Why the name Warriors for Christ?
Why Warriors?
Simple – we are in a war and war requires warriors.
The war we are in is not of flesh and blood, in other words, it’s not hand-hand combat, or a typical battlefield exchange. The war we are fighting is a spiritual war.
There are spiritual forces of evil. Consider that for a moment. We have heard of, and some of us have witnessed, what we would considered the worst kind of evil. When we think of the word evil, images that may come to mind are Adolf Hitler, Ted Bundy, or Jack The Ripper. But the reality is, we have no ability to imagine total evil. Don’t get me wrong, these men were evil – but spiritual forces of evil are at an entirely different level of evil and they hate us!
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
It is interesting to consider that Paul uses the word “wrestle” here. It would be one thing if he used a word that communicated more “distance”, but you cannot get any closer to your enemy than a wrestling match – this means that these spiritual forces of evil are right in your face. If you do not realize you are in this wrestling match, that you are in this war, then your enemy has already won.
When a person yields to the passions of their flesh, they have been wrestled into submission by the enemy. This enemy is not always the devil, but the devil is certainly the leader of this band of evil forces:
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
The devil is scheming – he’s planning. Anything that keeps your eyes off Christ is most likely part of the devil’s schemes. Let that sink in for a moment – ANYTHING that takes priority over your allegiance and obedience to God as a good soldier for Christ is a scheme of the devil.
Are these “passions of the flesh” that big deal? If I yield to them occasionally it’s not that big of a deal, right, after all, I am human?
1Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Wrap your head around that! It doesn’t say body, it doesn’t say mind, it says SOUL. The passions of your flesh wage war against your VERY SOUL – the only part of you that is eternal, YOUR SOUL!
That’s the war we are in – for our soul! Our mind set must be, “fine, you can kill my body, but you are not going to touch my soul!”
To pursue the passions of the flesh is like playing spiritual Russian Roulette – except it isn’t a bullet that you don’t know is in the chamber or not, it is a giving over to sin, it is a hardening of your heart. If you still feel remorse and shame over your sin, that is a blessing from God. To trample on God’s Grace by presuming He will continue to give the blessing of Godly sorrow, that He will allow continued disobedience without consequence, is a dangerous place to be.
2Corinthians 10:3-4 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.
If we are truly in this war for our soul, we must have weapons – so what are they?
The armor of Light!
Romans 13:12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Darkness has done its work on us. We have spent a lifetime clothing ourselves in the works of darkness – whether it be worldly pursuits or even false religion, which has an appearance of godliness, but no ability to save the soul. We must cast off these works, we must cast off this cloak of darkness and put on a new garment – armor – ARMOR OF LIGHT!
The whole armor of God!
Ephesians 6:13-20 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
So, what are the weapons of our warfare?
Truth: Immerse yourself in the Truth of the Gospel AND sound doctrine
Righteousness: Turn from sin and walk in holiness, do, say, and think things that are pleasing to God
Walk each day in light of the Gospel: the same Gospel that saves us, sustains us, never tire of hearing it
Faith: Trust in God’s promises, be faithful to your King
Salvation: Know that you are saved by the Blood of the Lamb, it is not of yourself. Your bad days don’t “un-save” you and your good days don’t get you a “better seat.” You do good as a form of worship and thanksgiving to God for saving you.
Bible: The Sword of the Spirit! The very WORD OF GOD! You need it EVERY DAY! Read it, meditate on it, memorize as much as you can.
Prayer: Be constant in prayer. Confess your sins. Make your requests to God. Intercede on behalf of others. Boldly approach the throne of Grace.
This is a great post! I feel stronger as a result of reading such things. It assists in keeping keeping me vigilant. These weapons are key to staying a formidable opponent against evil. It is so important to stay sharp as evil is all around us, daily. It wears many disguises.
Sometimes Satans actions are very subtle and fly under the radar of those not keeping a sharp mind. You must always keep your weapons close at hand. We live in a world where many things happen that would’ve once been unheard of. In some cases, it wouldn’t be going too far to say that sin is the new normal and has become acceptable. There are many that turn a blind eye. The things that things that are ignored seem to grow bigger each day.
It is no longer a little white lie or cheating on a test. Those things are normal at this point. We now live in a world where people get away with murder, or that deviant actions are celebrated. Just stop and think about how far we have fallen in a very short period of time. Think about today vs. only 20-30 years ago. The list of things that are considered acceptable now has grown to a place most would’ve never imagined. And goes virtually unnoticed! People constantly write this off as progression. “It’s 2017, we live in a different world”. It’s as if Satan has so many hypnotized and ignorant to sin.
Thanks for the post! Remember your weapons!
Yes! Satan is not looking to posess our physical bodies. It is our very soul that he’s looking for. And how he goes about that is very sneaky. I heard a preacher say recently, and I’ll paraphrase, imagine the devil is holding two glasses. In one hand he holds a little glass of your sin in hopes you will look at the glass and say, ”oh look, I just have a little sin. I’m not any worse than anyone else. Surely nothing to worry about.” So you continue to go on this way. If that doesn’t work satan my show you the other hand in which he holds a large glass of lots of your sin. Murderous, horrible type sin that most of this world consider worse than others. (not the case obviously) He does this in hopes that you are overwhelmed by the gravity of your sin and simply give up. Convinced that you cant possibly be saved you turn away from God. Either way, he wins. We must bear the whole armor of God and remain steadfast warriors in the battle!!
There is no doubt Mark that there are those walking a very dangerous path in which they have ”molded” God and the law to suit their lifestyle with the belief that they can do good works or others things to gain eternal life. Breaking the law is breaking the law and they will be judged accordingly. What they’ve done is created their own god, an idol. And we know idolators will not gain passage to the Father when Jesus returns on the day of judgement. He is the only way, the truth, the life. No one comes except through Him.
A website I frequently visit is www.gotquestions.org
Here is one response when searching Sprititual Warfare
Question: "What does the Bible say about spiritual warfare?"
Answer: There are two primary errors when it comes to spiritual warfare—over-emphasis and under-emphasis. Some blame every sin, every conflict, and every problem on demons that need to be cast out. Others completely ignore the spiritual realm and the fact that the Bible tells us our battle is against spiritual powers. The key to successful spiritual warfare is finding the biblical balance. Jesus sometimes cast demons out of people; other times He healed people with no mention of the demonic. The apostle Paul instructs Christians to wage war against the sin in themselves (Romans 6) and warns us to oppose the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:10–18).
Ephesians 6:10–12 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This text teaches some crucial truths: we can only stand strong in the Lord’s power, it is God’s armor that protects us, and our battle is ultimately against spiritual forces of evil in the world.
Ephesians 6:13–18 is a description of the spiritual armor God gives us. We are to stand firm with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and by praying in the Spirit. What do these pieces of spiritual armor represent in spiritual warfare? We are to know the truth, believe the truth, and speak the truth. We are to rest in the fact that we are declared righteous because of Christ’s sacrifice for us. We are to proclaim the gospel no matter how much resistance we face. We are not to waver in our faith, trusting God’s promises no matter how strongly we are attacked. Our ultimate defense is the assurance we have of our salvation, an assurance that no spiritual force can take away. Our offensive weapon is the Word of God, not our own opinions and feelings. And we are to pray in the power and will of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is our ultimate example of resisting temptation in spiritual warfare. Observe how Jesus handled direct attacks from Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). Each temptation was combatted with the words “it is written.” The Word of the living God is the most powerful weapon against the temptations of the devil. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).
A word of caution concerning spiritual warfare is in order. Nowhere in Scripture are we instructed to cast out demons or even to speak to them. The name of Jesus is not a magic incantation that causes demons to flee from before us. The seven sons of Sceva are an example of what can happen when people presume an authority they have not been given (Acts 19:13–16). Even Michael the archangel did not rebuke Satan in his own power but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9). When we start talking to the devil, we run the risk of being led astray as Eve was (Genesis 3:1–7). Our focus should be on God, not demons; we speak to Him, not them.
In summary, what are the keys to success in spiritual warfare? We rely on God’s power, not our own. We put on the whole armor of God. We draw on the power of Scripture—the Word of God is the Spirit’s sword. We pray in perseverance and holiness, making our appeal to God. We stand firm (Ephesians 6:13–14); we submit to God; we resist the devil’s work (James 4:7), knowing that the Lord of hosts is our protector. “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2).
Recommended Resource: Victory in Spiritual Warfare by Tony Evans
'I'm not ashamed of THE GOSPEL, BECAUSE IT IS THE POWER OF GOD for the Salvation of everyone who BELIEVES:' (Rom 1:16)
'For THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who ARE BEING saved IT IS THE POWER OF GOD.' (1COR 1:18) YES BROTHERS! The INSTRUMENT or CONTAINER of GOD'S OMNIPOTENT SAVING AND SANCTIFYING POWER IS THE GOSPEL! WOW!!! So what?
READ IT! STUDY IT! MEMORIZE IT! PRAY I! LISTEN TO IT! SPEAK IT! EXPERIENCE IT! TRUST IT!!!! HELP US LORD JESUS!!!! Love James/JimBo
AMEN!!! Love right back at you!!