between people in the churches today. There are battles between the preachers and elders. There are arguments in Bible studies and in church business and planning meetings. What is going on?

The battle inside you rages. Once you are saved, there shall be a battle fought inside you. It is a battle between the forces of darkness (Satan’s realm) and the forces of light (Jesus is light). It shall be a battle of victory to those who overcome all things through faith. It will be a battle of defeat to those who do not obey God’s Word.

This battle will rage in your mind, in your feelings or emotions, and in your flesh. If you are unsaved, things may happen to you for the purpose of bringing you to repentance. If you are about to be saved, you may feel like you are being torn apart. You may feel like a rope is pulling on one arm to go in a certain direction, and another rope is pulling on the other arm in the opposite direction; you are in the middle being torn apart. Jesus wants you to repent and follow Him. Satan wants you to refuse. It is a battle for your soul.

If you submit to Satan, you will probably grow harder toward God. Sin hardens a person against God and against His Word. Yet the war will go on. If you submit to God, then Satan will keep trying to pull you back into sin. The battle will rage inside you. Because of events stemming from this battle, many turn to drugs and alcohol, instead of to God. For those who submit to God, He gives them His Spirit and power to overcome evil. Greater is he (God’s Spirit) that is in you, than he (Satan) that is in the world-1 Jn 4:4. Till the day you die (or are raptured), this battle can be expected to continue for your soul. The conflict inside you, at times, may seem almost unbearable, but do not give up or despair. For the Lord Jesus said, these things i have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; i have overcome the world-Jn 16:33.

There may be four people. One may say no to the claims of Christ. The other three say, yes. Of those three that say yes, one may fall as a result of persecutions, embarrassment, false doctrines, or wrong thinking. Another may begin to crumble as the cares, pleasures, lusts, and deceitfulness of riches hinder him. Only one may grow and bear good fruit—fruit that will remain. Yet it is written, there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it-1 Cor 10:13.

Of those that forsake the right way, some will turn on their fellow servants and verbally abuse them and worse. Their countenance will change. Their joy in the Lord disappears. They may become angry, determined, and rebellious. You can see it on their faces, but Satan may have convinced them in their minds that they have not fallen or that they cannot fall. They will usually justify their bad attitude by pointing fingers at others.

A woman may say, "My life is torn apart. What is happening to me? I’m frustrated. My family is falling apart. My children are out of control. My husband’s job is in jeopardy. It seems everything is going wrong." What is happening is, we are in a spiritual war.

We need to look at God’s Word and see what spiritual warfare is, in order to understand what is happening to us. The Bible shows that spiritual warfare is between God and Satan. This began when Satan said, "i will ascend into heaven, i will exalt my throne above the stars of God"-Isa 14:13. He was actually seeking to dethrone God. Yet God tells us that Satan will be brought down to hell-Isa 14:15.

The deceptive powers of Satan are so great, that one-third of the angels of heaven followed him. This spiritual conflict between God and Satan goes on today. You are involved. You cannot get away from it. There is no place you can go to get out of this battle. You cannot withdraw. If you withdraw from God, you go into Satan’s territory. There is no neutral ground. You are either in the battle on God’s side, or you are in the battle on Satan’s side. Satan is so expert in deceiving people that they do not even realize they are in a battle at all. Why? It is because most people know very little of what the Bible says, or they do not believe what the Bible says. This includes priests, rabbi and preachers. As it is written, he that is not with me is against me-Mt 12:30.

If you are a fruitful, born-again Christian, whose light is shining, you are under attack because you represent Jesus Christ.If you are carnal (or worldly), lukewarm, and like a wave in your walk with Jesus, you are on very dangerous ground. When people remain depressed a great deal, whether they are a Christian or not, this shows that their fellowship with God is broken.

Satan attacks you, trying to get at God. But remember, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. "humble" yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up-Ja 4:7-10.

But seek ye "first" the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you-Mt 6:33. The battle is the Lord’s-1 Sam 17:47. To be on God’s side is to be on the winning side.

When the battle moves on the inside of you, then you need to purge yourself. You need to move the battle back to the outside, so you can have victory on the inside. Dwell in God’s Word. Obey God’s Word. Keep your mind and focus upon Jesus. It is written, thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee-Isa 26:3.

 

[hadirfuss]

3-The conflict or temptations come from
The Bible describes this battle as a conflict between truth and error. It began with Adam and Eve. Satan deceived Eve with, "hath God said?" Eve responded. Then Satan told her that God was not telling her the truth, or God did not mean what He said. You shall not surely die.

4-Here Is the Conflict Between Truth And Error
It is between the clear Word of God and anything that conflicts with it.
It is between the clear Word of God and the wrong thinking you have.
It is between the clear Word of God and your emotions.
It is between the clear Word of God and your flesh.
It is between the clear Word of God and your circumstances.
It is between the clear Word of God and your personal needs and desires.
It is between the clear Word of God and lusts, cares of this life, pleasures of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches.
It is between the clear Word of God and things your family, boss, fellow workers, friends, and other people say to you or ask you to do. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly-Ps 1:1.
It is between the clear Word of God and the traditions of men.
It is between doing "God’s will" and between doing "your will."
It is between God’s will for you and your own will.
It is between the clear Word of God and the voices or thoughts you hear in your mind, which contradict God’s clear Word. These voices—which you may think are your own—are really from Satan.

This conflict is between the true God and the god of this world. You are in the middle of this spiritual battle. People need to understand that our time on this earth is a time of testing. You are being tested to see if you will obey God or not. You are being tested to see if your faith is genuine. Yet Satan will do what he can to persuade you that it is not a test of obedience. He may even try to persuade you that God’s Word does not even apply to your situation. Satan puts lying thoughts in your mind. Your understanding of God’s Word will manifest itself by what you do.

You will hear God’s truth. You will hear Satan’s lies. You are the battle ground. You need the Holy Spirit, for He will lead you into all truth. That truth will "always" be in harmony with God’s Word.

Measure every message you hear by the Word of God.
Measure every thought you have by the Word of God.
Measure every thing you say and do by the Word of God.
It is the Word of God that will judge you at the judgment. Your excuses of why you did not obey God will not hold up then.

5-Temptatons
Ja 1:2-my brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3-knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4-but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
12-blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the lord hath promised to them that love him.
13-let no man say when he is tempted, i am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14-but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15-then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16-do not err, my beloved brethren.
22-but be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

6-Temptations come fom Satan
satan is called the tempter. It is written, and when the tempter (or Satan) came to him-Mt 4:3. Satan will tempt you or trick you to disobey God. Jesus was led up...to be tempted of the devil-Mt 4:1. Satan wants to cause you to fall. It is written, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labor be in vain-1 Thes 3:5.

Often his temptations come like they did on Eve. It is very subtle. It is a very small temptation. It involves just a little disobedience. The disobedience or temptation may prompt you to do something that is so insignificant, you do not even consider it as a temptation or a test. Once you disobey or listen to a little thing, then a little bigger temptation should follow later. Satan tempts you in very subtle ways, because he knows if you recognize the temptation as it really is that you should resist it and not give in. Giving in to a little temptation can result in a little blindness. Then it can grow and grow until total darkness sets in. Beware of Satan’s devices. You cannot say you did not know.

7-Temptations come from satan working through people
The Pharisees...came, and tempting (him) desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven-Mt 16:1.
The Pharisees...came...tempting him...saying...is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?-Mt 19:3.
One of them...asked him a question, tempting him-Mt 22:35.
This they said, tempting him that they might have to accuse him-jn 8:6.

Beware, for it is written, neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents-1 Cor 10:9.
satan will tempt you through people such as your wife or husband, your children, your parents, your relatives, your boss, your fellow workers, your children or your teachers in schools or colleges, your friends, and other people. The bottom line of these temptations is to try to cause you to disobey God in some way (even in something very minute) that will ultimately lead to more disobedience later. And through your example of disobedience, someone else may be tempted and fall. Be an example of Christ in "every" way.

8-Temptations come from the lusts of the flesh
These are the natural lusts of the flesh, but often prompted by satan. Again, these temptations may be small even insignificant in the beginning, but as you give in to sin; it can increase more and more.

9-Temptations: We pray that we should not be tempted
As it is written, our father...lead us not into temptation-Mt 6:9,13. Jesus tells us to watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation-Mt 26:41. Why then would we be so foolish as to lead ourselves into temptations?

10-Temptations: We lead ourselves into temptations;
the pretty girl and the chocolate eclair
Consider the following. A person is married. A pretty girl or a good-looking guy lives on a road that is on the way the person travels to work. They have a choice to take another way or take the way that leads them into temptation.

Are you a "chocolate eclair" Christian? A chocolate eclair is a delicious cream-filled type of donut (or pastry) with chocolate frosting, but it is very fattening. Now a person who is overweight knows they should not eat chocolate eclairs. They may pray to God, "God, lead me not into temptation." then one day they pass a bakery shop that sells these chocolate eclairs. They walk in only to look. Then they decide to buy some, but they promise themselves they will not eat them. They take a box of them home and put it in the refrigerator, but they are determined they will not eat them. Every time they walk by the refrigerator, they think of those delicious chocolate eclairs. Every time they open the door to the refrigerator, they can see these delicious chocolate eclairs just waiting to be eaten and enjoyed.

As a couple days pass, the thought comes into their mind, "you better eat them soon, or they will go bad." finally, the temptation becomes too much. The person runs to the refrigerator, opens the door and eats just one. But then it was so delicious, they eat another and another.

Are you a "chocolate eclair" christian, who prays to God, "lead me not into temptation," but then you lead yourself into temptation by being disobedient to God’s word in some way?

Do you go places you should not go and, as a result, lead yourself into temptation? When you arrive, satan is waiting for you.

Do you associate with people that you should not associate with and, as a result, lead yourself into temptation? When you do, satan is waiting for you.

Do you do things you should not do and, as a result, lead yourself into temptation? When you do, satan is waiting for you.

It is written, neither give place to the devil-Eph 4:27. Do you disobey this command, yet ask God not to lead you into temptation? Are you a stubborn and rebellious person when it comes to obeying God’s word? It is written, for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry-1 Sam 15:23. An evil man seeketh only rebellion-Pv 17:11.

 

[hadirfuss]

11-Temptations Or Tests Can Come From God It is written, God did tempt (or test) Abraham-Gen 22:1. As a result of the temptation, Abraham and his seed became a blessing to all nations of the earth, because he obeyed the voice of the Lord-Gen 22:18. When God tries us, He does not give us all the answers. He simply says, "This is the way, walk ye in it." He says, "Climb that mountain. Make that sacrifice." You may be in pain and agony for what you are going through. Your soul may be troubled, but you obey God. The testings of God are to prove your faith genuine, enabling you to come out of it stronger than before. Stay with God and in His will, no matter how you hurt on the inside, no matter what the pain.

It is written, there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it-1 Cor 10:13.

12-We Tempt God
God forbid, then there are times when we tempt God. It is written, they tempted the Lord, saying, is the Lord among us, or not?-Ex 17:7. The people said, would God we had died in this wilderness! God said, these men have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice-Num 14:2,22. They tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust-Ps 78:18.

Beware, as it is written, neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents-1 Cor 10:9.

13-The Earth Is A Spiritual Battlefield
The battle begins in your mind. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind-Ro 7:23. Rev 20:2,3 shows that deception comes from the devil. A battle rages in your thoughts. Your flesh, your feelings, and your thoughts may all say to turn aside from the right way, but you need to obey God. You need to learn to discipline your mind, to bring your thoughts in line with the Bible. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ-2 Cor 10:5.

14-Temptations in Our Mind
Jesus struggled in His mind hours before He was crucified. Jesus prayed, o my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt-Mt 26:39. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground-Lk 22:44.

Here was the conflict. satan wanted Him to say He would not obey God, but Jesus said, not my will, but thine, be done-Lk 22:42. Jesus went to the cross. You must go to the cross and crucify your desires, your will, and your flesh; you must begin living in God’s will.

satan will lie to your mind (or put thoughts in your mind), that you must not do this or that, or you must do this or that. satan may say, "You must leave that Bible-teaching church, or that Bible school, or that Bible study, or you must move away. You must not listen to the correction of that spiritual Christian who is coming to speak to you. He can never understand your prohwa offblem. You must work on the Lord’s day, and forsake going to church. Your finances are so bad, you’ll never pay your bills unless you work." Satan will lie to a person in his mind, and say, "You must, you must, you must." Your emotions may rise as they also say, "You must, you must, you must." satan will contradict God’s Word in your thoughts. You need to let God take charge of your mind. Bring your thoughts into harmony with the Gospel. Read and obey God’s Word..

15-Temptations In Solitary Places
Another place satan wages his battle is in solitary places. He gets you alone, apart from spiritual Christians. It is written, in Ecc 4:10, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. He likes to tempt you in the darkness of the night. He may tell you that you’re a fool for doing those things God has led you to do. He sows doubt. He may tell you not to go to that church service or Bible study. Remember: Job was tempted at home; Paul was tempted in prison; and Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. In solitary places, Satan also wages his war.

Whenever you go somewhere that is not in God’s will, Satan can be expected to be waiting for you. Whenever you go to a place to fulfill God’s will, you may be joyful and excited, but don’t forget: Satan can be expected to confront you. He may try to stop you from going. He may try to stop you during your trip. He may confront you when you arrive and while you are there.

16-The Carnal or Worldly Lifestyle
This lifestyle is very vulnerable to spiritual warfare. When a Christian is carnal, he still thinks of ways to satisfy the desires of the flesh. He may be either a newborn babe in Christ, a long-time Christian that has not grown much in Christ, or a backslidden Christian. He has ambitions that are not God’s will for him. It is when you are in this carnal state, that you may fall. You may come to "spiritual indifference." You may say, "I don’t care anymore." You may be at ease in Zion, as was spoken by Amos the prophet.

You may have a spiritual attitude of, "Don’t count on me. I’m not getting involved. Let someone else do it." This indifference can cause you to fall. Beware of Satan’s cunning devices. He tries to wear a person down day by day, and they wither away-ref Mk 4:6. He may wear them down and then, at their weakest point, tempt them with something they are very susceptible to. Then they may fall.

17-Beware Of Stubbornness and Self-Confidence A person must become totally unyielding to Satan, the temptations of this world, and the flesh, but must remain totally yielded unto the Lord Jesus Christ. When you become stubborn to God’s will, you provoke God. Stubbornness makes you susceptible to Satan, and you may fall.

Beware of self-confidence. It is written, we...have no confidence in the flesh-Phili 3:3. Beware of an attitude of, "I can make it on my own. I am a self-made man." Your confidence needs to be placed in Christ. When fighting Satan, if your feet are not firmly planted on the "Rock," you may fall. Beware of humanistic, self- confidence. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin-Ro 14:23.

18-Beware Of Having To Fight the Devil on Two Fronts One of the tactics in warfare is to divide the enemy, to cause him to divide up his forces in order to fight in two or three areas at the same time; thus, he becomes weaker in each area. Then the enemy will determine which of the areas is the weakest and concentrate all his power at that weakest point. We might say, divide and conquer.

Many Christians are trying to fight Satan on the front lines, while they are struggling with guilt, fear, misgivings, unbelief, and not dealing with their own problems. As long as you do this, you may meet one defeat after another. You need inner peace.

You may be asked a tempting question. Before you can even answer, someone else hits you with another tempting question, and before you can answer, yet another person asks you a tempting question. Confusion sets in, and you may speak something wrong and trap yourself. Satan seeks to confuse, then divide and conquer. Be slow to speak. When Jesus was tempted with lying accusations, He sometimes answered nothing.

19-"I Don’t See It That Way"
"warning, warning, warning," if you have an apathetic attitude when you are being corrected by God’s Word (regarding something in your spiritual walk that is not right). Beware, if you say to yourself, "It’s not so bad," or "It will all work out all right, don’t worry." If you do this, you are on very dangerous ground. Someone might warn you not to go here or there, which is in harmony with God’s Word, but you believe it will be all right.

You have an indifferent attitude. So you go, fully persuaded nothing will happen. Then an unexpected accident happens; your vehicle is smashed. You are hospitalized, or permanently injured, or some other thing happens that had not even entered your mind. The unexpected happened. You chose to ignore God’s warning. You did not have God’s protection; you gave a place to the devil to attack you, because you were in disobedience to God’s Word.

Little did Israel suspect, when they brought up an evil report, that it would cause them to have to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Later on, Israel would not follow God’s ways. They were warned, but they chose to take an attitude of, "It will be all right." They were wrong. Little did they suspect that their nation would be destroyed. Little did they suspect that they would be carried away captive. Little did the rich man suspect that he would be in hell, in Luke chapter 16. Little did Ananias and Sapphira suspect that they would be struck dead for lying, in Acts chapter 5.

When a person chooses to disobey God, even in something small, he is giving a place to Satan to attack him. Neither does Satan put in the person's mind how he plans to attack him. Disobedience brings judgment, and MERCY rejoiceth against judgment-Ja 2:13.



p/s the battle study to be continued....