"4 Ways To Wage Spiritual Warfare"

C. Applic: Unity in the gospel is the prerequisite for the unity of the church. Christians who affirm the essentials of the gospel are even now united invisibly, enjoying a special communion with one another across denominational lines. Today the invisible church, consisting of all those who have true faith in Christ Jesus, is united in the Savior. In time, the visible church may be united once again as well, but true visible unity will occur only as professing believers study the Word of God together and refuse to compromise on the gospel. We should seek to build bridges with other professing believers where we can, but never at the expense of God’s truth. Make sure when we are in Poland you keep unity in the body.

IV. Wage Warfare Through Praise - II Chron. 20:21-22; Ps. 149:5-6

A. Praising God is a form of Spiritual Warfare

1. The Scripture instructs us that giving Praise to God is part of how we defeat the enemies of God’s people. . Illust – Ps. 149:5-6 “Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth. And a two-edged sword in their hand.” What is the Christian’s two-edged sword? The Word of God. Heb. 4:12 – What do you use a sword for? Farming? No! Warfare. The Psalmist is saying glory in God, even in the loneliness of the night praise God. And be ready for battle. We are to be ready for battle. And the proper attitude for spiritual warfare is nurtured when we praise the Lord.

2. Illust – II Chron. 20: 21-22 – See the priest of God went out before the army of Israel saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Vv.22 – “And when they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mt. Seir who had come against Judah and were so routed.” Again in this passage Israel did not follow the manual for warfare. Priest went ahead. Was a sign of God’s Glory going before the nation. The result was singing and praise filled the air and the Lord fought the battle, setting ambushes for Israel’s enemy. Christian, in the midst of spiritual warfare, the enemy will attempt to attack you on all sides, yet through praising God in the midst, He will deliver you.

B. Waging Spirit. Warfare Through Praise is Often Difficult for the Christian to Understand.

1. There is a divine dynamic that takes place when you and I begin to praise the Lord. It is almost like a cynergistic experience where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. We are in constant spiritual warfare against Satan. He tries to enslave our bodies with addictions and excesses, our minds with heresies and paralyzing doubts, our spirits with guilt and shame. He seeks to take away our joy, rip apart our families, and wreck our relationships with Jesus Christ and His church. When you face trying times and temptations, those are the moments when you need to praise God the most. Praising God empowers us to defeat the devil. How? When we praise God, we proclaim the Truth about God, which the devil cannot stand to hear. The great strength of our praise in spiritual warfare is that in praise we exercise faith in God's love and His victory over Satan. God loves and God wins. Period.