True biblical Spiritual Warfare
True biblical Spiritual Warfare = Indirect Confrontation
CHAPTER 4 SUB-TOPICS:
- Comparing old and new teachings on spiritual warfare
- God's role = direct confrontation, verses our role = indirect confrontation
- Examples of Indirect Confrontation in the Bible
- More Scriptural Objection for Direct Confrontation
- Weapons of Spiritual Warfare –Part 1
1) The belt of truth
2) The breastplate of righteousness
3) The shoes of the gospel of peace
4) The shield of faith
5) The helmet of salvation
6) The sword of the Spirit
7) All kinds of prayers
- Weapons of Spiritual Warfare –Part 2
- Spiritual warfare Vs spiritual slander; Deliverance ministry Vs demonic ministry
Comparing old and new teachings on spiritual warfare
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ...against the spiritual forces of evil... Therefore put on the full armor of God,” Ephesians 6:12-13.
By this time, based on the previous chapters, you likely have a solid foundation on understanding the biblical nature of spiritual warfare. With the foundation now in place you'll be able to build a sound biblical interpretation of spiritual warfare principles that are not diluted with erroneous and harmful teachings.
As said earlier, the biblical interpretation of spiritual warfare principles endorsed by this book are supported by the entire 2000 year church history -from Christ's time up to now. They constitute the old teachings on spiritual warfare and have stood the test of time on doctrinal scrutiny. Nearly all our various evangelical branches (denominations) in the body of Christ endorse the old teachings on spiritual warfare. Read on to find out. So much is at stake.
On the other hand, the spiritual warfare teachings that advocate for direct confrontation with Satan have been around only since the 1980s. They constitute the new teachings on spiritual warfare. The doctrinal foundation they're based on has had controversies ever since the teachings started. This ought to ring a doctrinal analysis bell to any Christian serious enough to walk in truth and in spirit. Many scriptures have literally been taken out of context to establish the new teachings.
The new teachings are only endorsed by two or three groups (denominations) among our various evangelical branches. Needless to say that the groups that endorse the teachings have dissimilar versions of direct confrontation with Satan and his fellow demons.
Due to their false empowerment these teachings advocating for direct confrontation with Satan have spread with a lot of excitement. Believers learn that scripture admonishes us to directly confront Satan and his fellow fallen angels. It feels great since instead of praying to God we can do it ourselves. We have the divine authority over Satan and demons, so it's assumed. The false empowerment makes us in charge over evil spirits to the extent that we directly control them ourselves. We all want to have more direct control over our lives. Anything that gives us direct control over our lives empowers us.
So now the new spiritual warfare teachings claim we have direct control over evil spirits. We by-pass God and we rule over them ourselves. The only time God comes in is as we use the name of Jesus to bombard the demons.
Every matter in life that seems like a spiritual attack is an assumed call for us to directly confront the evil spirits. Instead of praying to God we go after the evil spirits and directly confront them. We confront them over material and financial maters. We confront them over physical health matters. We confront them over relationship matters. We even confront them in geographic territories by waging territorial warfare.
The list is endless of how we engage evil spirits directly. Some churches following this belief even encourage preemptive warfare. This is were Christians are to directly attack evil spirits before the spirits strike.
Notice that this belief system preoccupies us with evil spirits. Instead of being preoccupied with God we're constantly looking at what evil spirits are up to. And whatever evil spirits are up to is not God's responsibility to deal with them but ours, so it's assumed. It even makes it hard to think of what God is up to in spite of the evil spirits. Thus much time that could have been given to prayer (being preoccupied with God) is given to “discerning” and directly attacking evil spirits (being preoccupied with evil spirits).
If you're like some of us who've read the bible from cover to cover you'll notice that this God we serve prefers us to be preoccupied with him more than anything else. An even worse scenario for this God we serve is where we're being preoccupied with evil spirits. Such preoccupation is not Christianity but another religion that gives us a focus on and false empowerment over evil spirits.
You're probably familiar with what I'm saying. Some may be saying wait a minute, what about this or that scripture? Please read on, preferably the whole book, if you have many questions and doubts. This book wasn't written by an armchair umpire comparing two distinct doctrines. I was for years caught up in the false teachings on spiritual warfare. Being a person who goes to extremes on any matter that's important I aggressively applied the false spiritual warfare teachings. I was one of the most radical followers of the false teachings on spiritual warfare. Being led by the spiritually blind on what true biblical spiritual warfare really is I also ended up being spiritually blind.
All the scriptures you may raise I therefore know them. The book is thus coming from an insider who's intimately familiar with the false teachings on spiritual warfare. God graciously got me out of it and he's doing the same for you through this book –or through any other way –hopefully not through a severe wake-up call.
7) All kinds of prayersAfter he described the various elements of the spiritual armor, Paul said that we are to be in constant prayer. Prayer is part of our spiritual warfare. “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Praying implies talking to God, not to Satan. All kinds of prayers and requests include:
1) Prayers of deliverance and protection (spiritually, socially, physically or materially),
2) Prayers of agreement,
3) Prayers of intercession,
4) Prayers of inquiry,
5) Prayers of importunity, supplication, appeal or petition,
6) Prayers of consecration/dedication/commitment,
7) Prayers of repentance,
8) Prayers in the word (praying with the scriptures),
9) Prayers of worship/adoration and thanksgiving,
Next Part The false teachings on spiritual warfare