NATURAL PARALLELS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy,
according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them
mightest war a good warfare. (I Timothy 1:18)
The early Church viewed their spiritual
experience in terms of warfare. Protection is described as the "armor of
God." The Word of God is compared to a "sword." Satan's attacks
are fiery darts and faith is the "good fight." Believers are told to
"war a good warfare."
Why did God choose the example of natural
warfare to describe what is happening in the spirit world between the forces of
good and evil? The answer is found in a basic Biblical principle: Natural
principles of spiritual truth. God uses natural principles to explain what is
happening in the spirit world. We can understand what we see in the natural
world. When parallels are drawn between something in the natural world and the
spiritual world, then we can understand the spiritual because of the natural.
Jesus used this principle often. He used the
example of a natural harvest to illustrate the great spiritual harvest to which
He was calling laborers. There are many parallels between natural harvesting
and harvesting in the spiritual world.
The same is true in relation to warfare.
There are many principles of natural warfare which have been studied and
applied by experts at physical war. These natural principles are applicable in
the spiritual world. This chapter presents principles of natural warfare and
applies them in the spiritual realm. It reveals why God used natural warfare to
describe the ongoing spiritual war in which believers are engaged.
Here are the natural principles of warfare
that are parallels of spiritual battle:
THE DEFINITION OF WAR:
A simple definition of war in the natural world
is "an act of force intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our
will." This definition is applicable also in the spiritual world. Satan is
constantly using the forces of evil to compel you to fulfill his will.
A WARTIME LIFESTYLE:
When a nation is at war, the life-style of
that nation is affected. Men give up their jobs to fight for their nation. They
spend hours in preparation and training. Funds are drawn from the economy to
aid in the battle. Residents are alert to invasion and extra guards are posted
at national borders.
In the spiritual world many believers are
totally unaware of the warfare raging around them and have not adopted a
wartime lifestyle. Church fellowships plan programs and parties but they do not
have a battle plan. They live in luxury and ease while the enemy is claiming
the souls of unnumbered men and women without Jesus Christ. Members of the
fellowship are discouraged, depressed, and living in fleshly sins. They are
victims of a war they do not even know exists. You must understand: We are at
war! We should adopt a wartime life-style in the spirit world. Spiritual
warfare should become the focus of our lives. We should spend time in
preparation and training. We should learn of and put to use our spiritual
weapons.
We should designate material wealth to
extending the Gospel message to claim nations being threatened by Satan. We
should be alert to invasion from the enemy and post extra guards at the borders
of our heart, mind, tongue, soul, spirit, home, community, and church fellowship.
We are at war, and our life-style in the spirit world should reflect it.
THE OBJECTIVE OF WAR:
The main objective of warfare in the natural
world is victory over the enemy. This is also the main objective in the
spiritual world. To achieve victory in natural warfare, there are many
short-range objectives that must be met. Individual battles must be won and
separate territories claimed. Each of these individual battles contribute to
the final goal of victory.
The same is true in the spirit world. Our long-range
goal is victory over the enemy. But we must break down this long-range
objective into more specific objectives. We must know the objectives God has
for us in spiritual warfare in our family, church fellowship, community, and
nation. We must identify the specific territory assigned to us for conquest.
Each soldier in a natural army has a
different position and responsibility in the battle. The same is true in the
spiritual world. You must identify personal objectives which will contribute to
the overall goal of victory. The battle commander assigns objectives to
soldiers in the natural world. God is your spiritual battle commander and He
has set specific spiritual objectives for you as a Christian soldier.
BASIC TRAINING:
Knowing the objectives for war is not enough.
A soldier must receive basic training on how to achieve these objectives. In
the natural world this training includes learning about the enemy, his tactics,
how to use the weapons of warfare, and the battle plan.
In the spiritual world believers often enter
the battlefield without this basic training. They do not understand the tactics
of the enemy. They are not aware of their spiritual weapons and how to use them
and they have not studied the battle plan (God's written Word).
In the natural world, to send a soldier to
the battlefield without basic training results in defeat. The same is true in
the spirit world. You must be trained in spiritual warfare if you are to
experience victory. When a soldier enters basic training in the natural world,
he leaves civilian life behind. He is no longer entangled with civilian affairs
but is concerned with the army in which he has enlisted.
In the spiritual realm, in order to war a
good warfare we must not be entangled in the affairs of life. We are not
civilian citizens of this present world. We are warriors of the Kingdom of God:
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the
affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a
soldier. (II Timothy 2:3-4)
PROPAGANDA:
Enemy nations always spread false propaganda
(information) about each other. Satan also injects false propaganda into your
mind if you allow it. You will learn more about this when you study "The
Battle In The Mind"
DIPLOMATIC PROPOSALS:
One of the strategies of nations at war is to
weaken the enemy by diplomatic proposals. These are suggestions of compromise.
Through such proposals each nation tries to gain advantage over the other. In
spiritual warfare, Satan attempts to make believers compromise with sin. He
knows such "diplomacy" will result in spiritual weakness.
INTELLIGENCE:
When nations are at war, there is always an
intricate organization of intelligence. Each side has intelligence forces
dedicated to gathering information about the other. The intelligence forces
collect and analyze all available information on the enemy. They communicate
what they have learned to the soldiers engaged in combat.
In spiritual warfare your knowledge of the
enemy and his tactics are vital to victory. The Bible is your
"intelligence manual" which reveals information on the enemy. As you
learn of Satan's strategies and the Scriptural counter strategies, you should
communicate these to other Christian soldiers. Satan gathers information on you
too. He learns your points of weakness and targets them with offensive attacks.
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE WARFARE:
Armies in the natural world use both
offensive and defensive strategies. As you have learned, offensive warfare is
an aggressive advance against an enemy. Defensive warfare is when the enemy
attacks and you must defend your territory.
You have learned that parallels of both
offensive and defensive warlike situations exist in the spiritual world. When
Satan attacks you must use defensive spiritual warfare. When you are claiming
new territory for God, such as sharing the Gospel with those who have never yet
heard it, you are conducting offensive warfare. You are claiming new territory
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A great general in the natural world once
told his troops, "We are not going to dig foxholes and wait for the enemy
to come shooting at us. We are going to move ahead, and move fast." (A
foxhole is a hole in the ground in which a soldier can hide). The general said,
"When you dig a foxhole, you dig a grave. When you are in that foxhole and
fire at the enemy, he knows your exact location...We will keep moving and the
enemy will always hit where we have been and not where we are." This
general did not believe in defense. His theory was that if the enemy was
constantly under attack, there would not be any need to defend. He realized
that the force moving in offensive warfare had advantage over the defending
forces. He said, "We will fight on our terms and we will win."
In spiritual warfare, he who understands the
objective of warfare as the defeat of the enemy will not easily be reduced to a
defensive position. To gain total victory, offensive fronts are required.
WEAPONS:
In every war there are weapons which are used.
They may be simple weapons such as a spear or bow and arrow, or they may be
complex weapons such as a missile system. The soldier must know what weapons
are available for use and how to use them. Some weapons are specifically
designed for defensive warfare while others are for offensive warfare. This is
also true in the spiritual world. As a Christian soldier you must be aware of
your spiritual weapons and know how to use them. As you have learned, there are
both defensive and offensive spiritual weapons. The difference is that your
weapons are spiritual weapons. Never be reduced to trying to use ineffective
natural weapons to fight spiritual battles.
SURPRISE ATTACKS:
Terrorism, sabotage, and ambush are all
surprise attacks and are methods used by natural armies at war. These methods
have two things in common: First, they are violent offensive methods. Second,
they all have an element of surprise. The target at which such assaults are
directed is caught unawares and is unprepared. Confusion and defeat usually
result.
As terrorists who sabotage and ambush, Satan
also uses the methods of violent, offensive, surprise attacks. He will attack
when you least expect it in areas of your life left unguarded. Do
not assume the enemy will furnish you with
warning of his attacks. This does not happen in the natural world of war.
Neither will it happen in the spiritual world.
DECISIVE BATTLES:
In every war there are "decisive
battles." These are battles which determine the outcome of the entire war.
Decisive battles are important because of the territory involved in the fight.
If an army wins control of a certain strategic territory he can gain control of
surrounding territories. In spiritual warfare there are also decisive battles.
For example, if you fail in the battle of the mind and tongue it will affect
your soul, spirit, heart, and possibly your entire body.
In the natural world, the greatest
concentration of troops are sent to a decisive battlefield. In the spirit world
this should be true also. Concentration of your spiritual resources in
strategic locations is necessary for successful warfare. This is true also in
terms of the spreading of the Gospel. There are times when the spiritual
harvest is ripe in key geographic areas of the world and evangelistic forces
should be concentrated in that field.
Unfortunately, this is not always so. The
greatest concentration of ministers at present is in the United States of
America where there is a church in most every community and Christian radio and
television programs readily accessible to every home. In the remaining nations
of the world there is the greatest concentration of population and many people
groups beyond the reach of an effective Christian witness. There are very few
trained ministers there to reach them. The enemy is staging decisive battles in
many of these nations, warring for the hearts, minds, and souls of men and
women. Meanwhile, our spiritual forces are concentrated elsewhere.
COMMUNICATION:
Communication is very important in natural
warfare. The troops must be able to communicate with their commander to receive
instructions and encouragement. The enemy will try to sever communication
between the front line troops and their leader, knowing this will result in
failure on the battlefield.
In spiritual warfare, Satan wants to destroy
your lines of communication. He will try to prevent you from praying and
reading God's Word, as these provide instruction and encouragement for
spiritual warfare. If you are so busy at war that you neglect communication
with the Commander, you can be easily defeated. Christian ministry is a
legitimate means of fighting the enemy. But if you run out of spiritual power,
it ceases to be effective. Your power on the front lines comes from
communication with the battle Commander. You must constantly receive His
instructions and encouragement through prayer and study of His Word.
TARGETS:
In warfare in the natural world there are two
kinds of targets: Moving targets (such as a boat, airplane, tank, or troops)
and stationary targets (such as a weapons depository, troop headquarters,
etc.). The moving targets are the greatest threat in natural warfare because
they are
offensive. They are on the move to conquer
territory.
In the spiritual world, Satan is most
concerned about moving targets. He targets the man and woman who is
aggressively moving into the battlefield of spiritual warfare to conquer enemy
forces. Satan will attack stationary targets also (believers who are not
engaged in offensive warfare). But remember, when you are on the move for God,
you are a prime target for Satan. He wants to defeat your advances into his
territory to claim the souls of captive men and women.
ATTACKS AND COUNTERATTACKS:
In natural warfare when one side attacks, the
other side counterattacks. A counterattack is an attempt to stop enemy forces
from advancing and to regain lost territory. Satan counterattacks every
offensive move made by believers. When you decide to pray more, read the Word
of God, or enter a ministry, he will immediately stage a counterattack to
prevent you from advancing. If you are aware of this strategy of counterattack
you will be prepared and not caught off guard. In military terms, there are
basically three forms of attack. Similar attacks are launched by the enemy in
the spiritual world.
1. A frontal attack: These are direct,
frontal attacks. The temptations of Satan are like a straight forward frontal
assaults in the natural world. These direct spiritual assaults should be met by
resisting Satan which causes him to flee.
2. A siege or blockade: A siege or blockade
in the natural world is when the enemy takes control of territory not belonging
to him. Spiritual bondage is similar to a siege or blockade in the natural
world. The enemy breaks through your spiritual walls and part of your life is
brought under his control. He does not actually possess the area, but he
prevents you from functioning properly for God's glory. The way to deal with
spiritual siege or blockade is by using the powers of binding and loosing
learned in this course. The enemy should be bound and the area of life under
his control loosed from his power.
3. Invasion and occupation: When an enemy
invades in the natural world, he occupies and controls a territory. This is
similar to demonic possession in the spirit world. The unsaved or backslidden
person is under the control of an evil spirit which has entered to possess
them. The way to deal with this type of attack is to bind the enemy and cast
him out.
MOBILITY:
In order to be effective in natural warfare,
an army must be mobile. The forces must be able to move to the place where
offensive action is to be taken. If they are trapped and held immobile by the
enemy, they are ineffective.
Mobility is a requirement in the spiritual
world if you are to carry out the orders to "go into all the world and
preach the Gospel." Are you a Christian soldier that has been immobilized
by the enemy or are you actively pursuing the command to advance with the
Gospel message?
A soldier does not put on armor and take up
his weapons just to sit comfortably at home in front of a fire. He not only
prepares for battle, he goes to the battlefield. Some Christian soldiers
prepare for battle, but never leave the security of their home or church
fellowship to go to the battlefield. The war is going on in the streets of our
cities. It is going on in villages yet unreached with the Gospel message. No
matter how prepared we are spiritually, we will never win the battle unless we
are mobile for the Lord Jesus Christ.
A soldier does not gain skills as a warrior
by just studying the books on warfare. He advances in skill through experience
on the battlefield. Study of your spiritual warfare manual (the Bible) is
important, but the battle will never be won unless you put what you have
studied into practice. Skill in spiritual warfare comes through experience and
application, just as it does in the natural world.
COOPERATION:
War is a team effort. Soldiers must cooperate
with one another in their effort to defeat the enemy. They must come under the
direction of one commander. They move forward as a united front. They do not
fight in their own name, but on behalf and in the name of their country.
Believers must learn to cooperate in the arena of spiritual warfare. Instead of
fighting each other, we need to concentrate our attack against the enemy.
In the natural world when a soldier is
wounded, his friends make every effort to rescue him. When the troops move
forward, they move as a unit. They do not leave the weak behind, but place them
in the center with strong warriors ahead and behind until the weak have
recovered from their wounds.
The Christian army tends to shoot its own
wounded. When a believer falls in battle we gossip about him or give up on him.
Instead, we should rescue these spiritually wounded and surround them with our
strength. The forces of God should move ahead as one united front, not as a
straggling group trailed by wounded warriors who fall and die by the wayside.
We are not fighting in our own name. We are
fighting in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not fighting in our own
behalf. We are fighting on behalf of our spiritual nation, the Kingdom of God.
OBEDIENCE:
A soldier on the battlefield in the natural
world does not do as he pleases. He follows orders from the commander. Total obedience
is required. There is nothing in war of greater importance than obedience. The
same is true in the spiritual realm. If you are to be effective in spiritual
warfare, you must follow the instructions of your Commander. You must be in
total obedience to Him.
COURAGE:
A great general in the natural world once
said, "If you are afraid of being shot at, you are whipped before you
start...Fear kills more people than death." Do not fear failure in
spiritual warfare. If you are afraid of being shot at by the enemy, you are
defeated before you start.
The brave general also said, "There can
never be defeat if man refuses to accept defeat. Wars are lost in the mind
before they are lost on the ground. No nation was ever defeated until the
people accepted defeat."
As in the natural world, there can never be
defeat if you refuse to accept it. Spiritual battles are lost in the mind
first. Refuse to accept defeat in your mind.
CONQUERING THE LEADERSHIP:
One important general frequently expressed
his personal wish that he could fight the highest enemy leader and the victor
of the personal fight would settle the war. This has already been done in the
spiritual realm by our Commander. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus
conquered the power of the enemy. The final outcome of the war is already
revealed in God's Word. But the rebel forces of resistance are still in the
land. Jesus conquered the leadership, but to us is given the task of overcoming
these pockets of resistance.
COMMITMENT:
In speaking about commitment, a famous
general said:
"We are lucky people. We are at war! We
have a chance to fight and die for something. Many people never get that
chance. Think of all those poor people you know that have lived and died for
nothing...Total lives spent doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and going to
work..."
As believers, we are at war in the spirit
world. We have an opportunity to fight and die for something. We do not have to
spend our lives in routine monotony of eating, sleeping, and working. We fight
for a Kingdom to which there will be no end. We fight for a Commander who has
already conquered the enemy forces. Our victory is assured. We have something
worth living for, fighting for, and if called upon to do so, worth dying for.
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