Some believers focus so much on fighting the devil that they tend to lose sight of Christ and what he accomplished when He died on the cross. Others do not really understand spiritual warfare and so they tend to avoid the issue. The Bible uses the imagery of war a great deal and Paul states clearly that believers must war against the sin in themselves and against the evil one.
It is hard for us to think about warfare in a positive light when all we see about us are wars that bring about great devastation. However, when reading the Bible, the imagery used is that of war and so we cannot just ignore it. Such a battle does not refer to aggression in the physical realm. We need to understand what it really means in order to become victorious Christians.
Firstly, this is not a war against enemies of flesh and blood. Believers are not fighting against other people like themselves. They are fighting a completely different kind of fight against powers and principalities. They are fighting what is unseen.
In this battle, weapons like guns, bullets or bombs are not effective. Instead, Christians are instructed to use the weapons of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, prayer, and the word of God to fight the battle. In facing the battle against deception, temptations and accusations, their primary defense is their salvation and their primary offense is the sword of the Word. Jesus Himself used the Word to counter temptation.
This battle is not motivated by hatred but by love. When a mother sees that her children are under threat of any kind, her deep love motivates her to fight for them. It was the deep love of God for mankind that motivated Him to send His son to His death on the cross. A victory was won on the cross and this has to be claimed by believers and become a reality in their lives.
When Christ died on the cross, this was not a partial victory. The works of evil were completely destroyed. Many people do not understand why evil is still so prevalent on earth when Christ won this victory on the cross. It is for this very reason that they need to fight. The fight is to manifest the victory He won and establish His kingdom.
Sometimes when we look at the world around us, we become very discouraged. The odds do not seem to be in our favor and evil seems to abound. In the face of this, we need to constantly rely on God and believe that the fight is His, not ours. When we rely completely on Him, we do not give up despite discouragement. We receive all the strength we need to continue.
Believers have to constantly stand on the fact that Christ paid a great price when He shed His blood for them. They have to use the Word as Jesus did when he was faced with temptation. In doing so, they overcome evil and further the establishment of the kingdom of God.
It is hard for us to think about warfare in a positive light when all we see about us are wars that bring about great devastation. However, when reading the Bible, the imagery used is that of war and so we cannot just ignore it. Such a battle does not refer to aggression in the physical realm. We need to understand what it really means in order to become victorious Christians.
Firstly, this is not a war against enemies of flesh and blood. Believers are not fighting against other people like themselves. They are fighting a completely different kind of fight against powers and principalities. They are fighting what is unseen.
In this battle, weapons like guns, bullets or bombs are not effective. Instead, Christians are instructed to use the weapons of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, prayer, and the word of God to fight the battle. In facing the battle against deception, temptations and accusations, their primary defense is their salvation and their primary offense is the sword of the Word. Jesus Himself used the Word to counter temptation.
This battle is not motivated by hatred but by love. When a mother sees that her children are under threat of any kind, her deep love motivates her to fight for them. It was the deep love of God for mankind that motivated Him to send His son to His death on the cross. A victory was won on the cross and this has to be claimed by believers and become a reality in their lives.
When Christ died on the cross, this was not a partial victory. The works of evil were completely destroyed. Many people do not understand why evil is still so prevalent on earth when Christ won this victory on the cross. It is for this very reason that they need to fight. The fight is to manifest the victory He won and establish His kingdom.
Sometimes when we look at the world around us, we become very discouraged. The odds do not seem to be in our favor and evil seems to abound. In the face of this, we need to constantly rely on God and believe that the fight is His, not ours. When we rely completely on Him, we do not give up despite discouragement. We receive all the strength we need to continue.
Believers have to constantly stand on the fact that Christ paid a great price when He shed His blood for them. They have to use the Word as Jesus did when he was faced with temptation. In doing so, they overcome evil and further the establishment of the kingdom of God.
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