July 16, Suit Up
Recently, a student from our former congregation in Texas reached out with a question concerning spiritual warfare. I am very proud of her, and I am thankful for her desire to walk in the victory of our Lord every day. And, from my correspondence with her, I share with you some of the same encouragement concerning our preparedness for spiritual warfare.
Personal Awareness
The first step in properly responding to “the present darkness in our world” is awareness. Such awareness should first focus upon the presence of the church within our world. The church stands strong on the foundation of God’s Word and in total reliance upon the Holy Spirit. This has been so since the supernatural conception of the church as recorded in Acts. While today the church faces some of the most unique challenges every imagined, our source of strength remains the very same as that of the first century church: The Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Followers of Jesus are completely undergirded and equipped with both, and for that I am indeed grateful. Faith in Christ always defeats darkness. Always! And this measures the true identity of the church. Our faith in Christ becomes expressed in our commitment to the truths of God’s Word and in our complete yielding to the Holy Spirit.
Second, our awareness should also focus upon both the ultimate reality as well as the challenging realities of Spiritual Warfare. The ultimate reality of course is the fact that victory over the devil has already been accomplished. This ongoing victory is guaranteed and made secure. This was accomplished through the Cross and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The challenging realties of Spiritual Warfare are the daily battles we face. Therefore, the Christ-follower must resolve that our very presence in a fallen world offers struggles that come directly from the contrast between light and darkness. And, our first order of business every day as a Christian is to prepare well for such struggles. This preparation involves prayer, Bible study, and of course, Christian fellowship. And, such disciplines create within the believer spiritual discernment.
Spiritual DiscernmentWhen I spend time in prayer (not simply voicing prayer requests, but actually spending quiet moments in communication with God), and time in God’s Word (not only reading, but studying specific parts of God’s Holy Counsel), the Spirit of God builds within my spirit discernment. Hebrews 5:14 teaches that “solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” Philippians 1:9 offers a portion of Paul’s prayer for the Philippian congregation: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” Spiritual discernment is indeed a significant part of discipleship, and thus a significant expression of one’s preparedness for spiritual warfare.
A Nurtured Relationship
Another significant truth in facing spiritual warfare emphasizes the love-relationship that each believer has with Jesus. The way to daily overcome Satan’s influence in our lives is by daily drawing closer to Jesus. I love the promise of James 4:7: “submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” I believe the actual order of that verse is intentional. We first submit to God – placing ourselves under the rule and reign of Jesus daily. We then resist the devil. He has to flee the presence of God, and when our identity “in Christ” grows, we become more and more victorious against the evil one.
Practically and Supernaturally Equipped
Finally, consider your full armor that perfectly equips you for Spiritual Warfare, Ephesians 6:10-18. I taught on this subject several weeks ago in a sermon titled, “A Walk that Wins.” (I have included a link to this sermon below.)
https://kgbc.us/tag/the-walk/
Today, begin with the assurance that in Christ victory has not only been guaranteed, but perfectly gained through the cross. Live in that victory. Fight the good fight and keep the faith; there is indeed laid up for you a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give you (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Christ has won. Go forward toward your daily battles in this reality.
Blessings.
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Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and "suit up."
