Spiritual Warfare...This Is War!

We're going to take a look at the concept of spiritual warfare. The notion of each and every one of us being involved in a life or death struggle is not far-fetched, nor is it imaginary, but rather, it is very real. It is a matter of eternal life or death, and choices must be made, battle lines must be drawn, alliances must be formed, and allegiance must be given. This is a war, a battle for our very souls, and it is being waged on a daily basis, and we have an integral role in the fight. We're going to take a look at the war that is being fought for control of our souls on both sides, and how it is waged on many fronts. We will begin by taking a look at the very origins of the battle, where it all began, in the Garden of Eden. We read of the aftermath of original sin in Genesis 3:14-15, after Adam and Eve are beguiled by the serpent, which is simply a form which Satan had assumed..."And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." We know that the latter part of these verses refers to Jesus, and to the fact that He would be the One who would ultimately defeat Satan, first on the Cross of Calvary, and finally at the Last Day. However, let us pay particular attention to verse 14, and to the fact that Satan is told that "dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." To what does this refer? What is this "dust" that Satan is condemned to eat? The comparison has been drawn to the snake itself, and to the fact that a snake crawls upon its belly, and consumes dust along with its food.

However, we know that the serpent was just an incarnation of the devil himself, much like a puppet which Satan was controlling. We read in Genesis 2:7, as mankind is created..."And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Further, we read in Psalms 103:13-14..."Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." WE, as mankind, are the dust which Satan consumes, we are like prey and he is the predator. If we live our lives without the Sovereign protection that only the blood of Jesus provides, we are like prey for the taking, as a sheep without a shepherd. Jesus refers to Satan multiple times as "the prince of this world", and he is also called "the prince of the power of the air", and, at one point, Paul even refers to him as "the god of this world" who has "blinded the minds of them which believe not". Just before Peter's denial of Jesus, the Lord gave him an ominous warning in Luke 22:31..."And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." So we see that it is not only nonbelievers who are in danger, but that we as Christians are subject to temptation, as well. Notice, however, that Peter, as a believer, had a distinct advantage over Satan, one which we all possess, once we have given our lives to the Lord. Although Jesus knew that Peter would fall to temptation, and deny Him, Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail, and Jesus intercedes on our behalf, as well, when we are in times of trial. Hebrews 13:5 tells us that..."...he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." All of the aforementioned foreboding descriptions of Satan are given in order that we may understand the power and dominion which the devil has on this earth. He is very real, and very powerful, and he has tremendous influence. Furthermore, we are in his territory, we are like children on his playground, and therefore, we must be ever on guard. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6:12..."For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This is further elaborated in a beautiful and eloquent way by Peter, as we read in 1 Peter 5:8-9..."Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." Notice here that the devil is compared with a lion, he is akin to an apex predator, one who is constantly on the prowl, looking for prey to devour. However, he cannot simply take whomever he wants. According to our reading, he seeks whom he "may devour". Those who will resist, and stand firm in their faith are in no danger, for the devil cannot touch them. Only those who choose to walk the path alone will become victims of Satan. We are given a precious reassurance in James 4:7..."Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." This is much more than a simple word of encouragement, this is a promise of God. All that is required on our part is faith, and a willingness to resist, and God will do the rest. God is telling us, just as He told the children of Israel in 2 Chronicles 20:17..."Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you...". However, we can be sure, that although Satan will flee, he will undoubtedly return in some other form, with some other tactic or enticement, to once again try and lure us away from God. Our battle with the devil is an ongoing war, and victory on one front will only ensure combat on another. This is further explained in James 1:13-15..."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: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." This puts the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of each individual, and shows us, as well, that the real frontline of this battle is within our own minds. If we fall to temptation, it is because we were enticed, and we then made the conscious decision to act on the temptation. We cannot say, as some have said, "The devil made me do it!", for this is simply not the case, and we are not afforded the luxury of "passing the buck". Yes, we may be sorely tempted, and mentally ravaged by Satan, but ultimately it is we ourselves who must bear the responsibility for our own actions. So, naturally, the questions then arise...

What can we do about this? What hope do we have in the face of such a powerful and overwhelming enemy?

The good news is, we do have hope. In fact, we have the assurance of victory. Although we may be in the territory of the enemy, we have been given tools to aid us in this fight, namely the full armor of God, and furthermore, we have a Champion who can never be defeated. This is a battle which has already been won. We know that good will ultimately triumph over evil. We, as believers, have been bought with a price, and our salvation has been secured. In the epic battle between good and evil, between the dark and the light, much blood has been shed. However, the only blood that has any bearing is the precious blood of Jesus which He shed on the cross to purchase our salvation. His sacrifice was made once, for all. It was all encompassing, it paid the price in full for the sins of all those who would believe on His name. He bore our iniquities, He tasted of death, He overcame death, hell, and the grave, and He now sits at the right hand of God, claiming us as His own, and making intercession on our behalf. He is our Champion, our Hope, and our Advocate. He is our Redeemer, our Savior, and our Friend. He is our Victory.