Everyone loves a parade? Right. I loved attending the Fourth of July parade in our town as a child. I guess I didn’t understand what it meant—our independence from a foreign entity. None the less I enjoyed the sights and sounds and the candy from the firemen. Of course, the fireworks at night were awesome. Today’s title is ” Have We Missed the Parade?” I want to talk today about Spiritual Warfare.
Do we understand our independence from our enemy Satan? Have we given him more power and authority than he deserves? The prophet Isaiah mentions the powerlessness of Satan in Isaiah 14:16-17 (NKJV)–16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’ Do we understand Satan’s only power or authority is deception and lies? Satan and his demons are a reality. There is a spiritual warfare. It is a war of truth and lies. Jesus said in John 8:32 (NKJV)-32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Our best weapon against Satan is the truth of God’s Word. When Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness Jesus used the Word of God against him( Luke 4:1-4). Satan can’t force us to do anything against our will without our consent and cooperation.
Apostle Paul brings out the great truth of Christ’s victory over Satan and his demons. Colossians 2:15 (NKJV)-15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Where did this triumph take place? At the cross of Christ and His resurrection and glorification. The King James Bible said Jesus spoiled principalities and powers. The Greek Word means to put off, disarm, to strip off clothes or arms. Paul is using an analogy of what a conquering army would do to a defeated foe. They would parade the losing general through the crowd. He would be stripped naked, his thumbs and big toes cut off, no longer able to hold a sword or go into a battle. The people would no longer fear him of any threat or aggression. They would no longer be intimidated by him. This is what Christ did for us in defeating Satan.(Heb 2:14).
In Ephesians, it tells us what our stance is against Satan. Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)-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. Apostle Paul tells us there is warfare but it is not against physical things or people. It is against demonic forces of lies and deception. True spiritual warfare is between our ears. The Greek Word for wrestle means a face-to-face conflict, a struggle. It means to sway, to throw, or swing. In Greek games, an opponent would gain an advantage and hold down their neck with their hand and gouge out their eyes and they would become blind. Wow, that is brutal! This gives us some spiritual insight such as: We can never turn our backs on the enemy. His ultimate strategy is to pin us down with lies and deception. To sway us, to gain an advantage in the realm of our souls. Our thoughts and imagination. To take advantage of our ignorance, indifference, and apathy. 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NKJV)-11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. It is a battle for truth and lies. He wants to keep us in a place of spiritual blindness. To keep us from seeing the truth(Eph 1:17-18).
It is interesting in Revelations where Jesus is speaking to the seven Churches and commending or rebuking them. The Church at Laodicean had become lukewarm. They were neither hot nor cold. They didn’t see their true spiritual condition. Revelation 3:15-18 (NKJV)-15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’–and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked–18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. They lost their focus. They were spiritually blind. They needed the Holy Spirit to anoint their eyes to see properly. They lost their wrestling match with the enemy. They were lifted with pride but down for the count. They fell for the lies and the deception of the enemy. They were no longer lovers of the truth but lovers of money.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21-23 (NKJV)-21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! The Jews believed the eyes were the widow of the soul. God’s Word uses the eye to represent the attitudes of the mind. What a person allows into his soul determines who he is. Our thoughts can determine the direction of our lives. Proverbs 23:7a (NKJV)–7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. We really see with our minds. The Church at Laodicean prided itself in its riches. Jesus said you can’t serve God and money at the same time ( Matt 6:24). It caused double vision. It causes double-mindedness. Two visions cause division. We are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33). It was the deceitfulness of riches, the lies, and the deception of the enemy that caused them to fall. Their treasure was not in Christ. When we walk in the light of the Word of God it will produce the right actions. Apostle John tells us when we as Christians hate our brother we are walking in darkness( 1 John 2:11). To walk in the light is to walk in love.
The Devil is a defeated foe. He is a non-issue as far as God is concerned. Yes, spiritual warfare exists but not like what most people think. We have been delegated the authority of Christ to enforce his defeat continually(Luke 10:19-20, Matt 10:1). What Satan tries to do is get us to give him authority and power by lying and deceiving us. We give him authority and power through our fears, our unbelief, our pride, and our lust. Satan and demons can’t do anything without our consent and cooperation. Look at 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)-3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, The battle is in the thoughts and imagination realm. It is a warfare against the lies and deceptions of Satan. We are to pull down and cast down lies and bring those thoughts in alignment with God’s Word.
Our battle is not with flesh and blood. It is not a cultural war. It is not Republican against Democrat. It is good against evil. The question is have we missed the parade? Are giving Satan more attention than we should. Apostle Peter said this 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV)-8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He is not a lion, he just tries to be like one. A sober and vigilant mind is a mind filled with the truth of God’s Word. It is the truth that we resist him with! He is a liar and the father of lies( John 8:44). Jesus is the truth(John 14:6). His Word is truth! John 17:17 (NKJV)-17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. Only the Word of God can separate truth from lies. In the Garden of Eden, a talking snake deceives Adam and Eve. They were perfect in every way. Living in a perfect environment. All their needs were met. There was no poverty, death, sickness, depression, or despair. What could Satan possibly tempt them with? He got them to doubt what God had said. He got them to speculate about what could be or what would be. To convince them they were lacking in some way. Appealing to what they heard God say to them. Andrew Wommack put it this way,” Satan was saying, “Well as good as it is there’s more and you don’t have it all.” They were not lacking at all in any way. They fell for the lies and deception and died spiritually. Satan and his demons always try to get us to think we are lacking in some area of our lives. Lacking health, provision, love, or peace. Lacking spiritual assurance or a sense of righteousness that we have in Christ.
Look at 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)–3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. Satan always tries to make the gospel harder. To mix law and grace. Our minds are corrupted with lies and deception against the truth. Galatians 3:1 (NKJV)-1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? There is a simplicity that is in Christ. It means a single-mindedness towards Christ. A single-hearted devotion to Christ. We won’t allow false teaching, the doctrine of demons, and seducing spirits to corrupt our minds. Our weapon is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God( Eph 6:17). We have the shield of faith that quenches the lies and deception of the enemy(Eph 6:16). We won’t allow the enemy to put a spell on us. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 (NKJV)-9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
In closing, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus has won the victory over Satan. That God has delivered us from the powers of darkness and placed us in Christ (Col 1:13). We are seated in heavenly places in Christ above and over every demon (Eph 1:20, Eph 2:6). True spiritual warfare is in the realm of our minds ultimately. That the Truth of God’s Word is our battle axe against the enemy’s lies and deception. No demon or devil has the authority to oppress, intimidate, or dwell in us without our consent and cooperation. We can resist with the truth of God’s Word and they must flee in Jesus name! (James 4:7). Let us not focus all our attention on the enemy but focus our attention on Christ and God’s Word (Col 3:1-3). Let us be more God-conscious, truth-conscious than demon-conscious. Let us not give place to Satan or his demons through our fears and unbelief. Let us be filled with faith that comes from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Knowing who we are and what we have in Christ (Philemon 1:6). Let us always say, “I’ll never forget the parade!
3 John 1:3 (NKJV)-3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 (NKJV)-14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
In Christ’s Love;
Brent and Linda Bushen
If this has blessed you in some way, please let us know and share it with a friend.
PS. Satan is after the Word of God in your life (Mark 4:14-20). How does he do this? Through our ignorance, indifference, and apathy. Through persecution, trials, and offenses, and Finally through distractions: Cares of life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust or strong desire for other things.