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In April of 1975, Col. Harry G. Summers was the head of the U.S. delegation’s negotiating team that ended the Vietnam War. Summers met his North Vietnamese counterpart, Col. Tu. The American stated: “You know, you never defeated us on the battlefield.” Tu smiled and replied: “That may be so, but it is also irrelevant.”
Who is praying on the wall?
To win a majority of battles and not win a war is not only frustrating and demoralizing, it calls into question strategies employed, tactical planning and degrees of engagement. The great generals of history were masters of organizational skill and strategic brilliance. Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Washington, and Eisenhower, to name a few, did much more than yell “charge”; they knew how and when to maximize their strengths and exploit their enemy’s weaknesses.
Is spiritual warfare any different? In the great war between good and evil, the forces of light and darkness both utilize strategies to gain ground. Satan and his dark lords operate on deception, confusion, and disorder. His tactics should not be underestimated, they are effective — just look at our country today. The Bible refers to Satan as the Father of Lies (John 8:44), the Great Deceiver (Revelation 12:9), the Accuser of the Brethren (Revelation 12:10), and an Angel of Light (1 Corinthians 11:14). He is a master of disguise, a wolf in sheep’s clothing; even the elect may be deceived. His power is limited, but his camouflage is good. He intimidates through fear, anxiety, and despair, getting the Church off-mission and weakening our resistance. Who needs a direct fight when you can keep your opposition off the battlefield? His legions are advancing with little resistance into the major mountains of influence and power in America: the family, education, government, medicine, media, religion, and business.
What about the good guys? Are today’s Christians wise to the spiritual fight that rages in our land? Have we developed strategies to combat this dark invasion, or are we resigned to laying low and hoping to win the war through cultural relevance? Raising the white flag is a surrender that men of God must not be willing to make.
When it comes to spiritual warfare, what exactly are the rules of engagement? The Bible states: 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 (Ephesians 6:12). Powers, world forces of darkness, spiritual forces of wickedness. This is a war won not with rockets and drones. Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons. We’ve got them.
Authority: The spirit world understands the concept of authority and is bound to submission to higher powers. Evil spirits must obey a higher authority, and when Jesus (or His disciples) would cast out demons, those would flee. Jesus was given authority by His Father, and He delegated this authority to His disciples, a fact that evil spirits recognize. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you” (Luke 10:19). However, power and authority not utilized is no power at all.
Prayer: Prayer is an offensive weapon, it tears down strongholds. The prayers of the saints move the hand of God; they are a powerful force against the advancement of evil.
Weaponry: We have better weapons than our Enemy. The weapons that we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds … (2 Corinthians 10:4). Joshua won with spears and swords. Patton won with heavy artillery. Our arsenal includes the Word of God, the blood of the Lamb, and the power of our testimony. When Satan approached Jesus with temptations, he was rebuked by the Word of God (see Luke 4:3–12). We must do the same. Our Enemy has no such weapon.
Delegated authority, effective prayer, the Word of God. There exists no force on earth that can stand against these superior weapons. But an army fully equipped has no guarantee of success. There is no demilitarized zone in spiritual warfare, we must still take the fight to the enemy. Inaction only gives our foe time to regroup and apply new tactics.
Men of God, we are called to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:1).
We are called to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).
We are called to destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).
We are called to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might! (Ephesians 6:10).
Let it never be said that when our King and country needed us most, we flagged in strength and opted for tranquility. The fight is upon us — how will we respond?
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Rick Willis was born in England and came to the U.S. as a young boy. He is the founding headmaster of Christian Community School, in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. Rick currently directs Elders At The Gate, a prayer and mentoring ministry for Christian men age 55 and older. He and his wife, Becky, have seven children and 15 grandchildren. Rick enjoys writing, gardening, and a good cup of coffee. Photo Credit: pamela_d_mcadams/Getty Images via Canva Pro.