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.

   Consider fasting for 7, 10, 14, 21, or 40 days as God guides you. Also consider fasting two half days or one full day a week. When fasting for several days, get alone into seclusion. Study God’s Word and pray. Absolutely no television or radio. It is a time to draw closer to God. Those big fiery darts or uptight knots in your stomach should leave toward the end of a seven day fast. Eat no food at all. Drink lots of water only, preferably bottled water. Consider doing this at least once a year. If you have any special medical problems, consult a doctor (preferably born-again) before fasting. Consult your born-again pastor before fasting as he should be able to give you good advice, because he surely would have done much fasting himself. In doing a very long fast such as 21 or 40 days, it might be helpful to consult someone that has done this himself so he can give you good advice.
   When coming off a fast of 3 or more days, do not eat a big meal but possibly a little soup and bread. Then eat again about two or three hours later another light meal. After this you should be able to resume normal eating. Expect Satan to try and stop you from fasting for 7 or more days as it helps break his power over you. Expect to have dreams of eating food. A 7 day fast is something you might consider doing once a year. Before attempting a 10 day fast, do 7 days. If you would be one of the few that senses God calling you to do a 40 day fast, be sure to do a 10 day first. Then a year later you might consider a 40 day.
   Only a small percentage of born-again Christians have ever done a 40 day fast.
   Again, we state, in all cases of fasting 3 or more days, consult your born-again pastor as he should be able to give you good advice on what to expect from his own experiences.
   The devil is a military strategist. He has his schemes to wage spiritual war. He has been at this for a very long time. He has a plan for the overthrow of God, for the overthrow of Jesus Christ, and for the overthrow of every believer in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

   Do not underestimate the enemy, "Satan." Do not think he is haphazard in his plan and his effort. He has a plan, and he is out to make it work. But God has told us through the Scriptures, WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES-2 Cor 2:11. God has given us this knowledge in the Scriptures so we can fight a good warfare and come out victorious.