Tuesday, March 21, 2006

A little bit about spiritual warfare

God’s kingdom implies tribulations

We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God
Acts 14:22
2 Tim 3:1-5

All who desires to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecutions
(2 Tim 3:10-12)


While Satan was reigning on the earth as the god of this age, Jesus came and invaded his Kingdom with the kingdom of God. Satan power was broken through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Since this invasion, violence has erupted both in the heavenlies and hear on the earth. That’s why Jesus said “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12).

Jesus changed the picture

When Jesus invaded Satan’s kingdom the long period of time covered by the Old Testament changed. Jesus brought a new covenant.

When ?
On the cross

Col 1:13
.the Father has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the son of His love

We have redemption through his blood (Col 1:14)

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Col 2:10)

Jesus temptation was a high level power encounter which Satan conclusively lost


Four key dimensions to spiritual warfare

In approaching spiritual warfare wisely, there are four dimensions which must be carefully considered:

1) Our weapons of warfare;
2) Our spiritual authority
3) Our engagement with the enemy
4) Our plan of action

Our weapons of warfare: the most difficult lesson to learn

Peter Wagner has found by personal experience that one of the most difficult lesson to learn for the average Christian is that our weapons for spiritual warfare are spiritual weapons.
It sounds simple in theory but realy difficult in practice because even those who are biblical Christians still live much too much of our lives in the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (2 Cor 10:3-4)

We are so used to trying to solve social and economic problems through politics, or legal problems through the courts or personnal disagreements through arguing about them, or international relationships through war, that to hear that God has a higher and more effective way through spiritual weapons is regarded as wishful thinking, even by many born – again chrisitians

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