Comfort says, “If I did not tell you these things it would be like a doctor not telling you that you have cancer and you would die a slow and painful death unaware of your true circumstances.”
Many people disregard spiritual warfare, spiritual influence and the unseen realms altogether because of ignorance, fear, or unbelief. Some just don’t want to know. Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, the Holy Spirit and Satan; people do not take these things seriously. They are all very real and we interact with them every day. People can even deny, but humans have no choice because their lives are in the trenches of the spiritual from birth through death; whether they like it or not. We are spirits, we just have a body. The prevalent problem is that all lost human beings and most Christians do not know how to train for, focus on, live for and within the realm of the spiritual that affects our lives; every moment of every day. We do not know how to stand in battle against the foes of darkness and we do not understand the spiritual power of standing in the supernatural awesomeness of God.
You see, people have this huge misconception that the devil and his fallen angels come up from hell to harass and attack you and then leave. No. First off they are not in hell yet. They are roaming the earth and trying to accuse you for your actions before God in heaven. They could be next to you. In your home or on the street; riding in your car, whispering in your ear while you sleep. They are all around us tempting, harassing and ready to destroy. If you do not believe in it, feel that it is irrelevant or does not concern you; then you have already lost the battle. Satan has already deceived you by one or more of the relentless means of spiritual combat.
I want to give you an example. Jesus said in John 10:1-10: “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from some other place [on the stone wall], that one is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep [the protector and provider]. 3 The doorkeeper opens [the gate] for this man, and the sheep hear his voice and pay attention to it. And [knowing that they listen] he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [to pasture]. 4 When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he walks on ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice and recognize his call. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers. 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what He was talking about. 7 So Jesus said again, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I am the Door for the sheep [leading to life]. 8 All who came before Me [as false messiahs and self-appointed leaders] are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security). 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
In Jesus’ day sheep were protected at night in a sheepfold. A sheepfold was an enclosure with 6-foot-high walls, there would be a gate and a doorkeeper that guarded the sheepfold and sharp bushes with thorns laid across the top to keep out robbers and wild animals. But what would happen is that at times a robber would climb the wall, get in, slit the throats of as many sheep he could and throw them over the wall to his companions to steal. This is the same way that our enemies come for us, by cunning, by stealth, when we are caught off guard. This is why we have to stay close to the Shepherd! Do you not understand that we are always targeted? All you have to do is open your eyes and see the havoc that is being wreaked upon mankind, upon society, upon the church, upon our bodies and our minds. If people cannot see the evil fog that is slowly choking the life out of this world and the people therein then they are blind fools or ignorant or both. Being naïve will not be an excuse when we stand before Jesus.
Our perceptions have to be beyond the physical (temporal) realm and see the forces at work behind it in the supernatural one. These unseen, wicked enemies who are greater than any that mankind has ever known. You cannot win a war if you do not know who you fight against. Most people in this world are walking around oblivious in spiritual ignorance...not understanding that they are so close to the flames of hell that they are singed by them on a daily basis and do not even know it! God’s blueprint is reaching the final points of His great plan for the world and we are to serve as battle ready soldiers on the front line for humanity against the forces of darkness. Do you not understand that this life is the boot camp, the training ground and the preparation for the day that we return with our Lord Jesus to rule and reign with Him on this earth?
But, as we wait intently for the call to “come up here” from the Lord with a shout, we must do as God commanded Israel in Ezekiel 33; we are to stand watch as watchmen on the wall. Matthew 26:40-41: “Then Jesus returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’.”
Listen, I cannot stress this enough. We have to see that we are not dealing with human beings that you can negotiate with or come to a peace agreement with. This is not Vietnam or Iraq where you can pull the troops out of; also, you cannot make this enemy surrender. The devil and his ilk are unyielding and will never give up assaulting you in every aspect of your life. The devil and the fallen angels hate us because we are created in God’s image. Angels are higher in intellect and are much stronger than we are, but they are to serve and minister to mankind. This is something the devil and the fallen angels will never do. They want us dead.
Like any military they seek to find their opponents weak spot and manipulate it. And they do so maliciously. They hate you. They will kill you if they can. They hate and want to decimate all of us. They will do anything and everything necessary to keep you from either coming to know Jesus Christ as your Savior or from strengthening your relationship with Him. They have been appearing as angels of light presenting a false gospel through weak spiritual or selfish teachers, preachers or cult leaders. They present what has a front cover of Christianity without the cross or sin and make themselves seem to be good but their message does not line up with scripture...Paul said in Galatians 1:8: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!”
The enemy seeks to keep you from preaching His True Gospel to the lost. Everyone who is lost is an enemy of God, but once they give their hearts to Christ, they become a child of God saved by the blood of Jesus. Then Satan, who was once their father, is now their adversary and wants nothing more than to terminate them and you with every means in his arsenal.
The battle lines have been drawn and no one is untouchable in this conflict. So as a watchman and a soldier, take up your cross in one hand and God’s word in the other. Wrap yourself with the banner of Jesus Christ and gird yourselves with God’s armor and get ready to fight for the souls of men. Either you allow God to use you for His purpose or you don’t. The majority of people on this planet think that they control their destiny and purpose. Yes, we have free will but no, you do not control your purpose. You are either influenced by God for your good, the good of others and His will or you are swayed by Satan for evil or wrong purposes. The forces of light and darkness are always fighting and we are right in the middle of their battlefield.
God’s plan includes a reward for those who trust in Him, and He promises to glorify His children. But Satan is blinded by his pride and will not stop trying to destroy Israel, God’s chosen people and Christians redeemed by Christ. He laughs and laughs when a lost sinner dies, because he knows that person’s fate and judgment. It is the same as his in hell and he relishes in it. Satan started this war and Jesus Christ will end the war. But while we wait for the day of our Lord we must be prepared to fight the good fight of faith and never give ground to the enemy - ever. Galatians 5:16-19: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
Our body and mind is the battlefield where the chaos for our souls is waged.
We as Christians are supposed to arm ourselves with God’s armor and offer the gift of the Living water that is Jesus Christ. Stephanie and I offer this many times to people during the week. Some even here in church. Some say no thanks, but we keep offering. Jesus tells us in Mark 16:15: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10-13: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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.”
We must preach the Gospel, but we must also fight and defend it with our physical and spiritual lives. 1 Peter 3:13-17: “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
Every aspect of modern culture (just look at American society) is engaged in the midst of a spiritual clash with the eternal souls of all humanity hanging in the balance; but sadly, most do not even know it exists. Christianity is not only about securing a place in heaven after death; but also obeying Jesus Christ as God warriors, bold in the Word and we are to go and make disciples of all nations - for Him - because of what He did for us. We can stand up for our convictions just like the hypocrites do. We do not have to bow down to them or the devils behind them. Jesus Christ has our back, what in the world are we afraid of???
2 Timothy 2:3-4: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
As Christian soldiers we will face many trials that will hinder us, but they will also be used by God to toughen us up in the campaign for the Gospel of Christ. But, many Christians have been propagandized by the enemy or are false converts duped into belief in a false Jesus. Look at the state of the Christian church today. God’s Word has been decimated and replaced by false doctrine and damning theology that is sending falsely professed “Christians” to hell every single minute. It is also keeping true believers pinned down to the ground in sin and ineffectiveness for the call of Christ. People are led blindly by the ignorance of not reading scriptures and studying to show themselves approved. They are following false pastors and teachers straight towards the cliff that leads to the lake of fire. Do not underestimate the foul men of this world who follow Satan. Evil people who look like angels of light.
When in a war, the most successful tactic that military leaders use is to divide and conquer. We have seen it in this country with our schools, government, society and churches; corrupt men with their ungodly agendas sneaking in as so to disrupt and destroy these institutions from within.
Are people that naive to think that Satan and his army would not recruit, train and implement their goals by placing evil men in governments, schools, churches and in the pulpits??? Absolutely! People are that naive because that is what is happening all over this country! Our nation is asleep!
That is why scripture tells us to watch out for wolves in sheep’s clothing. Matthew 7:15: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Christ also sent us to rescue others from the enemy. Acts 26:18: “…to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” How do you feel? What weapons are the enemies using against you? Do you feel to be a prisoner controlled, beaten and chained by the things of this world?
The pain, the dark dreary cloud lurking about; and the struggles of getting free from the depression, drugs, alcohol or other addictions in life. Do you feel desperate as despair, confusion, strife, envy, jealousy, hate, lies, doubt, anger, anxiety, unforgiveness and every evil force fights for your mind; leaving you broken and defeated?
I know how it feels to be without a friend or to have anyone I could trust enough to talk to. I know how it feels to have just emptiness of nothing ever going right in my life, and having a void in my heart that no one could ever fill. I know how it feels to see others laughing having a good time; as I faked a laugh yet feeling as if I wanted to curl up and die. Have others walked over your heart and never looked back to see if you survived another blow; not caring that they had broken another piece of your heart?
I know how it feels to be betrayed over and over again, in the name of love. Even by the friend who claimed to stand by my side until the very end. Do you know how it feels to have a tongue filled with more venom then any snake? Striking out causing great pain, not caring who it hurt, maimed or killed as you tried to ease your own pain. Or did others give you the snake bites over and over many times and in the end, cause you to lose control over your mind; leaving thoughts to run wild and controlled by the god of this world.
Controlled by the dark spiritual forces at work against us. And all the while, feeling unworthy to call out to the God; the one you knew could save you in the end. I know how it feels to have people lie to your face, stab you in the back as they smile in your face, making you believe one more lie. I know how it feels to hear, "I'm Sorry," one more time, as the attacker thinks these two little words cover the horrible deed, yet things never change. I know how it feels to spend hours on end wondering what I have done to deserve this life of torment and pain. I know how it feels to wonder if I will ever make a difference to anyone in this crazy world.
I know how it feels to be without a job, money or the things others just take for granted. I know how it feels to be so inadequate I can't even think for myself. I know how it feels to have the spirit within me crushed and near death. I also know how it feels, when a gentle whisper speaking softly in my ears says, "You are my child", words that bring a glitter of hope. I know how it feels when the hand of the Living God reaches down from heaven and wipes my tears.
I know how it feels to hear him say, "I forgive you of your sins, and I will love you know matter what else anyone else thinks, for you matter to me." I cried out, “Doesn’t anyone care?"; and I heard, "I do." You have to know what it's behind all of your doubts and fears and anxiety...you cannot fix these yourself only the Holy Spirit power of God can break you free from these chains and bondage! Are you feeling inadequate, not good enough, not beautiful enough, not smart enough, not this not that...these are all lies from the enemy...Do not believe it! God loves you because of what Jesus did for you on the cross.
I will close with this: The "Titanic" took 2 hours and 40 minutes to sink. Water slowly filled one compartment after the next (looking for every crack and crevice to get into) and slowly took the ship and the 1500 people who died to their grave. Satan and demons do the same thing to us. Slowly, methodically, subtly they break us down with temptation, sin, anxiety, doubt, fear, worry, etc... Flooding one part of our life at a time until we drown and we die. Jesus is the only lifeboat, the only One who will pull us out of the grave, give us freedom and save us from eternal death (Titanic looked peaceful on the still water, but inside the ship utter chaos). This sadly is most people on this planet. They look healthy, but the weapons of the enemy are eating away at them. If they do not seek Jesus, they will lose.
I had to see who the Victor was before I could become victorious! I had to see that my enemies are defeated, not will be – are defeated! Jesus won when He rose from the grave and I will never fear the loser – If God is with us then who is against us? Who can stand in His presence? Jesus broke the power of Hell and darkness, He broke sin and shame – He conquered even death for us! There is nothing in your life that He doesn't understand. There is nothing He won't forgive. But it takes you to open that door and invite Him in. Then you can stand strong in the spiritual battle. Romans 10:13: “Whosoever shall call upon the Lord, shall be saved.” This is how you win the battle forever!
