"Discerning the Times in the Light of the Word"
"Discerning the Times in the Light of the
Word"
This excerpt is from chapter
three of the book |
 |
Fruitful Warfare -
Preparing for Battle
But the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
—Galatians 5:22–23
Is the Devil Mad at
You?
Do you realize why biblical followers of Christ are in control of their emotions and their lives are not filled with anger, hatred, unrest, and other evil qualities? It is because the fruit of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, kindness, meekness, and temperance—is working in their lives.
Undoubtedly, these biblical fruits suppress anger, bitterness, hatred, and malice in the lives of believers. This also illustrates a microcosm of the battle in the spiritual realm. Evil versus good; right versus wrong; love versus hate; the fruits of the Spirit of God versus those of the Prince of Darkness.
In preparing for Spiritual Warfare, it is important to comprehend that the Devil is totally and completely void of the qualities represented by God’s fruits. Indeed, it is liberating to realize this as it helps define the battle lines and the adversary’s tactics. It is powerful to remember that there is nothing you can do to upset the Evil One. Satan’s work is the very reason people get upset in the first place! He is already upset, bitter, hate-filled, and enraged beyond any human imagination. He is the “Evil One”! Therefore, as we’ve mentioned in the last chapter, any actions you take are not going to make him any angrier. He’s already angry and you can not increase or decrease that anger one bit. No steps taken against the kingdom of darkness can increase his desire to see you fail and ultimately be destroyed. Yet the fearfulness and paralyzation generated by this misconception are genuine detriments in seeing some saints released to go forward in victorious spiritual living.
We are aware that this runs counter to what many Christians have either been taught or have merely perceived as they have gone to Sunday school. However, it doesn’t make it any less accurate and certainly any less biblical just because some may have believed a misconception about this. Thinking otherwise ascribes Satan ability and power outside what Scripture outlines. Let’s look at this further.
Satan Happy?
In referring to
some instance or event, we often hear Christians say, “Well, that oughta make Satan
happy!” How can that be? Though in a statement like this people are merely pointing
out some event or circumstance where Satan has gained a foothold or advantage, we should
understand that nothing actually makes him happy. Your lack of biblical action is not
going to make him happy either. It is impossible for Satan to be happy. He
once knew the greatness and beauty of God as one of God’s key servants. And though he
may truly believe his own deception—that he, a finite being, can eventually conquer
God Almighty—he does have access to the total revelation of what God proclaims his
future fate is. Read here as God speaks to Satan in Ezekiel 28:14–16.
Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy
The Great Intimidator
. . . Why Many DON’T Fight
When discussing the spirit realm, we need to consider the idea that our human emotions concerning evil and good are also available to the enemy and his troops. While it is true that Satan manipulates emotions like fear, intimidation, and pain, to accomplish his mission in human lives, he is at best limited and perhaps void of any degree of emotion, as we know it. He knows that most humans know little of Spiritual Warfare, and thus will take the bait and buy into what he is selling. It works, and has done so for about six thousand years, so why change now? Just set up scenarios that play human emotions like a piano and watch them react without faith, allowing an even bigger foothold for the powers of darkness to operate in.
It stands to reason that if Satan is void of emotions and feelings, then those in the spirit realm under Satan’s command will exhibit few emotions—perhaps none—as well. Could theirs be any more than a cut and dried, antiseptic existence, driven by the hopelessness and bondage of Satan himself? While it is much more dynamic and interesting to portray the workers of darkness as raging, seething creatures, any such facade only veils the cold, calculating, and focused mission they are enslaved by their master to follow. Let us illustrate this further.
Though we often
express our love for the Lord through the praise of our lips and should constantly find
ourselves in an attitude of worship and adoration toward Him, the same is not true of
Satan worshippers. Though they pay homage to their master with words and through ritual
activities, I venture to say that you will find few that worship the Devil, exhibiting
real heartfelt thanks, weeping for joy that they know him. Certainly, no classical Satan
worshipper—who understands whom he follows—feels any love in his heart at
Truly, the Devil
has no ability to possess love, joy, peace, longsuffering, or any other fruit of the Holy
Spirit. Quite the opposite is true. While we humans may vacillate from time to time in the
degree that these fruits operate and are apparent in us, Satan is one hundred percent
evil—one hundred percent of the time. He’s the meanest of mean dudes and
can’t do anything to alter it. He is the epitome of fear and terror and nothing we
will do will increase the degree that these characteristics are evident. He’ll be
that way regardless of what we do or don’t do and will maintain the same hateful
attitude toward us. It is when we engage in Spiritual Warfare, “fighting the good
fight,” that we take back ground otherwise lost to the powers of darkness through
ignoring them or being unaware of their powers and activities. Scriptural
action—i.e., WARFARE—nullifies the will of the adversary! Praise the Lord! If
emotions are at all possible for him, the Devil and his workers must sense discouragement
when they come upon a Christian, filled with God’s Spirit, knowledgeable of His Word,
prepared for battle and ready for action!
RESIST!
Since the powers of
darkness are not infinite, it is a great advantage to realize that by acts of Spiritual
Warfare we actually weaken their future attacks. This is what the apostle James is
speaking of in James 4:7. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you.” The Greek word translated “resist” here is,
antitassomai which literally means “to oppose” and “to range oneself
against something.” Here again it becomes clearer that our position can never be
neutral. This passage certainly encourages Christians to assume an offensive
posture—not one of simply defense or abstinence.
“Resisting the
Devil” begins with our pledge of obedience to God’s Word, by a life dedicated to
walking in the fruit of the Spirit; and is solidified by the acts of Spiritual Warfare
against the powers of darkness. This starts with having a working understanding the of
enemy’s camp! Rule number one in resisting the Evil One is to remember that we are
engaged in a constant battle that will only cease when the Lord Jesus comes again. This
reality may seem intimidating to our flesh, but if we persevere, the victory is ours. We
can stand assured that to accomplish their mission—the destruction of
humankind—demonic powers must eventually move on to some more unsuspecting prey
because you have exhibited your strength in God! Resisting the Devil DOES work and we
really ARE more than conquerors! Wow!
So to view the
spirit realm and our role as believers correctly, the notion that “ignorance is
bliss” and other misconceptions about Spiritual Warfare must be dealt with in our
hearts and minds. While it is true that those engaging in Spiritual Warfare may sometimes
seem to have acquired the wrath of the Devil, that’s really not the case. As we
eluded to earlier, when you expose Satan (Ephesians
There can be no doubt that being fearful of or simply ignoring God’s call to pick up the weapons of Spiritual Warfare and engage in the battle will assure that Satan attains at least a partial victory in any given situation. Why give him that? God has done His part, now we must do ours. Once again, James 4:7 instructs us to “resist the devil”! This is not optional. The same verse promises that if we do resist him, “he will flee”! The image is one of a fleeing army, scattered in battle after a merciless defeat. Satan is to be crushed under our feet—just as Scripture teaches that he is under the foot of the Savior! Don’t let him up!
When Satan brings
out the “big guns,” remember that God has a bigger one! When you
feel overwhelmed in the spiritual struggles you encounter remember . . . the battle is the
Lord’s (II Chronicles
Satan’s
Intimidation . . . The Fear Factor
When people hear
that this book preaches against the Devil, some will reject it because of their private
fear of him. Without even bothering to read it, some will throw out the old excuse,
“Oh, Benoit and Barger are just too far out . . . they see demons everywhere . . .
they teach that scary stuff . . .” (ad nauseam). And there will be still others who
have no interest because they can’t relate to the topic of Spiritual Warfare. Often,
lack of basic understanding on issues leads us to miss out on the very things we need a
good dose of teaching on. Yet, if these pages were to talk only of the attributes of God,
the same syndrome could occur. Sadly, if this was a work about the character of
God—who will one day judge the living and the dead—some would ignore it simply
because they possess no fear for the Lord. We’re talking about an awesome God who
created the entire universe and will one day cast the Devil, every demon, fallen angel,
and lost soul into eternal darkness. You know? We’re talking about the lake of fire,
absolute darkness and total separation from God’s righteous love forever and ever and
ever! Get the picture? Thank God for His wonderful salvation—wow! Yet, somehow there
are some folks—yes, church members—who don’t fear Him, but instead fear the
Devil. It certainly seems upside down, doesn’t it? In fact, what has happened is a
lack of understanding, a loss of the reality of eternity and surely, no vision for the
reverence and awe of God.
More Misconceptions .
. .
. . .
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
—1 John 4:4b
There has been a
lot of talk about witches and Devil worshippers praying against Christians, in particular,
the idea of occultists praying for the demise of those in Christian ministry. While this
is undoubtedly true, we feel their results have surely been exaggerated. In fact, there
has been almost a feeling of near panic when some Christians describe these reports among
themselves. In some Christian circles it is nearly akin to superstition and divination the
way folks talk about what Satan’s human workers are doing and the damage they are
allegedly inflicting on our side.
Now, let us say
that in both of our ministries we have encountered witches and Satanists who have opposed
us. This goes along with the territory. Once, several years ago on Halloween weekend, Eric
was ministering at Southern Illinois University. He had been asked to come there and speak
about the occult. Eric and his contact from the Baptist Student Union were backstage
praying as people filed into the auditorium. When Eric was introduced and began his
presentation, he felt an unusually strong hindrance, a spiritual blockage. After fumbling
through the first ten minutes of the seminar, he stopped and simply stated that he knew in
the spirit that there were people in attendance who were present only to oppose him and
what the Lord had sent him to do. Eric stated that anyone who was actually praying against
the presentation should beware because he was putting them on notice that he was rejecting
their negative prayers and was sending back the power of God! Eric declared that because
he was protected and ready, shielded by faith and covered by the blood of Jesus, their
actions could not and would not stop what the Lord had ordained. The place erupted in
applause—not just a little applause. This was thunderous! Thinking about it now, it
was almost comical that it lasted so long and was so intense. When Eric resumed his
presentation, immediately he had a peace of mind and clarity of speech that was not there
minutes earlier. What Eric didn’t know was that while he had been backstage
in prayer, the very vocal, high-profile coven of witches on the campus had filed in and
were sitting across the entire second row before him! Everybody in the entire building
knew it—everyone except Eric!
How did he
“know” there was opposition and that the hindrance he was feeling in the freedom
of his thoughts and presentation just wasn’t from lack of sleep or the exhaustion of
travel? Tiredness and crazy schedules are things we incur regularly in our ministries, but
this was different. This was a spiritual battle going on; one that Eric may not have been
sensitive to if he hadn’t been in constant and recent communion with God. There is
absolutely no shortcut for a dedicated devotional life. It aids you in the entire arena of
human life, but it is of utmost importance during times of spiritual struggle and
opposition. Otherwise, Eric might have ineffectively limped through the evening’s
seminar and the witches would have gone on their way, declaring a victory over the
“preacher.”
Were the
witches’ prayers actually affecting Eric? Yes, but by following the biblical commands
of resisting and exposing what he knew inside was happening in the spirit realm,
Eric overcame the occult activity. Not only was he able to conduct the seminar in power,
speaking effectively, with good recall and poise, but God used the occasion to show
Himself strong over the powers of the occultists before several hundred students on that
campus. Could Eric have missed it? Could he have just fantasized the feelings he had?
Sure, in our humanity we do sometimes miss it, but if we don’t act as we believe the
Holy Spirit is leading us, isn’t that much more troublesome and far less honoring to
the Lord? But the seminar presentation that was noticeably out of joint as it began, ended
with a great victory for God. We wonder just how many kids might have either left the
witches coven or perhaps even were halted from joining it when they saw how the power of
God overcame the power of witchcraft that night.
Therefore, sensing opposition
because of occult manifestations and actually being manipulated because of them are
two different things. If a Christian sins, is it because his next door neighbor is casting
a spell on him to do so? No. If a pastor or minister falls, can we blame it all on the
work ethic of Satanists or occultists? No. The Scripture tells us that we are all
accountable for our own actions. Our sins are truly our own, and though the work of those
given over to the powers of darkness may add to the effect, to identify them as the sole
reason for our troubles, sicknesses, or sins does two unhealthy and unscriptural things.
First, by doing this we shirk our own personal responsibility to live a righteous life.
Though we are certain to sin, God’s keeping power and the strength of Jesus’
blood is greater than our sins. Thank God, if we sin His forgiveness is available through
the power of repentance. Second, by blaming occult prayers for our actions, we are in
effect, yielding to the powers of Satan. This attitude surely dethrones the Savior and
glorifies the Devil. In short—it is tragic that God’s people would ever ascribe
the Devil more power than the Word of God suggests that he possesses. This says nothing of
those who seem to place Satan with God on an equal level. Of all people, we are supposed
to know what the Word says, and it never alludes to any such lofty position for the Prince
of Darkness. Remember—that was Lucifer’s intention to start with and the very
reason for his ouster from Heaven! (Isaiah 14:12–15)
Any effect
that negative prayers to the Devil may have cannot match the effects of prayerlessness and
the lack of knowledge about Spiritual Warfare of many in the church! Now, make no
mistake, occult prayers, spells, and incantations do wield power, but do they really have
the ability to single–handedly destroy? It would appear that with direction from the
underworld, these prayers are merely aimed at preexisting weaknesses that may already have
a grip on any given man or woman. Isn’t it a waste of time to be overly concerned
about what the witches might be up to—especially if it becomes an unhealthy or
unbiblical fascination? Our efforts should be concentrated on seeking the Lord, staying
washed in His blood and walking in a manner befitting of the calling we have received.
Part of that walk is having a healthy, biblical understanding of the arena of Spiritual
Warfare. That goes for all Christians, whether they’re involved in full-time ministry
or not.
Right along these
lines, another thing people constantly say is that we shouldn’t talk about the Devil,
because then we’ll give him praise . . . like he has a mystical name, never to be
uttered. Well, as we’ve pointed out, the Scripture implores us to expose his works
and deeds instead. When the Scriptures were written, the name of Jehovah was so reverent
that the scribes changed their pens when they penned the name of Jehovah. Now, it is
tragic that some people throw God’s name out all over the place, but by their
attitude, they reverence the name of the Devil. By believing that we should be silent
about the Devil’s schemes and just praise Jesus, many allow the door of ignorance to
swing open and sometimes slam shut—right on their lives and homes.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2002, Eric Barger and David Benoit
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