Spiritual Warfare Part 1: The Foundation

This week we start a brand new series on the realities of Spiritual Warfare and the need for all of us as Christians to be able to recognize our enemy and the strategies and tactics he uses to draw us into conflicts which pull our attention and focus away from the very best that God has for us.

The foundation of our ability to prepare and engage in this warfare through the power of the Holy Spirit is found in Ephesians 6:10-12:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

So, let's break these verses down to see what exactly God is telling us here:

Verse 10: General Command – Allow yourself to be continually strengthened by the power already made available to you in your new position and relationship with Christ. It is the power that raised Christ from the dead and now dwells in you.

Verse 11: Specific Command – How? By continually and repeatedly putting on, at specific points in time, the spiritual protection God has provided for you . . . for the express purpose of holding on to your position in Christ as you are bombarded by Satanic strategies designed to destroy you and/or render you ineffective in Kingdom pursuits.

Verse 12: The Reason For Commands In Verse 10 - 11 – It’s because our real struggle is not against physical/material adversaries (people, circumstances, organizations), but against evil forces doing battle in the spiritual realm.

But remember, as believers in Christ, we do not fight FOR victory, we fight FROM victory! The war is already over and Christ has won! Through Him we are invincible!

Join us this week as we start this important new study series.

See you at The Refuge!