Spiritual Warfare

Standing Against

the

Enemy

by Derek Prince

    

 

Some years ago, a Catholic priest gave me a copy or the official Roman Catholic rite of exorcism. The moment I began to read it, I realized that it had been written by people who had much more than mere theological opinions – they had experience. In the introduction to that official document, there was a statement that was very significant, yet very simple. "Evil is not something, it is someone." If we grasp that fact, we have made a real step of progress in our understanding of spiritual warfare.

The Scriptures warn ha every Christian will be involved in a direct personal conflict with the devil. It will not be something abstract, or psychological, but rather a person to person confrontation. We are going to meet the devil in conflict. Paul warns of one particular aspect of Satan's character – he is wily and cunning. In light of that warning, Paul exhorts us to prepare and equip ourselves for ha inevitable confrontation.

I would like to paraphrase verse 12 in Ephesians 6 in the following way:

For our wrestling match is not with persons with bodies, but against rulership and the realms of their authority, against the world dominators of the present darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.

We are in conflict with a very organized, centrally governed, invisible spiritual kingdom; the kingdom of Satan. Contrary to many people’s opinion, Satan is not confined in hell or Hades nor does he reside on the surface of the earth. His place of residence or headquarters is the heavenlies. There he rules over a band of rebellious angels who assume the role of principalities to influence the earth for evil. In the lower echelon of his kingdom on earth, Satan controls countless myriads of demons or evil spirits. Under Satan there are also sub-rulers with delegated areas of authority on earth over empires, kingdoms, states, communities and cities, to promote breakdowns in the order of the human race.

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 we read that God has given us weapons that are appropriate for warfare. They are not carnal, but spiritual, "mighty through God for pulling down strongholds." Verse five of that chapter reveals that the battlefield is the human mind. The key words in that verse are "imaginations, reasoning, speculations, though and knowledge," all of which deal with the realm of the mind.

In other words, we are involved in a tremendous battle against unseen forces which are seeking to dominate the human race. Our responsibility as God’s people is to liberate the minds of men from Satan’s dominion and bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ. I believe Christians are the most significant people in the earth because we alone have the weapons needed to do the job. That fact makes us more significant and influential than political rulers, military commanders, scientists. or other such people who may be very effective in their particular realm but they do not have the spiritual tools or equipment to do the job. We alone are equipped.

Our Protective Armor

In this article we are going to examine the protective armor of the Christian, and then go on to discuss our weapons of aggression. I have seen by experience how very right Paul was in warning us first to protect ourselves, because too often people committed themselves to some serious prayer onslaught against Satan, and became mental, spiritual or physical casualties because they did not first put on protective armor. Before we become involved in some far-reaching spiritual conflict or ambitious program to storm the citadels of hell, we must be very sure that we have our armor on.

To explain our protective armor, Paul uses the picture of the standard equipment of the Roman legionnaire of his day. Verses 13 through 17 of Ephesians 6 mention six pieces of equipment, and we will examine the particular nature and function of each piece.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword or the Spirit, which is the word of God..

q The Girdle.. Verse 14 gives us the first piece of equipment: the girdle of truth. In Paul’s day men did not wear trousers, but rather clothing that was loose and often quite long. If a man was going to do anything that demanded free, active movement, he first had to get his long, loose clothing out of his way. He did this by what the Bible calls "girding up his loins," lifting his clothing and fastening it around his loins with a girdle so that his legs from the knees downward were free to move. So logically, his first step was to put on the girdle.

The girdle in its spiritual application is the truth. Certainly, this refers to the truth of God’s word, but I think it has a more basic application. Truth means being honest and real, putting away all the fancy professions and insincerities with which most religious people are cluttered, and I use the category of "religious people" deliberately. Jesus often warned of the leaven or the Pharisees which is hypocrisy.

The word hypocrite has a very specific meaning. Basically, it is the Greek word for actor. In ancient Greece, when the actor appeared on the stage, he wore a stylized mask which indicated what kind of person he was supposed to be. The actor never appeared as his real self, but always with a mask, speaking lines which fit the character he was playing. To me, this is exactly like the religious world. In that world, a person chooses his mask which basically determines how he is going to act. When we put our mask on, we are no longer ourselves. Instead, we act the way our mask dictates. Frequently there is little of the real person there a all.

Have you noticed how some people use a special tone of voice when they pray or speak about the Lord? Or how most people change their demeanor when they walk inside a Church? They put on the mask and wear it faithfully until they step outside of the church again. Very rarely are religious people their real selves. What Paul means by "the girdle of truth" is, "Be real. Tell it like it is. Call a spade a spade and not an agricultural implement. Call a lie a lie. Call lust, lust and hatred, hatred."

Unless we gird ourselves with the truth, every time we try to move ahead, we will trip over our garment. So the first piece of protective armor is the girdle of truth. Be real.

q The Breastplate. The second piece of equipment, also in verse 14, is the breastplate of righteousness. What particular organ of the body does the boast contain? The heart. So the breastplate deals with the protection of the heart. Above everything, we need to protect the heart. In Proverbs 4:23, we read: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

When I was a missionary teaching in Kenya, East Africa, I happened to see that verse hanging on the wall of a student's dormitory.

It was in an African dialect and just seeing it in another language arrested my attention. In literal English, the translation of the verse in that dialect was: "Guard your heart with ail your strength, for all the things there are in life come out of it." So vivid was that translation that I lave never forgotten it. What we have in our hearts will determine the course of our lives. If our hearts are filled with bitterness, unbelief and fear, we will go in the wrong direction. But if our hearts are filled with faith, peace and love, our lives will take the right course. We must guard our hearts with all our strength. That's why Paul urges us to put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Bear in mind that righteousness is a condition of the heart, not of the head. A parallel passage, 1 Thessalonians 5:8, says this:

But let us, who are of the day, be sober,

putting on the breastplate of faith and love …

In Ephesians 6 the breastplate is righteousness, but in this verse it is faith and love. That is not an inconsistency in Scripture, but rather an explanation of what New Testament righteousness is: it is faith which works by love. The basic righteousness of the New Testament is faith working by love and it is a condition of the heart.

One other scripture, Romans 10:10, gives us further insight: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness." There is a difference between believing with the head and believing with the heart. Believing only with the head usually leaves a person unchanged in their behaviour. But when we believe with the heart it changes the way we live. The breastplate of righteousness, then, is faith in the heart working by love.

I am trying more and more to make sure that what I am doing I am doing in love. Otherwise, it is wrong. When we react to people by getting upset and angry, even if we are right, it is not going to produce right results.

We need to guard our hearts to make sure that our basic motive is always faith working by love.

q The Shoes. The third item of spiritual equipment is identified in verse 15: "Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," and it is shoes or boots. The Roman legionnaires had boots which were bound around the calf with leather thongs and they were famous for the long distances they could march wearing these boots.

This is vivid to me because I served in World War Il as a soldier with the British in the North African campaign for about two years. When we were near the enemy at night, we were ordered to sleep with our boots on because if there were an alarm in the middle of the night and we had to feel around for cur boots to put them on, valuable time would be lost.

I recall that regulation every time I think about this passage. To be mobile and ready, you have to be sure that your feet are protected. In his admonition to have "..your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," Paul is saying that this has to be done in advance.

What exactly does he mean by that? I believe it means two things.

1. First of all to communicate the gospel requires advance preparation. We must be acquainted with the basic facts of the gospel in Scripture. Many people who are "born again" members of churches are total[y incapable of communicating the gospel of salvation to another person, even though it is not very difficult. Preparation means that Christians should be equipped beforehand to present their faith to others and to explain the basic truths of the gospel.

2. Another requirement indicated by the phrase "the gospel of peace" is that if we are going to talk about having peace with God, we must have peace ourselves. In other words, we can be peace-transmitters. I believe that even though the unconverted may not understand our theology, they can understand our Spirit when we speak to them. I am learning more and more that we impart what we are rather than what we say. It would be convenient if we could say it and not have to live it, but that doesn't work. The "shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace" entails intellectual preparation to explain what the gospel means and spiritual preparation to be at peace in ourselves.

q The Shield. Verse 16 gives us the fourth piece of protective armor - the shield.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

In the Roman legions, there were two kinds of shields: a small round shield and a long oval shield. The one referred to here is the long oval shield, which was designed to protect every part of you from arrows and other missiles. Thus, the kind or faith Paul talks about here protects us totally. When we begin to take the offensive in challenging Satan, he is going to fight back, not only on a personal level, but also against our home, our family, our business and many other areas of our lives. Therefore, we need a shield or faith large enough to cover ourselves, our family, our business and everything else that needs to be covered. Since faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God, to appropriate God's shield of total protection , we must spend time in God’s Word.

Almost every minister would testify to the fact that the more he is used by God, the more Satan steps up in pressure on his family, and many a minister has been disqualified from the ministry by the pressures that Satan has brought against his home. That is why Paul urges us to take up the shield of faith, the overall protection that God makes available through His word that will protect every area of our lives. But as Paul emphasizes, we have to take up that shield – it doesn't drop into our hands. We have to lay hold upon our faith, grasp it firmly and hold it securely.

q The Helmet. The next item or equipment is the helmet of salvation. What part of the body does the helmet protect? The bead. And what does the head represent? The mind or the thought life. God has provided specific protection for our minds and our thought life In my many years of ministry, I have seen a great number of dedicated servants of the Lord incapacitated because they were wounded in the head. They did not know how to protect their minds. Satan will besiege our minds with such things as mistrust, which is one of his most common weapons. We begin to mistrust our wife, husband, fellow Christians or our minister.

Other weapons Satan uses on our minds are suspicion, fear, doubt and depression. I would estimate that one out of five Christian workers have a problem with depression. I speak out of experience in this area because after I had been saved, baptized in the Spirit and called into the ministry as a full-time pastor, I had a persistent problem with depression. In spite of the many successful results I saw in my pastoral work, I battled a tremendous personal pressure of depression. I would feel it coming over me like a grey cloud, enveloping me and seemingly shutting me off from my family and others. I tried every scriptural recommendation I knew to deal with depression, reckoning "the old man" dead until there was just no more reckoning left.

Then one day as I read Isaiah 61:3, I noticed this phrase: "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."

Ø When I read the phrase, "the spirit of heaviness," it was as if the Holy Spirit were saying to me, "That’s your problem!

Ø It is not you or your mind – it is a spirit that is after you, and he has been after you since your childhood."

When I saw the real identity of my enemy and realized that the evil was not something. but someone, I was eighty percent on the way to victory.

Ø To complete the picture, I only needed Joel 2:32: "It shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered." I very simply, almost naively, claimed those two scriptures and said,

Ø "Lord, You have shown me that I have a spirit of heaviness and I claim Your promise now that whosoever shall claim upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered.

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am asking You to deliver me from this spirit of heaviness." And I was delivered.

But after I was delivered, God showed me that

Ø while He had done the delivering, it was my responsibility to re-educate my mind..

Ø Before I had been delivered I wasn't able to do it, but alter I was set free from depression I could do it and I realized that Cod would not do it for me.

Ø Re-educating my own mind and cultivating thought patterns was a matter of personal discipline, and the process did not take place instantly.

Ø But while I was struggling with this problem, realizing that my main weakness was in my mind, I read Ephesians 6:17: "And take the helmet of salvation …" My Bible had a cross reference in it to 1 Thessalonians 5:8, "Let us who are of the day be sober, putting on … for a helmet the hope of salvation." When I read that the helmet was hope it went right through me, and God showed me that I needed to cultivate hope – that confident expectation of that which is good.

The protection of the mind is hope.

Someone has said that every person is born either a pessimist or an optimist. I know that not only was I born a pessimist, but I was carefully trained to be pessimistic by my family. I deeply love and respect my parents, but they believed that if you were not worrying, you ought to be worrying about why yon were not worrying. So I realized that I had to re-educate my mind, because to be a pessimist was a denial of my faith, for Scripture promised me that if I loved God and walked in His calling and purpose, everything that would happen to me would work together for my good, leaving no logical room for pessimism. I succeeded in re-educating myself – I put on the helmet of hope. All of us are familiar with the warning on construction sites that certain areas are "hard hat areas." Well, the Christian life is a hard hat area. Our minds need to be continually protected by the helmet of hope.

q The Sword. The last piece of spiritual equipment is "… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This piece of equipment is the first one which takes u out of the purely defensive realm into an aggressive or offensive posture. A sword can le used aggressively against our enemy, moving us beyond the defensive to the aggressive. This passage tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.

In Greek there are two words for "word."

1. One is logos, which means counsel, reason, or asses the truth.

2. The other is rhema which Paul uses here, which specifically means a word that is spoken.

So the sword of the Spirit is the word when you speak it, and if you don't speak it, then you don’t have a sword.

A perfect example or this truth is what Jesus did when He was confronted by the devil in the wilderness.

Ø He met each of the devil’s temptations by saying, "It is written."

Ø We must do the same. We must know the Word of God, rather than simply leaving His Word resting on the bedside table at night. If we speak the Word like a sharp two-edged sword then we will be able to keep the devil off our toes.

In conclusion, let us just quickly enumerate the six items of equipment:

1. the girdle of truth,

2. the breastplate of righteousness,

3. the shoes of the preparation of the gospel,

4. the shield of faith,

5. the helmet of hope,

6. and the sword, which is the spoken word a God.

If we arm ourselves with this total arsenal of spiritual equipment and weaponry, we will be able to successfully stand against the cunning assaults of the devil, and emerge victorious in the spiritual conflict to which each of us as a child of God is called.

Standing Against the Enemy  - From New Wine, April 1981