Christian Spiritual Warfare (part 2)
The more we sin, the greater grip the enemy has on us. In fact, he grips according to the kind of evil we give ourselves over to. If a city gives itself to witchcraft, the enemy can assign a power of witchcraft. If a church gives itself to strife and division, a stronghold of strife is set up. These strongholds can come on individuals, families, cities, or nations - any place people choose to allow them.
God can reveal the predominant powers in a given situation. Then we can use our authority to break them in the name of Jesus. Sometimes we can break what has been binding a family, city, or church for years. Identifying these powers also helps us avoid their influence and live in the opposite spirit. For instance, if the power is greed, we give generously. If it's pride, we humble ourselves. This is a powerful way of breaking strongholds.
Forces Of DarknessOne of Satan's main tactics is keeping people's minds in darkness. He is the father of lies and a deceiver. Millions are supernaturally blinded by the complex network of lies he's constructed - like atheism, evolution, heresies, cults, philosophies, and all the world religions.
This is why it's so important to live out truth and preach the Gospel. Spiritual warfare can't be separated from evangelism. If we want darkness erased, we have to put light into it. Christians who compromise aid the enemy because people can't see the light. There are spirit beings trying to keep you from preaching the Gospel. That's why most Christians never do. Through prayer, we can drive back the darkness hovering over people's minds so we can share truth in loving and appropriate ways.
Exercising Our AuthorityWhat can we do about all this? When God made man, He gave him a free will. Included in that free will was authority over Planet Earth. Psalm 115:16 declares, "The earth He has given to the sons of men." We have the awesome power of choice. If we sin and act selfishly, we allow the enemy to work. But if we exercise our free will and authority in Jesus' Name, we can drive the enemy out. It's just that simple. Adam used his authority to disobey God, and opened the door for the enemy to work on the earth through people.
Jesus came to take back the authority Adam gave away. Colossians 2:15 tells us that Jesus "disarmed," or stripped, the devil of all authority. Jesus died to destroy the works of Satan, which are, as mentioned in Isaiah 61, simply the end results of human beings giving themselves over to sin and selfishness.
After the Resurrection, Jesus gave that regained authority to us in His Name. That means God has done everything to Satan He's going to do - except for punishing him at the end! The rest is up to us. God said: You resist the devil. You heal the sick. You cast out demons. You pray for the Kingdom to come and for the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. I give you power over all the power of the enemy. (Jas. 4.7; Lk. 10:9:19; Matt. 6:10; 16:19; Jn. 20:21-23)
God is looking for an army - people who know their authority and will exercise it. If we don't rise up to drive out the enemy, he'll stay in control. Like in the Promised Land, God gave the victory, but the people had to do the fighting. We need to get angry enough at the devil to refuse him access by defensive warfare - and then push him out with offensive warfare.
Where are the people who will stand in the gap for the structures, smash the principalities, pull down the strongholds, and drive out the darkness? A policeman's authority does him no good if he just rides around in his car all day. He must exercise it. Through prevailing prayer and resisting and cutting off the strategies of the enemy, we will see change in families, in cities, and in the world. Be as specific as you can be in spiritual warfare. Let the Holy Spirit lead you and energize you as you push back the powers of darkness and pray down the Kingdom into people's hearts.
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