Spiritual Warfare

For years the movie industry has capitalized on subjects regarding Spiritual Warfare which has left us even the Christian population somewhat desensitized and often dismissing spiritual warfare with a “get over it” attitude.  While we may not see all the special effects of movies like the Exorcist or The Conjuring franchise, demonic influence works in more subtle ways.

As Christians we have a choice, either put up with it or take our Christ given authority over it.  Which do you choose?

Transcript

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Hello friends. It is Monday evening, late Monday evening, and I hope everyone has had a positive start to the week. If not, don't worry about it. Tomorrow is a new day. But since it is nighttime, there's no better time than to talk about spiritual warfare, right? Actually, any time is a good time to talk about spiritual warfare because it's becoming more and more evident, and you don't have to look around too hard to see it. Ephesians 6 12 tells us for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Hollywood has capitalized on angels and demons, God and the devil, heaven and hell, that people have gotten so used to hearing these words that it's almost become a punchline, or at best, campfire stories that's right there with Freddie Krueger or Jason Voorhees. While we might not experience the dramatic special effects of the conjuring or other such movies like it, spiritual warfare is very real, but more subtle and explained away as sudden personality conflicts, issues, a string of bad luck, or we use words such as burnout, anxiety, depression, addiction, or unresolved emotional trauma, or just simply a darkness that you can't explain. Now hear me when I say this, not every problem that we face in life is a direct result of spiritual warfare. We all know that the problems we face in life are sometimes the direct result of our own choices. Sometimes the problems we face are the direct result of somebody else's bad choices. We also know that we live in a fallen world where natural disasters and disease happen for no other explanation. Christians need to be aware of the spiritual realm and understand the authority that we have over darkness and demonic activity through Jesus. So think of authority as this. When a judge issues a warrant, it is not the judge who goes out and finds the person and arrests them. The authority has been given to police officers to locate and arrest, but officers cannot just track somebody down and place them under arrest without cause. When they do so on a warrant, they are acting on the authority of the judge of the court. In the same way, Jesus gives us his authority. He gives authority to believers, granting us the right to act in his name, according to Matthew twenty eight, eighteen through twenty. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. Luke ten nineteen, Jesus said, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the end, nothing will harm you. Now this is not in reference to some of these churches you might think of that you see dancing around handling rattlesnakes. The snakes and scorpions Jesus was referring to is the demonic forces and perils. As believers, we are seated with him, as stated in Ephesians 2.6, placing us above the influence of the enemy. Authority is enforced using the name of Jesus to command, declare, and to stand against spiritual darkness in situations where there may be demonic or demonic influence at work. This authority must be exercised through faith and knowledge of the Word to be effective. It is not an automatic, nor is it this authority self-generated. It is a gift based on faith in Jesus Christ alone, not performance. Now, based on my own experiences, I have put up with more than I should, which has made life harder than it should be because of not taking the time to understand and exercise the authority that is given to me by Christ. Jesus did not come to this world to suffer and die on a cross and to be resurrected and alive and well for us to live as weak, timid people, just suffering for Jesus. No. He came so that we could have life and to have it more abundantly, not just in eternity, but now. Jesus already provided the gift and the means we just need to accept with faith and stand on his promises. Isaiah 55, 11, my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do, says the Lord our God. I would like to send some special recognition to listeners in Victorville, California, Leicester, England, and forgive me for botching this name, Coroa, Michoahan, and Mexico. I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to listen to me every week, and I hope that you all have a restful evening. Love you guys. Good night.