The Purposeful Life

Spiritual warfare is not a nice, neat topic that people enjoy discussing. But I am ever aware of the need to discuss it. We need to discuss it because I see so many Christians dragging chains with them wherever they go. If Jesus died on the Cross to set us free, why are we not living in it?

The first mistake that a Christian can make is to be unaware of the war going on all around them. When Satan was kicked out of heaven, he didn't go quietly or humbly. Pride is what brought about his demise, and pride is what drives his workings today. He wants all the glory and praise and honor for himself alone. He wants to expand his own kingdom so that less and less will go to the only Omnipotent Creator.

This means that the enemy is not nonchalant. He is deliberate and tactful. He wants nothing less than your and my total destruction, a total thwarting of all the good plans God has for us. He is always scheming and planning. He is an organizer and a military commander, sending out his helpers to carry out his mission (there are multiple Biblical references to this).

Brothers and sisters, we have to be on guard!

The second mistake a Christian can make is to be unarmed. It goes without saying that without armor, we have NO protection! Scripture lists the armor for us: the belt of truth; the breastplate of righteousness; shoes of peace; the shield of faith; and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Notice what our sword is: the word of God. Meaning, each day you go without reading the Word is a day you are walking onto the battlefield without your sword! How deadly! This is not meant to make us feel guilty, but to give us a sense of urgency about the power that God's word has in our lives.

The third mistake a Christian can make is to let their thoughts go unmonitored. All it takes is for the enemy to start whispering little things in your ear...without monitoring your thoughts, you accept them as truth, and before you know it, you have resulting sinful behavior or corrosive thought patterns. Both are not good! Listen to what 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 says: "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

So how do we win the battle for our souls?

1. Put on the armor! This requires reading God's Word and both applying it as truth in our lives and using it as our sword in battle.
2. Pray. Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
3. Cultivate and build up your mind. Your mind is one of the biggest tools in the battle. Your mind is a recepticle- if you plant good seeds, water them, pull the weeds out, and take routine care, your mind will be full of all kinds of blooms that give life to your soul. If, however, you don't care for it, it will become dilapidated and trash and weeds will pile up. With a mind full of trash, it is no wonder people walk around in chains! We've got to take care of our minds!

Here's a good dose of Miracle Grow for the mind- Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

4. Lastly, don't sweat it. A trained, seasoned warrior will not need to take on a full-fledged battle at every threat. Once we have been conditioned and are in the habit of daily filling our mind with the Word, spending time with God, standing on His promises, and taking harmful thoughts captive and replacing them with God's truth...well at that point, we will be so sensitive and aware of the enemy's attacks that we can quickly reject a negative thought or quickly pray through a situation and move on.

On the flip side of everything else I have said so far, we don't want to give the enemy too much time and attention...this can also have the opposite effect of what we want. Our desire and effort should be to give the Lord Jesus Christ 100% of ourselves, 24/7. Once we are experienced at spiritual warfare, we know that the enemy will do anything to get our attention fixed on him...including excessive spiritual warfare. Spend only the amount of time necessary to protect yourself/ward off attacks, and then move on to your greater purpose of exalting Jesus Christ.

Friends, I know this letter was long, but hopefully if you have read this far, you have gotten something useful out of it. Let us all commit to being purposeful in our daily living, all for the sake of God's glory...with joy! :)