The Army of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
-Ephesians 6:10-12
A SPIRITUAL WAR IS GOING ON, and it is directed against the Church. It is directed against all true Christian denominations, and against all true believers in them or outside of them. It is a premeditated, planned, open conspiracy to destroy, and it was launched by Lucifer, the prince of darkness, more than two thousand years ago.
The Scripture tells you right here that spiritual warfare is first, foremost, and primarily against the forces of darkness---against Satan and against satanic powers. But that’s not all that’s involved in spiritual warfare. We first have to recognize the fact of spiritual warfare. Some people act as if there were nothing going on around them---as if they were floating over Niagara Falls like a Ping Pong ball, just bobbing along with nothing affecting them. When something adverse occurs in their lives, they never think of it as an attack of the devil. Instead, they just sort of say, “Well, that’s life! That’s the way things are,” and they brush it off.
Not to worry---God will get your attention. There is such a thing as spiritual conflict. We are born into conflict: in conflict against the world, in conflict against our carnal natures, in conflict against the devil. We will live in that conflict and we will die in that conflict, unless Jesus Christ returns in our lifetime.
The Bible clearly tells us there is such a thing as spiritual war. It’s our warfare; it’s personal war. It’s not against people. It’s against the rulers of the darkness of this age that manipulate people as if this were a great chessboard on earth. And the forces are arrayed against the Christian church.
Now, of course, you have an option: you can be dumb. You can say, “I don’t have any spiritual war, I think positively all the time. I don’t have negative thoughts. I think only about possibilities and the things God has for me. There’s no war around me.” that’s reminiscent of the Christian Scientist in hell who sat by himself in a corner and said, “I’m not here, I’m not here, I’m not here.” but it never changes the fact--- he’s there! You are in a spiritual war whether you think so or not. The whole world is blowing up around you, and you just can’t sit there and say, “Nothing’s hap-pen-ing.”
It is! And it will continue to happen, because the moment you enlist in the army of God you personally become a target. No more Mr. Nice Guy. You are on the satanic hit list. You are in the army of god.
If you will not fight in the army of God, then the Lord will discipline you until you get to the place where you will fight. You will get so many attacks that you will eventually have to do something. That is a warning. It is also biblical theology.
You are in the middle of a war. People who walk around in the middle of a war acting as if there is no war are called casualties. Three are people scattered all over the landscape who are ineffective in their Christian lives, neutralized in their Christian witness, paralyzed in their Christian activities, simply because they don’t realize they’re casualties. They must be restored by God so they can get back into the battle.
Something to Think About
God believes in you, and he wants you to believe in yourself. Don’t be discouraged. You are in the middle of a war, but---take heart---you do not fight alone.
Something to Do
Read Matthew 10:29-31. Remember this: God surrendered his beloved son to a cruel death--to save your life. Kneel before him and rededicate your life to his service.
Walter Martin’s Religious InfoNet Website: http://www.waltermartin.com/
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Walter Martin: A Defense Of Apologetics
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Walter Martin's last TBN Appearance - Pt 2 of 5
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