Conversation about spiritual warfare
Vicki and I have had several conversations about spiritual warfare. The idea came up Sunday night and again this morning concerning dreams. It came up in my mind yet again a few minutes ago when I found out that we won't be having our Alpha group tonight.
As I do here often, I'd just like to put some thoughts out here and have a little pretend conversation time (I guess with myself). It's sort of funny but I actually do have some of your faces in my mind at times when I blog about certain things. Funny things bring certain faces to mind...spiritual things bring other faces...family things, etc. Interesting how my mind works. I guess I know many of you well enough to have these pretend conversations, thinking about what you'd have to say. Think I need some more community or something?? Man!
Anyway, do you think that we underestimate the reality of spiritual warfare? Do you think it's something that most people ever even consider...outside of church anyway? And when it is brought to mind (by ourselves or others) what is our reaction? Do we think..."yeah, that's exactly what's happening?" -or- "I guess it's possible...anything's possible" -or- "interesting thought...let me go get your straight jacket!"
I know there have been times in my life when I've heard people talk about SW (let's call it that for my fingers' sake) and I've thought that they are over-spiritualizing the coincidences or circumstances of the given situation. Or I've thought maybe that they're playing the SW card too quickly or too often. But I've got to tell you that my mind has been changing on this a great deal (maybe that's even too lightly put) over the past few years.
Eph. 6:12 says "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms". But think about who we blame for the situations we get into. It's not too often that we are quick to say that it is the demonic world warring against us to destroy our lives.
We face some strange things here. I've blogged about just a few of them. Other colleagues, friends, and Christian family face the same and worse things. There are times when these could be explained due to normal, challenging circumstances. But when you look at the core of what has happened...or maybe if you try to look at what has resulted in what transpired...you can see something truly evil. And admittedly it's scary at times (even thought that fear is not of the Lord). Often I think that we have not been adequately prepared to deal with these kinds of attacks. The Frank Peretti books...the sermons on Eph 6...Sunday School lessons on demons weren't enough. Why is that? Could it be because we just never accepted it for real?
I Peter 5:8 refers to Satan as a roaring lion prowling around looking for someone to devour. The first part of that verse tells us to be alert...careful...ready, prepared for the lion's attack to come. I remember listening to a CNN report about some of soldiers in Iraq who commented about how their heads needed to constantly remain on swivels during their patrols. This is an awesome example for us as we engage in SW with our lives. In Iraq it is often an unseen threat. With our Enemy it is the same. On either front it would be vastly different if we could see the enemy wouldn't it? The fight would be much easier. But with such an enemy to let your guard down would mean death.
If we could really talk I'd love to hear of your experiences...how you are engaged in battle wherever you find yourself. Maybe that's something that would really help us all out...hearing how we all see it happening around us and how we have learned to resist the Enemy. Maybe that would be what's needed to help other Christ followers identify spiritual attacks better instead of just seeking out other "worldly" explanations that in the end take our focus away from the true source of danger.
Comment if you'd like on this one. I pray for you today. I pray for victory. Resist the lion, through the power of the Living God that courses through you, and he will flee!
As I do here often, I'd just like to put some thoughts out here and have a little pretend conversation time (I guess with myself). It's sort of funny but I actually do have some of your faces in my mind at times when I blog about certain things. Funny things bring certain faces to mind...spiritual things bring other faces...family things, etc. Interesting how my mind works. I guess I know many of you well enough to have these pretend conversations, thinking about what you'd have to say. Think I need some more community or something?? Man!
Anyway, do you think that we underestimate the reality of spiritual warfare? Do you think it's something that most people ever even consider...outside of church anyway? And when it is brought to mind (by ourselves or others) what is our reaction? Do we think..."yeah, that's exactly what's happening?" -or- "I guess it's possible...anything's possible" -or- "interesting thought...let me go get your straight jacket!"
I know there have been times in my life when I've heard people talk about SW (let's call it that for my fingers' sake) and I've thought that they are over-spiritualizing the coincidences or circumstances of the given situation. Or I've thought maybe that they're playing the SW card too quickly or too often. But I've got to tell you that my mind has been changing on this a great deal (maybe that's even too lightly put) over the past few years.
Eph. 6:12 says "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms". But think about who we blame for the situations we get into. It's not too often that we are quick to say that it is the demonic world warring against us to destroy our lives.
We face some strange things here. I've blogged about just a few of them. Other colleagues, friends, and Christian family face the same and worse things. There are times when these could be explained due to normal, challenging circumstances. But when you look at the core of what has happened...or maybe if you try to look at what has resulted in what transpired...you can see something truly evil. And admittedly it's scary at times (even thought that fear is not of the Lord). Often I think that we have not been adequately prepared to deal with these kinds of attacks. The Frank Peretti books...the sermons on Eph 6...Sunday School lessons on demons weren't enough. Why is that? Could it be because we just never accepted it for real?
I Peter 5:8 refers to Satan as a roaring lion prowling around looking for someone to devour. The first part of that verse tells us to be alert...careful...ready, prepared for the lion's attack to come. I remember listening to a CNN report about some of soldiers in Iraq who commented about how their heads needed to constantly remain on swivels during their patrols. This is an awesome example for us as we engage in SW with our lives. In Iraq it is often an unseen threat. With our Enemy it is the same. On either front it would be vastly different if we could see the enemy wouldn't it? The fight would be much easier. But with such an enemy to let your guard down would mean death.
If we could really talk I'd love to hear of your experiences...how you are engaged in battle wherever you find yourself. Maybe that's something that would really help us all out...hearing how we all see it happening around us and how we have learned to resist the Enemy. Maybe that would be what's needed to help other Christ followers identify spiritual attacks better instead of just seeking out other "worldly" explanations that in the end take our focus away from the true source of danger.
Comment if you'd like on this one. I pray for you today. I pray for victory. Resist the lion, through the power of the Living God that courses through you, and he will flee!
posted by Michael Shattuck at
3:25 AM
2 Comments:
Keep talking, we're listening.
Make that "typing" and "reading."
Signed,
Not your Mother
Welcome back to the pola bitwy! :-)
Post a Comment
<< Home