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Good morning reader, I will like to welcome you all into the months of July, in these season I am writing on the Spiritual warfare and How to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph. 6:11 NKJV). Stay blessed as you go through this articles of our faith.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)
The Lord Jesus Christ has won a complete victory over Satan, all his demons, and their works for humankind through His death on the cross (Hebrew. 2;14-15).
Christ’s triumph or victory over Satan and his demons on the cross is not a partial, gradual, progressive, or ongoing victory. It is absolute, total, complete, perfect, and final!
Colossians 2:15 – TCNT
15 He rid himself of all the Powers of Evil, and held them up to open contempt, when he celebrated his triumph over them on the cross!
Christ’s triumph or victory over Satan for all those who put their trust in Him and His finished work of redemption. All the benefits or profits of Christ’s death and resurrection have been credited to the account of the believers in Christ (1 John 5:4-5, 1 Cor. 15:57).
Although the Lord Jesus Christ, by His death and resurrection, has won for all humankind a total, complete, perfect, and final victory over Satan, Satan is still given a short time to live and operate in the world before he will be eternally quashed, subjugated and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 12:12, 20:10).
Until the close of the ages, when Satan and all his cohorts will be bound and cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever, the believers still have Satan and his cohorts to wrestle or contend against in spiritual warfare.
However, this ongoing spiritual warfare does not undermine, question, or belittle the absolute victory that Christ has won for the believers through His death.
The born-again believers are in spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons not to win, struggle, or contend for victory but to appropriate, enforce, enjoy, and demonstrate the victory they already have in Christ through His death (1 Cor. 15:57, 2 Cor. 2:14).
Sadly, many believers today are ignorantly still contending or wrestling in spiritual warfare to win the victory they already have in and through Christ. That is the main reason for the defeat, failure, or frustration in spiritual warfare that many believers today are experiencing.
Here are some fundamental truths about spiritual warfare that every believer must know, believe, and apply to appropriate, enforce, enjoy, and demonstrate the absolute victory that Christ has already won for them over all the powers of evil.
First, the Believers are not fighting Physical Warfare.
The Scripture forbids believers from seeking revenge, retaliation, retribution, or being engaged in any physical brawl or fight with their enemies because our warfare is not physical but spiritual (1 Thess. 5:15).
Solomon admonishes, “Do not say, “I will recompense evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you. “(Prov. 20:22 NKJV).
“Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” (Prov. 24:29 NKJV).
Apostle Paul also admonishes us to not “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.” (Rom. 12:17 – NKJV).
The Lord Jesus also teaches us to love our enemies.
Matthew 5:43-45 – NKJV
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Second, the Believers’ Weapons of our Warfare are not Physical, Carnal, or Earthly.
The believers are not engaged in physical warfare against Satan and his demons. Therefore, physical, fleshly, earthly, or worldly armor or weapons of war cannot be utilized for victory in spiritual warfare (Phil. 2:9-11, Rev. 11:19, 12:11).
God has prepared and provided the whole or full spiritual armor for the believers to take up, put on, or utilize in spiritual warfare to resist or stand against Satan’s wiles, deceptions, schemes, or manipulations (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Today, some believers have made themselves vulnerable to Satan’s wiles and attacks because they choose not to put on, wield, or appropriate the spiritual armor or weapons of warfare.
The Scripture commands, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph. 6:11 NKJV).
Third, the Believer’s real Enemies are not Humans (flesh and blood).
The born-again believers are not in spiritual warfare against fellow human beings who may hate, hurt, betray, persecute, or seek to cheat or exploit them (Luke 23:33-34).
Sadly, Satan has deceived many believers today into wrestling or contending against their fellow men or women while erroneously thinking they are fighting spiritual warfare.
Paul clearly states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 NKJV).
Your real opponents or enemies in spiritual warfare are Satan and his demons, not any man or woman, notwithstanding his or her attitude or disposition towards you. When you focus on human beings as your opponents in spiritual warfare, you have been deceived and manipulated by your real enemy, Satan.
Fourth, the Battleground is the Believer’s Mind.
You either stand against or fall for the wiles or lies of Satan in your mind. Satan always strives to keep believers in perpetual bondage and to hinder them from enjoying God’s blessings in Christ by seeking to build strongholds, imaginations, arguments, or reasons in their minds contrary to the truths of God’s Word.
However, God has provided believers with spiritual weapons of warfare that can demolish, pull down, and destroy every stronghold, imagination, argument, or reasoning from Satan. Unfortunately, many believers don’t take up and utilize these weapons effectively.
Apostle Paul explains this truth in his epistle.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – RSV
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Beloved, when you allow Satan to gain a foothold in your mind, he will eventually build a stronghold, influencing, dominating, or controlling your thoughts, words, emotions, and actions. The result will be fear, restlessness, failure, frustration, defeat, or death in spiritual warfare.
The thoughts you allow to dominate, prevail, or rule in your mind determine your experience in life. When you allow God’s Spirit through His Word to control, dominate, saturate, renew, or sanctify your mind, you will always experience, enjoy, manifest, or demonstrate the victory Christ has already won for you over Satan and all his cohorts.
Therefore, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col. 3:16 NKJV).
Discover more vital truths about spiritual warfare in the second part of this piece!
Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me daily to appropriate, enforce, enjoy, manifest, and demonstrate this absolute victory to the world, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our mandate is to strive for the preserving the Faith of the Apostolic Generation.
Eniyekpemi Fidelis Oyinpreyebi.
AWH, Blogs.
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