Spiritual Warfare: Where do you stand?

Reading: Ephesians 17 v 8 - 13

What do you think about Spiritual warfare? There's an awful lot of bunkum talked today, with a lot of straightforward sinfulness, lack of proper self-control and idleness excused in the name of "Satan's attack".

Like the preacher who announced, "It's going to be a wonderful service tonight 'cos the Devil really tried to stop me getting here: my car wouldn't start - it kept cutting out - so the Devil is obviously worried!"

Whether or not there was a great "move of God" that night or not is not recalled, but when my mate went to look at the preacher's car, he found that it hadn't been serviced for years and the plugs were caked with filth. So whose fault was it that the preacher had difficulty getting to church?

And we get these extremes of opinion, so some claim that anything bad - any sickness, any struggle - is satanic attack. And sometimes it is, but we do need to be careful because sometimes it's just that we live in an imperfect world or that we've been stupid and made a rod for our own back.

The trouble with extremes of doctrine is that they undermine what the Bible actually says, and often cause hearers to go to the opposite extreme.

These people, tired of those who blame everything on the Devil, sometimes go on to deny that Satan even exists, let alone is capable of doing anything.

If I struggle to worship on a Sunday, sometimes it is because my spirit is under attack. But sometimes it's because I've got things on my mind that I need to deal with - or it could be because I wasn't wise the night before and sat up late watching rubbish on the telly and so now I'm shattered.

Understand? So how do we tell the difference? One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is to discern evil spirits. If we can't decide what is going on in us, and we ask the Lord, He may ask us to wait for the answer, but do you really think our Father is going to say "I'm not telling"?

Having said that, there is a battle going on - a struggle which at its most fundamental level is about Satan's desire to enslave, ensnare and take as many to Hell with him as he can. So he fights against our ability to communicate the gospel, and against the ability of those in need to hear it.

We're part of this war whether we like it or not, if we are a part of Jesus. If we don't play our part we serve the enemies' goals and help accomplish his purpose. Remember, sin is not doing right as well as doing wrong.

If we don't forgive or care or love or support others, or hold to the high expectations of God's word, we open doors for Satan's work. And we are called not to drift but to battle and to fight good warfare (1Tim 1v 8).

We are given equipment and weapons of victory, not defeat (2 Cor 10:4). The enemy is defined for us and we are told ways we might identify his tactics, and ways we can defeat him by adding prayer to the armour of God (Eph 6).

The outcome is assured. Satan will face his eternal end (Rev 15v 2), and he cannot stand against us as we submit ourselves to Jesus and resist him (Jms 4v 7).

But there is a need for action if this outcome is to be made real for people now, and it's not the action of extremes that is needed, but of faithful, focussed soldiering (2Tim 2v 4) that actively seeks to live and communicate the true message of the gospel.

We need to know the truth - that Satan is not some omnipresent, all powerful, all conquering creature that can rule and assault our lives at whim, but is limited, restricted and defeated by Jesus' victory.

We also need to know that those lives which the devil presently commands can step from his darkness into Jesus' light if they will.

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