Conquest through Warfare
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| A cosmic confrontation of light, truth and power, unmatched from the beginning of time |
You see, there is a parallel between physical nature and spiritual nature. Both natures abhor a vacuum. History has taught us that if the church fails to exercise authority, authority will be exercised against her. The Body of Christ was born in a powerful season of the Kingdom, and the enemy was not comfortable with all the exploits that were taking place through the preaching of the gospel. By the time we reach Acts 12, he was into using the political order to begin eliminating key leaders.
Persecution was already abroad, by and large. But things went on to another level when James, who was one of the pillars in the church was apprehended and put to death. Almost immediately afterwards, Herod proceeded to arrest Peter with the same intention, but had to keep the fate of the apostle on hold because of the special feast of the Jews that was going on at the time.
This latest wave of spiritual offence sparked a radical change in the attitude of the church. She could no longer remain passive. The former fisherman, turned anointed fisher of men was behind bars. The apostle was now literally sitting on death row. A process of systematic elimination was going on. If something did not happen soon, there was not going to be any leadership left to speak of.
This latest wave of spiritual offence sparked a radical change in the attitude of the church. She could no longer remain passive. The former fisherman, turned anointed fisher of men was behind bars. The apostle was now literally sitting on death row. A process of systematic elimination was going on. If something did not happen soon, there was not going to be any leadership left to speak of.
Apostle Paul admonishes us that above all, prayer needs to cover those who are in positions of authority (see 1 Timothy). Change began to happen when Esther mobilized prayer targeting the seat of authority in the land. In the same way, it is important to engage in prayer that is focused on the spiritual condition of those who are in authority, be it in the immediate family, work place, church or ministry, school or college, government, and so on. Those who are in such key positions need to be covered with intercession such that the enemy is unable to influence them to use the platform they have to propagate his agenda. This calls for an exercise of authority in spiritual warfare that counters the forces of opposition and shuts the avenues that can be used to release corruption and darkness. Persistence in such praying can open closed heavens over the seat of authority such that the positive influence of the Kingdom begins to work through that platform.
It was in this hour of crisis that she who is the bride of the King arose, vesting herself with the garments of war, taking the place of the intercessor. She countered this diabolical move by regaining her spiritual authority in prayer. Needless to say, her fervency broke through the spirit and an angelic messenger was dispatched to rescue the jailed apostle. What had started as a plot to rob the church of its eliminate apostolic leadership and rob the church in its infancy, was thwarted through the prayers of the saints.
We do well not to wait until tragedy or calamity befalls us before we begin to take up arms and do battle. When King David stayed at home in a season of warfare (see 2 Samuel 11, 12), he encountered and fell into a temptation that led to one of the greatest moral tragedies not just in his own life, but in the generations that followed. In much the same way, the times that a believer abandons his or her spiritual vigil are the times when they are most prone to being deceived and manipulated by the enemy. The scriptures do not teach that we ought to fear the enemy, but we should not be ignorant of his devices. One of his schemes is to weaken praying saints either by complacency or bringing them under the busyness and materialism of worldly attractions such that they gradually lose their focus and persistence.
The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10).
It is the nature of a thief to steal and the fact that deception and robbery has been taking place in the unseen realm, should not come as a surprise. The Lord already made it clear that Satan's nature is to take that which is not rightfully his. He robs of peace, diligence, commitment, prayer life, contentment, health and so forth. He does not come unless there is something to steal, kill or destroy. But when he has been identified and apprehended, a season of restoration can begin. Scriptures teach that when a thief is found, he must restore sevenfold and give up all the substance of his household (Proverbs 6:30-31). This is warfare and it requires the exercise of authority.
Christ amplified this principle when He taught, When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from his all his armour in which he trusted and divides his spoils. (Luke 11:21-22)
The Son of God was manifested on earth to destroy the works of the devil. He was on a two-fold mission: to undo what Satan had done on earth and to inaugurate the entry of the Kingdom of light before which all darkness flees. Apostle Paul describes this to the Ephesians by quoting Psalms 68:18: when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. Christ attained victory through conquest by spoiling principalities and powers. When He finally overcame death and rose again, He divided the spoils among the members of His Body, the church. Thanks be to God who always leads us in His triumph! Even in warfare, we need to remind ourselves that the weapons we have are not mighty through us, our abilities or our methods, but mighty through God!
We also need to remember, the goal of our warfare is never to minimize the onslaught. It is to defeat the enemy. We are not here to deal with problems as they arise. Like Paul, we have not been called to an aimless 'boxing of the air'. We are not an army that is seeking mystical trigger-happy thrills. In the spirit, strategy is used to counteract strategy. Warfare that is directed and empowered by the Spirit of God is what causes supernatural results to manifest. There is therefore need to yield to His guidance. Coming against an adversary who is constantly scheming, plotting and conspiring against us requires an effective strategy. As we invest time in God's presence, we become increasingly aware of the specific ways through which we can counter and overcome the threefold enemy: the world, the flesh and the devil.
The seven sons of Sceva attempted to do warfare without the spiritual preparation required. The scriptures make it clear as to why they were overpowered, beaten and chased away. They tried to cast out a demon “in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches”. Like many people, these men had the teachings concerning God and His ways. Their father was a religious leader. However, as we have seen, having mental knowledge about God or even accepting the fact that what the Bible says is true cannot take the place of having an intimate relationship with Him. The evil spirit sent them scampering for their lives with the words, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
There are credentials that are recognized in the spiritual realm. Jesus had those credentials when He walked on earth as a man. Paul also had those credentials. We need to be rooted and grounded spiritually such that the warfare we are led by the Spirit to undertake bears tangible results. Like the children of Israel journeying toward the promised land, we are not here as tourists, sightseers or bystanders. We are soldiers. We are not in the Body as passengers but as participators. We have reached a juncture where we cannot afford to make defeat a lifestyle. You and I have been earmarked for victory. And just as Israel had to shout for Jericho's walls to come down, united warfare prayer today, even by a small, insignificant group of disciples can cause a wave of tumult that collapses spiritual walls and overcomes the strongmen of our cities!
Given proper nutrition, natural resistance builds within the human body systems the longer they are exercised. Likewise, spiritual resistance will build as the human spirit engages in constant confrontation against opposing forces of evil and worldliness that seek to render it impotent of life and viability. This is why the believer has been given weapons with which to fight in prayer and maintain his ground. It also explains why the Lord allows certain things to happen in the lives of those belong to His Body, just as we saw earlier in the spiritual battle against the leadership of the first church. Remember, we are being trained for eternity.
Spiritual combatants even now, are taking their places in the battlefields of life, ready for the new beginnings which occur wherever divine agenda meets with a heart prepared on earthly time. You will recognize those with His seal and character. They are great enough to be small and mature enough to be childlike. They are strong enough to be meek and high enough to live lowly. They are even wealthy enough to suffer the loss of all things. They are so courageous they can afford to be gentle and patient, so full of life they can afford to lay it all down for His sake.
As the end of the age draws near, angelic beings are joining with human warriors in a cosmic confrontation of truth, light and power, unmatched from the beginning of time. It is time to pray.
There is a remnant rising in this generation.
It’s an army of cross bearers
fighting for truth to the end.
Will you join them?
Will you be numbered among the remnant?
We cannot deny,
the stakes are high,
the time is nigh.
These will know
what to sow and what to overthrow,
how to give and how to forgive,
how to gain and how to maintain,
what to cure and what to endure,
where to stand and where to command,
how to come and how to overcome!
