Most Christians seem to be a long time coming to understand the real nature of spiritual warfare. They should know, at least, they are at war with the devil. However, in my experience, it appears that relatively few Christians perceive the devil as a real danger, an enemy combatant, an experienced warrior.
Don't misunderstand me; I don't mean to give any glory to the devil, as if to suggest that he has not already been defeated by Christ. The devil is no match for God; he never has been. Christ hated the devil. The Bible says: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). Not only at Calvary, but throughout all of his life, death, and resurrection, Christ utterly defeated Satan, at every turn.
Why, then, does sin of every kind continue to trouble the world? How is it that such gross spiritual darkness, like a swelling tsunami, threatens to overwhelm even (if it were possible) the Church of the living God? When Jesus "was manifested" in the world, did he, or did he not, destroy the works of the devil?
Of course, he did. That is to say, that in the context of his own life and within the sphere of his influence, during the days of his flesh, Christ wonderfully "destroyed the works of the devil".
Nevertheless, Jesus did not then destroy the works of the devil for all time. Jesus didn't kill the devil, at Calvary. Even when Jesus ascended to heaven, after his resurrection, he did not then imprison the devil in the bottomless pit. No. But it remains for each and every Christian person, in his or her own life, to confront the devil and overcome him: not by any merely human means, but through the power of Christ. The victory of Christ over the devil must be manifested in the life of each and every person in whom the Spirit of Christ dwells. How could it be otherwise? Christ still hates the devil.
But no mere mortal is any match for the devil. How can anyone fight and conquer a supernatural power, by means of natural senses and abilities? There, again, is where many Christians fail to comprehend, and, so, they fail to learn, how to discern and to defeat the powers of darkness. But thanks be to God! the power and holiness of Jesus Christ is available to "whosoever will" receive Christ as he is, in truth: as both Lord (Master) and Savior (Protector and Deliverer). Only by relying upon the Word and Spirit of God, can a Christian -- by and through the Holy Ghost -- wage effectual war against the devil.
"Now, what I mean is this" (as pastor Hubert Hale likes to say): if we intend to WIN in this life-and-death battle (for, there is no other way out of this warfare, but to WIN), then, we must not only know something about the devil's evil nature. But we furthermore must not be ignorant concerning the devil's stratagems and his weapons of war; as Scripture says:
"...lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices [strategies and tactics]" (2 Corinthians 2:11)
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17)
"Devices" and "weapons": in the hands of the most cruel, heartless, malevolent being that ever lived.
Doesn't it behoove us Christians to know something -- no, no, no, but to know very well what are the devil's "devices" and "weapons" which he seeks to use against us -- against everyone, and everything, which God loves? Do we suppose God will bless our spiritual laziness, our willing ignorance? Oh! where is our love for God's Kingdom? Where is our hatred for everything which the devil is, and does to pervert and to destroy all that is good?
Doubtless Satan employs many different devices and weapons against humanity. But I want to focus upon two of his principal weapons (which could also be thought of as devices, or strategies), namely, his "sword", and his "shield", respectively, as follows.
The devil's sword
The Bible declares that God has provided to Christians a supernatural, that is a spiritual, sword, wherewith we are both instructed and empowered to fight the devil:
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17)
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
The Word of God is the "sword of the Spirit". But the devil has his sword, too. In fact, we are given a glimpse of the devil attempting to use his sword against Jesus, when Jesus was led into the wilderness, by the Holy Ghost, to be tempted of the devil for forty days and nights (Matthew ch. 4). Whereas the devil tried to tempt Jesus (we are told of only three instances), the devil attempted to convince Jesus of the reasonableness of the devil's temptations, by seemingly arguing from the Word of God. The devil, in other words, mis-used Scripture, in his efforts to deceive and to tempt the very Son of God!
The devil subtly twists the text and, so, perverts the meaning of Scripture: Behold! the devil's sword!Whensoever the text of Scripture has been tampered with, and the Bible's meaning has thus been altered in any way, I call such corruptions of the Bible, "bible-substitutes". And if you will observe, in the picture below, what it is the devil is holding in his right hand, you will understand what I am talking about: he's holding his "sword":
Every so-called Bible "version" besides the King James Bible -- that is to say, every bible-substitute, and all preaching and teaching derived therefrom, is at least "sprinkled" (if it is not "soaked") with the devil's venomous lies. I have argued the point, extensively, in other places. Suffice it say, here, that the devil's sword -- the principal weapon he uses to fight the Church, is false doctrine, which is based upon corruptions of the text, as well as the meaning, of Scripture.
Don't you suppose that, when the devil came face-to-face with Jesus Christ, in the wilderness, the devil must have pulled out his "big gun," so to speak, in that spiritual conflict? And if the devil had any thought that his impromptu twisting of Scripture might be capable of deceiving the Son of God, what makes you think that the devil's carefully-worded modifications of Scripture (in bible-substitutes) may not, actually, be effectual to deceive multitudes of Christians -- who are far less spiritually minded than was Jesus?
The devil's sword is soaked with the blood of multitudes.
The devil's shield
Importantly, the devil also possesses a very effectual shield (do not forget, that the devil is no rookie fighter). His shield, in fact, is visible in the above image. What? you don't see it? Look closely. Here's a hint: he's not holding his shield in his left hand, as one might have expected. Here's another hint: a shield is used for defense, to protect the fighter from attack.
Yes, the devil's "shield" is -- the pulpit! By hiding himself behind the pulpit, the devil can oftentimes get away with saying things -- under the cover of "preaching," which things, when spoken in other settings and/or when spoken by anyone other than a "preacher," might more readily be challenged by the hearers. But when a preacher preaches....from a pulpit....in a church....in front of dozens or even hundreds of well-dressed church-goers! Oh, my! who's going to challenge that?
And the devil knows it.
The devil's "shield," then, is anything which the devil hides behind, in order to keep from being attacked -- while he himself is in the fight, in action, wielding his own sword, to cut in pieces the people in the pews....or in the listening audience, wheresoever that may be (radio, Internet, television, conferences, stadiums, etc.).
The name above the doorway, of a great variety of different buildings variously called "Christian church(es)," is frequently used as the devil's "shield"; which, he knows, that when placed between himself and his audience, the mere name -- or, rather, the perception in people's minds, associating that building with the People of God, in most cases is sufficient to provide "cover" for the devil to hide himself behind and, thus, to shield himself from being challenged -- much less fought against, in the process of making his own warfare against church(es), as a whole.
TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), evidently, is to the devil what Goliath's shield was, to that behemoth of a man. Denominational churches are like that, too. And, Oh! didn't Goliath roar, and rage, and gloat over the nation of Israel! Just because of his great size, he thought he could get away with it. And he did. For a while. And during that "while," the armies of Israel stood -- intimidated, humiliated, and shaking in their boots. Until....a man after God's own heart -- who was able to look past Goliath's glittering shield, and who was not afraid of Goliath's sword; and whose heart burned with jealously for the honor of the Name of his God; until that man boldly confronted and attacked the proud giant, the devil had his way.
To be sure, there are hosts of other, less well known "shields" which the devil uses to protect himself from being attacked by Truth-lovers. Nevertheless, in every case, the devil uses symbols associated with Christ and the Church, to conceal his true identity and purpose in the midst of Christians' lives -- wheresoever they may be, alone, or in company.
I believe God is trying to help...the Remnant...to see clearly through the fog of war, to rightly discern not only where the enemy is hiding. But, also, I believe the Lord is trying to help the Remnant to muster the courage to stand up against Goliath.
Who knows what great Victory may follow, to the whole camp of Israel . . . ?
Don't you suppose that, when the devil came face-to-face with Jesus Christ, in the wilderness, the devil must have pulled out his "big gun," so to speak, in that spiritual conflict? And if the devil had any thought that his impromptu twisting of Scripture might be capable of deceiving the Son of God, what makes you think that the devil's carefully-worded modifications of Scripture (in bible-substitutes) may not, actually, be effectual to deceive multitudes of Christians -- who are far less spiritually minded than was Jesus?
The devil's sword is soaked with the blood of multitudes.
The devil's shield
Importantly, the devil also possesses a very effectual shield (do not forget, that the devil is no rookie fighter). His shield, in fact, is visible in the above image. What? you don't see it? Look closely. Here's a hint: he's not holding his shield in his left hand, as one might have expected. Here's another hint: a shield is used for defense, to protect the fighter from attack.
Yes, the devil's "shield" is -- the pulpit! By hiding himself behind the pulpit, the devil can oftentimes get away with saying things -- under the cover of "preaching," which things, when spoken in other settings and/or when spoken by anyone other than a "preacher," might more readily be challenged by the hearers. But when a preacher preaches....from a pulpit....in a church....in front of dozens or even hundreds of well-dressed church-goers! Oh, my! who's going to challenge that?
And the devil knows it.
The devil's "shield," then, is anything which the devil hides behind, in order to keep from being attacked -- while he himself is in the fight, in action, wielding his own sword, to cut in pieces the people in the pews....or in the listening audience, wheresoever that may be (radio, Internet, television, conferences, stadiums, etc.).
The name above the doorway, of a great variety of different buildings variously called "Christian church(es)," is frequently used as the devil's "shield"; which, he knows, that when placed between himself and his audience, the mere name -- or, rather, the perception in people's minds, associating that building with the People of God, in most cases is sufficient to provide "cover" for the devil to hide himself behind and, thus, to shield himself from being challenged -- much less fought against, in the process of making his own warfare against church(es), as a whole.
TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), evidently, is to the devil what Goliath's shield was, to that behemoth of a man. Denominational churches are like that, too. And, Oh! didn't Goliath roar, and rage, and gloat over the nation of Israel! Just because of his great size, he thought he could get away with it. And he did. For a while. And during that "while," the armies of Israel stood -- intimidated, humiliated, and shaking in their boots. Until....a man after God's own heart -- who was able to look past Goliath's glittering shield, and who was not afraid of Goliath's sword; and whose heart burned with jealously for the honor of the Name of his God; until that man boldly confronted and attacked the proud giant, the devil had his way.
To be sure, there are hosts of other, less well known "shields" which the devil uses to protect himself from being attacked by Truth-lovers. Nevertheless, in every case, the devil uses symbols associated with Christ and the Church, to conceal his true identity and purpose in the midst of Christians' lives -- wheresoever they may be, alone, or in company.
"But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness...." (2 Corinthians 11:12-5).Satan is a warrior who is all-out for blood. Spiritual warfare is no game, with him. Why, then, have we taken it so lightly -- as if we have been afraid to offend anyone, or, as if we have not wanted to meddle in the affairs of other "Christians" and "churches"? While, in so many instances, we can very well perceive that the devil is rapidly gaining ground by conquest, amongst the churches in America. Many have already fallen in the battle. How many more shall fall, before someone says to the devil: "Enough!"
I believe God is trying to help...the Remnant...to see clearly through the fog of war, to rightly discern not only where the enemy is hiding. But, also, I believe the Lord is trying to help the Remnant to muster the courage to stand up against Goliath.
Who knows what great Victory may follow, to the whole camp of Israel . . . ?
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