Know Where The Battle Is!

“Sooner or later every believer discovers that the Christian life is a battleground, not a playground, and that he faces an enemy who is much stronger than he is—apart from the Lord.” —W. W. Wiersbe

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (Eph. 6:10-13, KJV)

The power of God is not resident in the pieces of armor. Where is the power? What is the source of our strength?  (Eph. 6:10) 

The Source of Our Strength in the Spiritual War Is God Alone.  Eph. 6:10, says, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.”

We cannot control a flood with a flamethrower.We cannot douse a forest fire with floodlights.We cannot stop a hurricane with bullets. And we cannot fight supernatural battles with natural strength. Natural power has no effect whatsoever on spiritual things.(Anders)

If we could ever get that through our heads, we would change the way we do things. Instead of relying on hard work and creativity and shrewdness and politics and money, we would rely on prayer and Scripture and godliness and spiritual unity and sensitivity to the Lord.

Our Power, Our Strength, Is Only That—Ours…Natural.

It is quite puny against the onslaught of Satan and his demonic army. Of course we should work hard, be creative and shrewd, and use politics and money. But we must not depend on these things. Our true strength, our real power, does not lie within ourselves. It is in the Lord.

This Is Extremely Difficult for Us to Accept at First.

We may be very strong physically, accustomed to relying on our physical strength to achieve our goals. Or we may be highly skilled business executives, very talented artists, or shrewd negotiators, and we may depend on these talents to make our way through this world. So it is hard for us to lay those abilities at the foot of the cross, admit that in spiritual warfare they are useless and we are powerless, and say, “Lord Jesus, help me.” But until we come to that point, we are thoroughly duped—and we will remain thoroughly defeated. (LAC)

In spiritual warfare…

God does the work of God,Man does the work of man.Man cannot do the work of God,And God will not do the work of man. (Unknown)

God's Work—spiritual Warfare—has to Be Done God's Way.

The work of humans is to learn and employ God's tactics and rely on God—and God alone—in the spiritual war.

For the life of us, however, we cannot get this straight. We insist on trying to do the work of God while neglecting the work of man. Then we wonder why things aren't going so well.

“If we are not 100 percent with Jesus in battling our adversary—if we are relying on any other source of power apart from that of the Holy Spirit of God—then we are actually against Jesus and our efforts at defeating Satan will fail.We cannot defeat the devil with our intellect.We cannot defeat the devil with our clever reasoning.We cannot defeat the devil with our hatred of him.We can defeat the devil only by relying totally and completely on Jesus Christ to work in us and through us and on our behalf. There is no successful warfare against the devil apart from Him. He authorizes our war against the devil, even as He empowers us to win it and gives us the courage to engage in it.”  — C. Stanley

The power that raised Christ from the dead empowers God's people as we prepare for the spiritual battles we must face in this life. We will need it, because the struggle occurs in the spiritual realm and must be won with spiritual weapons. While the victory is certain, the battle still must be waged. Paul's words are all in the plural, addressed to the church at Ephesus, who, like a warrior, needed to put on the complete armor of God. Of course, this combined effort calls for each member's fullest participation.

“TRAINING.   If you want to complete a marathon, you have to run hundreds of training miles. If you want to learn a foreign language, you have to spend some hours memorizing declensions and conjugations. If you want to play the piano, you have to learn the scales and how to read music. And if you want to accomplish anything for God, you have to spend time with the spiritual disciplines: Bible study, prayer, church involvement, fasting, and serving. Being a Christian is not a learned skill or discipline; it's a living relationship with our living Lord Jesus. But like any other relationship, if you want it to be deep and meaningful—beyond the superficial and empty formalities—it takes time and commitment. Do you set aside time for spiritual training?”  —LAC

What Are the Three Battlefronts in Spiritual Warfare?

The Three Battle fronts in Our Spiritual Warfare Are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil.

As Christians, we face these three enemies (Eph. 2:1-3). Spiritual warfare occurs in our everyday lives in different ways, sometimes blatantly, but often very subtly. The Bible shows that this conflict rages on three battlefronts. These fronts are the world (1 John 2:15–17), the flesh (Romans 7:14–25) and the devil (1 Peter 5:8).

"The World" Refers to the System Around Us That Is Opposed to God.

The World caters to "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15-17). "Society apart from God" is a simple, but accurate, definition of "the world."

The “World” Does Not Mean the Material Planet. This physical world was created by God, and he pronounced it good (Genesis 1). Yes, it has been corrupted by sin, but it will be redeemed and made new (Romans 8:19–22; Revelation 21:1) and be totally good again. That is one wonderful result of the salvation God is performing today.

But “World” in its Negative Sense Is the World System of Values. It is the present evil order and arrangement of things that began, not with creation, but with the spoiling of God's good creation by sin (Genesis 3). The world is the social battlefront, where believers battle sin and evil confronting them from “without.” It is a battleground of external powers, values, influences, and temptations.

In this Battle, the Bible Admonishes Us to Be in the World, but Not of the World. We are to resist the pressure of unredeemed society that would force us into its mold (Romans 12:1, 2). The Apostle Paul wrote of our conflict with the world in 2 Corinthians 10:4–5, where he describes worldly convictions, habits, thoughts, and affections held by society, by a culture, by humanity as a whole. These are worldly because they oppose God, deny God, or attempt to exist apart from God. Overcoming these forces in our own lives, as well as helping others to overcome them, is part of the war we wage against the fallen world in which we live. We are to disengage ourselves from the ungodly elements of the world value system, while at the same time influencing the world for the cause of Christ (Matthew 5:14–16; 28:19–20).

"The Flesh" Is the Old Nature That We Inherited from Adam.

It is a nature that is opposed to God and can do nothing spiritual to please God. The “flesh” does not mean our skin, meat and bones, nor does it refer only to sexual desire.

These are part of God's good creation. Rather, “flesh” refers to an inherent bent toward sin that every human being inherits from Adam. It refers not just to actions (sex, money, and power), but also to attitudes (lust, greed, and all kinds of selfishness). The flesh is the personal battlefront, where believers battle sin and evil “within” themselves, a battleground of internal powers, values, influences, and temptations.

The apostle Paul writes of the flesh in Romans 7 where he says that “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. [19] For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. [20] Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:18-20

This passage describes a spiritual civil war raging within the heart of each Christian. Because of the new birth in Christ, the Christian wants to do the right thing, but the flesh is not redeemed and continues to pull us down until Jesus returns or we die (Romans 8:23). So we must war against this tendency, a kind of unhealthy gravity, within ourselves pulling us against the will of God. In this battle, the Bible admonishes us not to let sin rule over our physical bodies. Instead, we are to actively present ourselves to God as instruments to be used for His righteousness (Romans 6:11–14). (Wiersbe)

We can be Winners through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

By His death and resurrection, Christ overcame the world (John 16:33; Gal 6:14), and the flesh (Rom 6:1-6; Gal 2:20), and the devil (Eph. 1:19-23). In other words, as believers, we do not fight for victory—we fight from victory!  The Spirit of God enables us, by faith, to appropriate Christ's victory for ourselves.

Who Else are Believers at War With? 

How does God describe him? (Eph. 6:11-12)

The Importance of Intelligence

The intelligence corps plays a vital part in warfare because it enables the officers to know and understand the enemy. Unless we know who the enemy is, where he is, and what he can do, we have a difficult time defeating him. Not only in Ephesians 6, but throughout the entire Bible, God instructs us about the enemy, so there is no reason for us to be caught off guard.

The Leader-the Devil- the Enemy (Eph. 6:11-12)

The “devil” is not the little man in red tights, with hoofs, horns, and a pitchfork. He is an extremely powerful fallen angel, evil to the core, and absolutely set against God. The “devil” refers to a supernatural battlefront where believers battle Satan and other evil supernatural beings, whom the Bible identifies as the source of evil. Satan and his allies use the world and the flesh to keep us from doing the will of God.

The enemy has many different names. Devil basically means “accuser,” because he accuses God's people day and night before the throne of God (Rev 12:7-11). Satan refers to his adversarial role; clearly he is the enemy of Almighty God. He is also called the tempter (Matt 4:3), the murderer and the liar (John 8:44). He is compared to a lion (1 Peter 5:8), a serpent (Gen 3:1; Rev. 12:9), and an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15), as well as “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4). All of these titles and descriptions afford us insight into his dark character and strategies.

Where did he come from, this spirit-creature that seeks to oppose God and defeat His work? In the Creation, he was “Lucifer, son of the morning” (Isa 14:12-15) and that he was cast down because of his pride and his desire to occupy God's throne. Many mysteries are connected with the origin of Satan, but what he is doing is not a secret. Where he is going certainly is not a mystery either! Since he is a created being, and not eternal (as God is), he is limited in his knowledge and activity. Unlike God, Satan is not all-knowing, all-powerful, or everywhere present. Then how does he accomplish so much in so many different parts of the world?  The answer is in his organized helpers.

Satan's Helpers

Paul called them “principalities ... powers ... rulers ... spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

We Are Not in a Battle with Human Foes Alone.

But with demonic forces, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark world, battalions of fallen angels, powerful evil spirits that is, with the spirit forces of evil challenging us in the heavenly battles. These can be compared to the differing degrees of authority, such as presidents, governors, mayors, and aldermen on a human scale. It is not godless philosophers, crafty priests, Christ-denying cultists, or infidel rulers. Such individuals are mere pawns in Satan’s game for lives.  

This suggests a definite army of demonic creatures that assist Satan in his attacks against believers. Do I really believe in the existence of evil spirit beings? Yes, I do! The Apostle John hinted that one third of the angels fell with Satan when he rebelled against God (Rev 12:4). Daniel wrote that Satan’s fallen angels struggle against God’s holy angelic hosts for control of the affairs of entire nations (Dan 10:13-20). Does it surprise you to learn that demons direct certain countries and greatly influence others? A spiritual battle is raging in this world, and in “high places” or the sphere of the heavenly/spiritual realm, and you and I are part of this battle. Knowing this makes living victoriously a vitally important matter to us…and certainly to God.

The important point is that our battle is not against human beings. It is against spiritual powers. We are wasting our time fighting people when we ought to be fighting the devil who seeks to control people and make them oppose the work of God. During Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, a riot took place that could have destroyed the church (Acts 19:21-41). It wasn't caused only by Demetrius and his associates for behind them were Satan and associates.   Certainly Paul, and the church prayed, and the opposition was silenced. The advice of the King of Syria to his soldiers can be applied to our spiritual battle-. “Fight neither with small nor great save only the king” (1 Kings 22:31). (Wiersbe)

As we consider this great invisible war in which the devil and his hosts engage us, we must concentrate on two realities. First, we are to be alert to his evil intentions, to his strategy to deceive and destroy us. Secondly, we must recognize that it is God alone who can make us victorious in this great invisible war. His resources, His strength, His ministry to us are what allow us to keep from being destroyed in this battle. We must develop the conviction and habit of turning to Him, depending on Him, obeying Him so that He can win the battle for us.

I realize that this is strange talk in our nuts-and-bolts world of computer chips, flash drives, and space shuttles.  We are not used to thinking about invisible foes and celestial combat. Yet if we are not careful, we will be duped into thinking we are merely battling people and circumstances, when all the time things are being orchestrated by a mastermind behind the scenes. This evil instigator of darkness is intelligent and powerful. He makes the terrorism of Ben Laden look like a quite stroll through the park! If we pretend he is not there, or if we try to do battle with him in our own intelligence and strength, we are doomed to failure. Every Believer in Christ Jesus needs to understand that we are in a deadly battle against powerful forces and enemies. Most of all remember the Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world, crucified the flesh, and destroyed the works of the wicked one, Satan. We are real victors in Christ! Our Lord, dwelling within us, is definitely more powerful than Satan who seems to presently dominate this world system. Be of good courage child of God knowing we fight from victory instead of for victory. Yes, the greatest battle was won for us at Calvary over two thousand years ago. Always bear in mind, your battle is in the spiritual realm just as intensely as it is in the physical realm. If the entire truth is told, it is often far more forceful, precarious, and lethal in spiritual war! Your real enemies are not the individuals or people, but Satan, the flesh, and the world. Beloved, this is where the battle is. We must employ spiritual weapons and strategies to win such battles!

Why Is The Tongue So Difficult To Control?

Why Is The Tongue So Difficult To Control?

I recall an extremely dark day in my early teen years…if only I could erase my vicious rant from my family members’ memories. On that shameful occasion, I bellowed out some dreadful things to an entirely innocent person. We were playing baseball at my aunt’s house, and things were going well for the most part. Many of my family members and cousins were having a great time in a friendly game of baseball. That is until I was supposedly tagged out on second, when I clearly was safe. It was one of my cousins (a cancer patient) who tried to tag me out, but actually missed me altogether as I heroically slid into second base. I was safe. My cousin felt he had tagged me out when he caught the ball returning from the outfield. He had indeed reached for me in a rather clumsy attempt, but he was clearly too slow and too late. Accordingly, I insisted I was safe by a mile!

We started to argue…the confrontation rapidly escalated a few decibels. Inside, I felt justified regarding my claim, but a strange form of mercy within me felt it wrong to haggle too harshly with my very sick cousin. I was angry, perplexed, defensive, and frustrated…I could not freely defend myself because of his cancerous condition. It was not a fair argument…then he pushed me…. My entire insides were fuming, but this same strange mercy restrained me from reacting in kind. In a matter of seconds both teams were arguing…the situation continued to degenerate!

Finally, my aunt attempted to bring the sad state of affairs under control. Trying to resolve the matter, she addressed me directly. I was so angry that I took aim at her and fired off the harshest retorts I could muster. Everything I wanted to say to my cancer plagued cousin, but somehow could not, I mercilessly unleashed on her. My poor aunt was sandblasted by a barrage of the vilest sarcasms I have ever belched out in my entire life! She was undeniably disconcerted at my venomous histrionics as I stormed and thundered on. All the while, she was careful to maintain a safe distance between herself and me. I even recall real fear registering in her eyes…. The entire scene was categorically explosive… an extremely painful memory. I still have difficulty believing I actually did this.

My pride, my willful defense of myself…somehow, the embarrassment I felt, the sense of injustice, and yes an untamed tongue on a seriously violent rampage. These memories are still painful as I record them; I am deeply ashamed of my behavior. The extreme forms of disrespect…the degree to which I gravely dishonored my parents as I lambasted the sweetest aunt I have. My actions were exceedingly sinful. She did not deserve the way I treated her; in fact, no one did.

While I understand there were many dynamic elements influencing that event, one fundamental component was my failure to control my tongue. As you know, my problem is deeper than what I actually said. But, why is the tongue so difficult to control? How is it that I lost control of my tongue hurting some of the dearest people in my life? This is not my only story about a lack of tongue control, but it was one of my worst. The fact is my problem is quite universal. Note the words of James,

For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7 & 8)

James recognizes that we have been effective in training animals in remarkable ways, but the human tongue remains untamed, wild, and therefore dangerous. Many can vouch for the impossibility of controlling the tongue by mere human strength because it is restlessly unruly and deadly poisonous. It was D. A. Carson who said,

The tongue, then, is restless. Restlessness is a characteristic of the demonic world and evil, while peace is a characteristic of God and his good kingdom. The tongue is always wanting to say something; often poison that produces death. The murders committed on behalf of a tyrant come about when he issues orders. We experience something similar on the personal level when we speak evil and realize that it has brought death to us rather than life.”(Carson, D. A.: New Bible Commentary)

Yes, we all have stories similar to mine where we said some pretty awful things that we later regretted. Several things can be noted in relation to taming the tongue and bringing it under control based on the words of James.

TONGUE CONTROL IS NOT ACHIEVED SOLELY THROUGH HUMAN DISCIPLINE

We assume we can train and discipline ourselves to control what we say. That is, we make up our minds and determine to change. We bite our tongues refusing to retaliate. We vow to never say certain words again. The list could go on for a month! While the motive is good, the method is ineffective for the most part. Effective change can never be found in the strength of our flesh. The Spirit’s control of the heart and mind of the believer is the key. He generates love, longsuffering, meekness, and temperance in believers’ character effectively limiting the restless nature of the tongue (Gal. 5:22, 23; 2Pet. 1:6, 7).

Human discipline is a good thing and is not to be diminished in any way. In fact we must decidedly cooperate with the Lord to experience real change. God gives us heavenly wisdom which is marked by righteousness and peace, and therefore militates against worldly wisdom which breeds confusion and conflict (Js. 3:13-18). The Spirit of God’s contributions to our change is most important (Wiersbe). Only the Spirit of God can curtail our speech by His influence on our thoughts, values, beliefs, and motives. Do not miss what I emphasize here…the control of the tongue is an inside job wrought by the Holy Spirit!

WE MUST ACTIVELY STORE UP THE RIGHT KIND OF SUBSTANCE IN OUR HEARTS

This may sound a little strange at first, but the Lord Jesus said,

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. [35] A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. [36] But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. [37] For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matt 12:34-37)

Obviously, Christ felt the tongue was connected to the human heart, and that the mouth utters what is in the heart. If we have deposited healthy ideas, belief, values, and thoughts in our hearts and minds, then that is precisely what we will say. If we have saved up evil things in our hearts and minds then that is what comes pouring out of our mouths most effortlessly. If good goes in then good will come out; if garbage goes in then garbage will come out! Our Lord calls us to sober considerations regarding what we say. Speech is a weighty matter in the eyes of the Lord and James clearly views tongue control as a mark of genuine spiritual maturity.

Once again our Lord echoed this same concept in Luke 6:43-45, where He said,

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. [44] For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. [45] A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

The nature of the tree determines the kind of fruit it will bear. It is only within the precincts of our new nature that we can exercise tongue control. Our new nature is the good treasure God has placed within us. In addition, we must fill our hearts with God’s Word, Bible truths, godly values, and yield to the Holy Spirit. He can use us to bring delight to others, and we will be like refreshing fountains and trees to those we speak with. The focus must be upon God and His Word, which are able to renovate our hearts and minds. We must fill ourselves with God’s truth and frequently bring our minds to the old Book for training, indoctrination, and values orientation. Thus the new nature will dominate our personality and lives.

THE PROBLEM, OF COURSE, IS NOT THE TONGUE; IT IS THE HEART

The best strategy for problem solving is to get at the heart of the problem. My wife is a strategist and analyst and one of her favorite statements is “Don’t waste your energy on symptoms; get to the heart of the issue.” When it comes to the control of the tongue, the key is to get at the heart of the problem because the heart is the problem.

First examine the condition of the heart. Take a serious heart examination. Be sure to make a thorough go of it because it is easy to have “bitter envying and strife” in our hearts (James 3:14). Again remember the words of our Lord Jesus, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man” (Matt. 15:18). Though it may be utterly humiliating, we have to admit that we have gathered and appreciated some pretty wicked stuff in our hearts. For some of us, we like our sins or do not consider obvious sins to be sinful any more. We rationalize our speech failures explaining away any responsibility for the way we handle people with our words. We like intimidating others with the things we say so as to prevent people from seeing our fears and vulnerabilities. Speaking our minds with brutal frankness is highly valued by some of us because we desire respect above all else. With our words we conceal, hide, and camouflage the truth to save our honor, and retain the respect of those we wish to impress. If anger and fear rule the heart then it is certain the Spirit of the Living God does not.

Maintaining a clean heart has not been a controlling value in our Christian experience. We have not kept short accounts with God, and we have actually enjoyed some elements of sin. In fact, we have provided safe harbor for certain pet sins in our souls. But only transparency with God and honest confession of sins to Him assures us of a clean heart (1 John 1:5-2:2). We need not go through the remainder of our lives pretending and living lies. Truthfulness with God will set us free!

Secondly, we must undertake serious efforts to safeguard our hearts recognizing their influence on our decisions. The wise King Solomon says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23).  We know the “heart” is the wellspring of our actions in life (Luke 6:45), therefore it must be guarded and kept pure with great care.  The word “heart” includes our intellect (understanding, Prov. 10:8; discernment, 15:14; reflections, 15:28), our emotions (Prov. 12:25; 13:12; 14:10, 13), our values (Matt. 6:21) and our will (Prov. 5:12). This is nothing less than the very core of our innermost being! The heart must be guarded!

God characteristically begins with our innermost being, and then gradually works His way outward to our behavior. He targets the heart first. God focuses on the inner life, the mind, the thoughts, the motives, values, and the desires. This is because the heart is the fountain from which our actions spring—“the issues of life.” Discipline requires that we select carefully what we put into our minds and hearts. Beloved, this directly applies to our interactions with any media source or outlet. There is an abundance of trash in or on every media outlet known to mankind. We must find healthy ways to participate while being decisive about refusing the junk. Be very thoughtful about what you tolerate and are willing to live with.

One writer explains that if the fountain is pure, the stream that flows from it will be pure. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So through Proverbs 4:23, God emphasizes the importance of a clean heart and thought life. The inner person has to be right, because that is the source of all else; but outward behavior is not just left to work itself out by chance. We also have to pay attention to speaking correctly, looking straight on, and walking with exactness. This is a matter of discipline. God will certainly do His part, but we must discipline ourselves to consistently execute our responsibilities as a matter of faith in God and His truth. Respond faithfully to what God is doing deep within and act on his commands with zeal and commitment. While the human tongue is impossible to tame for mere human beings, it is no match at all for the Lord.

Thirdly, I leave you with an examination tool. I do not recall how it came to me, but it is a helpful tool for self-examination. I have used it with good results and confidently pass it on. Let’s examine ourselves with these questions: 

·         Do I teach others things that I have not obeyed myself? 

·         Do I criticize others behind their back? 

·         Is my speech consistently clean, edifying, and kind?  

·         Do I use “minced oaths” such as gosh, golly, gee, jeepers, good heavens, heck? 

·         After a solemn church meeting, do I engage in levity talking about football scores?  

·         Do I pun on the Scriptures? 

·         In retelling a story, do I exaggerate in order to impress people more?  

·         Do I habitually tell the truth, even if it means loss of face, friends, or finances?

Since that dark and ugly summer day so many years ago, I have had other failures with my tongue. Most of them have been with the people I love the most. I hate hurting folks…especially those I love. Therefore, it is wise to keep at it daily so as to reduce the number of verbal infractions. Faithfully stay in the Word and walk in the Spirit so as to avoid saying things that bring discredit to our Lord and the Christian Faith. Put some effort into memorizing the Word so that healthy content is in the thoughts. Study and meditate on Bible truths in order to deepen the impact of Scripture on motives, desires, and values. It would also be wise to limit the amount of time with television and movies! Take serious precautions with the internet. Select your music with care, and decisively refuse the soul-pollution commonly passed off as music. Many times the lyrics are debased, wretched, disrespectful, and inundated with sensual innuendo. I am far from perfect in all regards, but I can honestly say, I am no longer that guy from that awful summer afternoon long ago.