Spiritual Warfare

The manifestation of the Spirit of God, what is it? It is when we see clear evidence of God's Spirit working in a real way in others. Spiritual gifts are for that purpose. They are never to exalt or edify, or make someone special of the one who exercises the gift. They are never for show, or for a spectacle, but for the manifestation of the Spirit of God. This is what unifies a church and bonds our hearts together in love. A church where the Spirit of God is not being manifested in this way is not really the body of Christ, but only a worldly, social organization.

Ignorance in spiritual matters leads to superstition. To be ignorant is to be destitute of knowledge, uninstructed, or uninformed of the facts. If we are going to entertain spiritual thoughts and exercise spiritual gifts it must be according to knowledge and truth. otherwise, it is simply superstition and mysticism. There is much enthusiasm in those who conduct themselves in spiritual matters without knowledge, and enthusiasm is not what we need in the churches, and in our lives. Neither do we need superstitious fascination, but we need truth and the true working of the Spirit of God which breaks the chains of sin and sets souls free.

A gift is something given, not learned, and not acquired through our own efforts, A skill is something we have acquired through learning. It literally means "to know." So to have a skill is to know how to do something, make something, repair something, etc. We know how because we have learned how. Now honestly, what do you think the churches are mostly operating with, spiritual gifts,, or skills? When the preaching and the music are skilled instead of spiritual the whole thing is nothing but carnality.

Satan is the accuser of the brethren. He accuses us day and night before God, and he also accuses us day and night to one another. He is always inciting discord by making accusations through the minds of people. It is the number one way the devil is able to defeat the people of God. Our command from Jesus is not to police one another, but to love one another. We should be wise to this wile of the devil that separates very friends and brethren with what is almost always lies, which are Satan's best weapon. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Love one another, which is the identifying mark of a true believer.

If you are a Christian you are involved in a war. It is a spiritual war of aggression by Satan and all his devils against you and they will attack anything or anyone in your life to get to you. Our orders from the Word of God are to STAND. The primary goal in any war is to take away the ability of the enemy to wage war The devil wants to make each of us unable to fight back or defend ourselves. He does this when we lay down any part of our spiritual armor. He tries to demoralize us by making our life difficult and taking from us the things we hold dear, just as he did with Job long ago. We must be vigilante to stand against his wiles, and we must trust in God who is able to make us stand, and having done all, to stand. Never surrender and never quit resisting the devil.

Lying is the first sin that we know of that was committed on this earth. It is the original sin in that sense, as well as it is the original sin that occurs before any other sin is committed. All sins of the flesh and the spirit begin with a lie. Lies lead to deception, which is a very effective snare for the mind. To be deceived is to believe a lie and then begin to form your views and opinions based upon it. Through all the ages it has been the devil's lies that have been the destruction of man. The devil is a liar and the father of it. Beware that you believe the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You can only find it in that Holy Book God has preserved for us forever.

The only way to have peace is for the heart to be yielded to the truth and in one accord with the mind. The struggle we all feel in life is the heart struggling against our mind concerning the truth. All the trouble we know in this life is felt in our mind as it constantly tries to some way reconcile good with all the evil around us. This is what we inherited from our ancestors - the knowledge of good and evil. We CAN live with a good conscience and peace of mind only by having a heart that is yielded to God and his truth. Intellectual knowledge is not enough to deliver a soul from death, for "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness." The new birth happens when the heart yields to God, and not before.

Why do so many start the Christian journey and fall by the wayside? The answer lies mainly in how they treat the truth. To belong to God is to belong to the truth, for the Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth. Only those who cannot abide a lie in any form whatsoever have any real reason to think they possess eternal life. Satan is a liar and the father of it. He is relentless in trying to turn us from the truth by exploiting our sentiments and our desires. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If we do not walk in truth, we are not walking with Jesus, and we are out of the way, and we have no life.

Satan is the father of all lies. Lying and deceiving is his his main tool and weapon against the kingdom of God and the souls of men. Every sin is preceded by a lie or many lies. A lie is what makes that which is forbidden desirable. Our greatest defense against this formidable foe is an intimate knowledge of the Word of God. Casual knowledge of the Word of God makes a person more susceptible to the devil's lies. Intimate knowledge of the Word of God only comes from personal reading and study. Intimate knowledge of the Word of God is a body of understanding, not just a database of facts.

Carnal wickedness is not the same as spiritual wickedness – there must be a difference or this phrase would not be in the Bible. There is a threshold where carnal wickedness becomes spiritual wickedness. When the carnal desire is driven by hatred and contempt for the moral authority of God and his Word it is no longer just carnal wickedness, but spiritual wickedness. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. High places are those places of authority and influence; political, religious, medical, entertainment and education. The strongholds of spiritual wickedness in the high places are what makes life a struggle for the righteous who regard God's moral law. Our orders from God are simple: "Stand." Do not compromise and do not give place to the devil.