WE
WE’RE AT WAR!
2 Corinthians 10:4-6
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
6 Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete.
FIGHT: A) The real enemy;
- B) On the real battlefield’
- C) Using real weapons; and
- D) Inflict real punishment!
If you think PUBLIC EDUCATION is a safe place for the children in your life HAVE ANOTHER THOUGHT! We are told again and again that “knowledge is power!” Scripture agrees by telling us a lack of knowledge will cause a society (people) to perish. So, knowledge is good, power to survive and even triumph is good, so what they say must be true. But allow me to make this one little point found in that passage aforementioned: WE are to go into WAR against a brand of knowledge that presents itself aloof from such absolutes as ‘knowledge’ revealed to us in God’s Word (the true knowledge of God).
I take scripture quite seriously. There is a passage in Isaiah, Ch 11, Vs 2, describing seven characteristics of the one and only GOD the Holy Spirit: The efforts of elite educators of our day have indoctrinated a generation to go beyond true origins and originals so that their agenda can evolve into a new order for the world. Another way to state that is this growing idea the entire world needs to make welcome and accommodate ideas and ideals that pervert any order established by God. Isaiah 11:2 (AMPC) “2 And the (1)Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the (2)Spirit of wisdom and (3)understanding, the (4)Spirit of counsel and (5)might, the Spirit of (6)knowledge and of (7)the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord—”.
- Spirit of the Lord;
- Spirit of wisdom;
- Spirit of understanding;
- Spirit of counsel;
- Spirit of might;
- Spirit of knowledge; and
- Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
I want our focus to be on characteristic #6 – the Spirit of KNOWLEDGE. Knowing is common to every person regardless of age – even before birth. A developing fetus KNOWS the sound(s) of the people who are often around them. The fetus will react to auditory stimulus in varied ways and when a baby is, for whatever reason, removed from those voices at birth they have to adjust from the deprivation of what had become familiar. Ergo, KNOWING is one of the common experiences shared by humans.
There are many people alarmed at the thought of people around them claiming to ‘hear God’ and claiming to have a personal relationship with God of some sort or another. Personally, I find their alarm humorous. It took only a short time, and my dog recognized my voice. He doesn’t speak English but when anyone says the word ‘Leroy’ his ears perk up because he ‘knows’ his name. If we shut ourselves away from God’s confirming voice about what we know then we have adopted knowledge from sources that may or may not be accurate. Basic mathematics is a handy example. In the Genesis account of creation, we start with the first day. Then we proceed to a second day (day 2). If we progress two more days, we arrive at day 4 – 2 days, then another 2 days and it equals 4 days. But we find nowhere in scripture where it says that in every case “TWO plus TWO equaleth FOUR”. Rather, we simply pick up on God’s patterns. Further, notice can be given specific numbers like 5 which is commonly associated with ‘grace’ and 7 associated with ‘rest’, ‘sabbath’ and ‘completion’. Other numbers are also common hints of underlying meaning like 12 suggesting the government of God, 40, a number often seen in judgments and testings. The numbers 49 and 50 are particularly significant to mark the end of 7 sabbaths of years and the 50th being a year of Jubilee with all the significance and legalities that accompanies ‘Jubilee’.
What is this ‘heavenly math’ all have in common? Everything associated with these numbers, scripturally, allude to matters spiritual. You and I are as much spirit as we are physical, therefore it is all profoundly significant to you and me. But in the very early 1960s an erroneous thought crept into societal and government thinking that concepts from God should be fenced in, and gates locked in a ‘religious pen (corral)’. Some folk picked up the thought and applied that thought to government run and funded public schools of education. Thus, the long-standing doctrine that government is disallowed from interfering with religion was upended and became a doctrine where ‘religion’ and ‘religious thought’ should be disallowed in government funded education in particular and governing thought in general. In doing so we see two grave errors. The first is the direct assault on God demanding His exit from publicly funded life. The other is the conclusions of education should be – and would be – superior to ‘religious’ (meaning Biblical) ideals, convictions, teachings whether originating in scripture or religious dogma.
Granted, there is much confusion among ‘religionists’ as to truth, both in concept and application. However, God has never abandoned His role in the revelation of what is true and what is false. Now, we need to understand the competing issues of these competing structures – or ‘kingdoms’:
The common issue addressed by secularists (the world system under the influence of satan) is a struggle for dominance within the context of ‘I’m right and you’re wrong’. This comes directly from Adam and Eve when they suffered death from ingesting the fruit of the tree of the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil, blessing and calamity. Prior to that the primary issue of God’s structure (kingdom) of governance was LIFE – which was God’s purpose for man – in direct opposition to DEATH which would be the result of the rebellion of them gaining ‘independent’ knowledge. Remember:
FIGHT: A) The real enemy;
- B) On the real battlefield’ (proper jurisdiction)
- C) Using real weapons; and
- D) Inflict real punishment!
Neither government, government run public education, nor the indoctrination of/from government run education systems are the enemy/enemies of God and the God fearing. However, many people involved in governments and other systems, stand allied with THE enemy of God, God’s kingdom and God’s people. But if there is a brotherhood of commonality in all humanity it is at this very point. Consider:
Romans 5:8-10 (KJV) “ 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
We MUST take our fight to the real – the actual – enemy, satan. It is his plan for humanity to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) and the focus of his agenda is God and man (any man) to enjoy a right relationship with each other. The devil gives no consideration whatsoever if a person is a patriot or a traitor, pale or red or yellow or very dark skinned (even green). He is not at all interested about our politics, be it conservative, liberal, progressive or whatever. It is his evil intent to take over our differences and divide us. The most basic element of our division is rooted in the worldly issues of good and evil, blessing and calamity. I don’t care who we are we are most tempted to divide over these issues. BOTH sides of the issues of brotherhood, of economy, of national security all believe the same thing: WE ARE RIGHT and YOU ARE WRONG!!!
When we approach relationships (relating to others in our little chunk of this world) around what is good or evil, what brings blessings as opposed to calamities we DIVIDE BY DEFAULT. There is no option but division. Under that system we each become enemy to the other. As shown previously God does not approach His enemies in the confrontational approach of being ‘right’ (good) and His opponents – or enemies – as ‘wrong’ (evil). God approaches us in the midst of our opposition to Him by extending to us HIS provision for our reconciliation to Him. He provides us a glimpse of the issues of His kingdom which is LIFE and directing us away from death. Within the context of LIFE we will discover the knowledge of good, evil, blessing and calamity is ONLY resolved in THE LIFE offered us through Jesus, the Christ of God, the only begotten Son of God, the King of kings and the Lord of all lords.
We must be aware we have an enemy who is also one and the same enemy of God. We must know that being a Christ follower makes us the target of the enemy and we ARE IN THAT WAR. We must learn the weapons of our warfare are mighty but NOT mighty making us ‘right’ and making them ‘wrong’. Our weapons are designed to be effective in this war against the true enemy of this war.
Be assured, those people who form governments, who oppose God and faith in God and all those people possessed by the agenda of the spirit of anti-Christ that is in the world are ALL CAPTIVES in need of rescue. Jesus made it clear that our attitude toward the PEOPLE who oppose Him and His followers must be to actively promote their deliverance. Our warfare is not to bless ‘the enemy’ with strength to overwhelm us. Our warfare is to pluck from the enemy those who are his captives.
At this current time those who count themselves to be conservatives drift toward the Republican party. Conservatives are more prone to invite God to lead in the affairs of government and public policy. The party leading the effort to oppose child sacrifice (abortion on demand) is found only in the Republican party. To be ‘pro-life’ (anti-abortion) is forbidden by the leadership of the Democratic party. Victory will not come just when abortion on demand is crushed but when the abortion party aligns themselves with LIFE. If there is one position that brings instant division, it is this one. But the issue goes away as soon as we move away from which side of the issue is right or wrong and move to adopt God’s issue of LIFE. What the Christ follower has to understand is we ARE at war, and we must FIGHT against the right enemy AND on the right battlefield (jurisdiction).
Have you noticed in competitive sports this matter of ‘home field advantage’? Knowing God and His people are going to do battle with him, satan wants the advantage of luring us over onto his field to do our battle. We are opposed, confronted and attacked on that battlefield of good & evil (right & wrong) and what causes blessings or causes calamity. I’m going to make a declaration that will shake us to the roots. If we are to re-direct the battlefield to where we have the ‘home field advantage’ we must forgive the offenses hurled at us by our enemies. We are never to forgive satan. We are never to excuse the excesses and offenses of those following his ‘right vs. wrong’ issues. Forgiveness is never a matter of excusing offensive behavior – it is a matter of refusing to receive and internalize offense. When we forgive men of their offensiveness we remove right/wrong issues that exist between us. With me out of the way my oppressors are fighting God directly. God has the resources necessary to rescue those captured by satan. We move from fighting motivated by hate and we wage our warfare and battles motivated by love.
FINALLY, in our warfare / battles we do not fight for the sake of resistance, although resistance is one of the effects of our going to war. Our primary purpose is punishment. We punish the enemy in these ways:
Pulling down his (their) influence by casting down their strongholds;
Plundering their assets – namely those who were created in God’s image he captured;
Expanding His kingdom by walking in it and bringing others along (Matt 6:33 living);
PROTECTING ourselves and all within our arena of ‘jurisdition’.
This clarifying word regarding the ‘believers’ jurisdiction. Scripture has strong implications with regard to our dominion authority. The first instance God makes this recurring application is the event of Him calling Adam to account in the matter of eating the fruit of death that God warned him about. Adam was responsible for stewarding the dominion given him, including his responsibilityfor the protection of his wife, Eve. We know that because God did not come into the garden asking Adam AND Eve where THEY were. Scripture records God keeping their daily rendezvous and calling out “Adam, where are you?” Adam responded and the conversation that followed was between God and Adam. Why? Because, Adam was given responsibility. Responsibility, then, established ‘territory’ or ‘jurisdiction’. Within that jurisdiction Adam had authority to govern AND the mandate to govern. When we fight our enemy we, then, need to do so within the scope of our responsibility.
EXAMPLE: If your kid is misbehaving in your yard I will be out of line, save in the case of emergencies, to step in with correction and discipline. When we abandon our authority to challenge KNOWLEDGE that seeks to supplant the SPIRITUAL authority of God’s revelation knowledge it is as though we give the object of our responsibility to the challenger. That means if your child reveals he/she (DEFINITELY NOT they/them) are being taught blatant error some curriculum and those persons demanding it be taught in our public schools has crossed a line and seeks to take charge over the child whom God has placed in my custody. This is not a matter of parental rights. It is every bit the matter of parental responsibility and does NOT belong to an educational system out of control, does not belong to the National Educators Association or the National School Board Association. We (parents/grandparents) are responsible FOR our children. The public system of education is responsible TO the parents/grandparents of those students and must now violate OUR trust. Sorry for the rant – now on to our regular programming!
No one gets an exemption from ‘the war’. Because humans are ‘created’ in the image of God, humans are assaulted by God’s enemy, satan. The only choices we have in the matter is our allegiance to either God or His enemy, satan. If we choose to ally with God, we then have two other choices to make. We choose either to suffer as a casualty of war or we choose to serve as a soldier in the army of God. Being His soldier and under His command is the ONLY choice that removes us from bondage – being a captive of this enemy.
This warfare takes on a wide variety of battlefronts, but we must stay on our home field and battle from the position of LIFE and not the death that inevitably comes from doing battle on the ‘I’m right and you’re wrong’ battlefield. Oh, but we are concerned over what is good or evil, what results in blessing or calamity but we trust God to furnish our guidance and provision for good triumphing over evil and enjoying blessings rather than calamity that is wrapped in the loving GIFT WRAP of LIFE in Christ Jesus, our Lord, the Christ of God, the King of kings and the Lord of lords who provides us ACCESS to His Father who becomes OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. We are barred from becoming spiritual bullies picking fights that are not our business or in our territory. HOWEVER, we are NOT to be bullied by these assaults coming our way.
Ready? Something deep inside you will go off as an alarm when you hear the battle trumpet sound and, however slight, you and I will sense something in us donning the whole army of God to stand and resist the assault of our enemy. We shall discover, to our great delight, God has already fought THE DECISIVE BATTLE and He won. In fact, HE NEVER LOSES.
Not long-ago Joe Biden, acting president of the USA, characterized all resistance to his policies as extremists. He lumped ‘Maga Republicans’ and patriots (including much of the Christian community)) as dangerous extremists. Also he alluded to the futility of this extremism citing the US Government had the fighter jets, the tanks and military hardware making it impossible to ‘mount an effective resistance’ by force. These statements were made in complete ignorance that the weapons in our arsenal are not physical weapons aimed at physical targets to win a physical ‘insurrection’. He is totally ignorant of the might, the power and the ability of the ‘hosts of heaven’ but will be greeted by their might and power should he persist in his ignorance. In the meantime, we shall forgive him, refuse to take offense and leave him to God to deal with.
The same can be said for those demanding full acceptance of the LGBTQ and others agenda. Again, you shall be forgiven, you shall be turned over to make your demands directly to God and you should pray His response would be to release you from your bondage and you become His children. We shall stand. We shall recruit. We shall, then, stand together!