June 9 Thought for the day...warfare

Everyone knows we are in a battle. It is hard to keep positive some days just because of so much negativity. However, to really understand the battle we must recognize it the way Paul challenges us.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

It is not the people that we see that are really the enemy but instead all the stuff behind the attitudes. The biggest battles we face are in the mind. The enemy knows that if he can control the mind, then everything else will follow. Our attitudes will stink, our outlook will degrade, our hope, love, and trust will be gone. We will be fodder for the enemy to simply destroy. The devil doesn't want people, he hates us, even before coming to Christ we are a reflection of the Father. He hates that!

Even the strongest most mature Christians will have battles. The word Paul uses for "fighting" is the word used in the Greek times that would represent the most vicious types of athletic battle. Paul used this word to portray that they enemy is vicious and he does not fight fair. He does not play by the rules, he has no rules but the good thing for us is that he may fight against us, but we have the power, through Christ to shut him down.

He looks for one small area in our lives to attack. He could be gossip, insecurity, fear, or anything that we may have just a slight problem with. Once he gets a foothold in that area by our submitting to him by gossiping, being fearful, allowing our insecurities to run rampant within a second, we are in major warfare. 

How do we win? Repent, fill our minds with God's Word. Allow the love, grace, peace, mercy, and forgiveness of God rule over our hearts. The battle is much more vicious than you may realize and the warfare much more intense, but God will never fail us if we allow Him freedom in our lives to win the warfare for us!

April 11 Thought for the day...an example of real spiritual warfare

There are so many times when I am threatened with some kind of battle or warfare (mostly spiritual) and I have to decide how am I going to fight this thing. Too often my first response is fleshly but when we compare to what God can do it does seem pitiful. I know this might not make sense but let's look at something Jesus said.

"Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?" Matthew 26:53

Peter in his attempt to defend and protect Jesus pulled a sword on Malchus and an army of 300-600 trained soldiers. How ridiculous was such an attempt in light of Jesus words, let me explain.

Jesus said the Father would send more than twelve legions of angels if He wanted. Jesus used "legions" because he knew everyone would understand. A legion was 6000 men. At a minimum, Jesus was saying God was willing to send at least 72,000 angels to Jesus' aid. Alone that was a significant force against any opposing army and would easily defeat 300-600 soldiers in the garden or anywhere.

Angels are much more powerful than mankind. We are told in Isaiah 37:36 that one lone angel defeated 185,000 soldiers. So if one angel could easily defeat 185,000 men 12 legions (at a minimum) would be able to defeat nearly twice the human population on the earth today (13B+).

Two things are very important for us to realize. First: No one forced Jesus to go to the cross. He had potentially a 44,400:1 ratio angels to humans, He chose to be ridiculed, tortured, and die for us. Two: Peter's attempt with the sword was an excellent example of the way we move in the flesh versus the power we have at our disposal by moving in the Spirit.

It is so pitiful for us to try to win our battles in our own strength. The devil is not an equal with God, he is merely a fallen angel who desires worship. We waste so must time struggling, by trying to accomplish our things through our own strength, when all power and all authority are in Christ.

When you are in a battle the next time, remember this verse. Remember who you are in Christ and whose you are! It is time, that we showed the world who Jesus really is and exposed the devil for who he is. Be the overcomer you have been called to be. Don't fight according to the flesh but war according to the Spirit!