A Whole New War

I want to, in the beginning, ask for patience on the reader’s part. First and foremost, this is because a human is attempting to convey the knowledge of the Living God, and this is hard to do without allowing one’s flesh to interfere. The second reason I ask for patience is because I want the reader to understand that there are two extremes that will be evident to you as you read this (I hope). The beginning part and the majority of this argues against the extreme of denying the spiritual gifts, but that DOES NOT mean that the other extreme of pursuing solely the gifts will not be addressed, or that I remain unaware of it. I am only human, and cannot say things simultaneously, so something had to come first :) . So, without further ado…

A Whole New War

We are in the midst of a whole new war. Can you not see the glint of spears and armor? Can you not see tattered banners fluttering in the baleful whirlwind of conflict? Do you know that there are legions that clash among us? We are in a whole new war. Paul says in Ephesians that we war “not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12). This is a radical war- it is unlike any war ever fought in the universe. It is a war of spirit, a war of truth, a war of love and revelation. It is not a war that can be fought with the weapons of this Earth, but in the end it will conquer it.

In the coming times, we must rouse ourselves from being asleep at our posts and take up the arms with which we are meant to take up entrusted. No more will we cower in fear of our sinful nature, or the past that follows behind us like a shadow, for Christ’s light has banished it from our presence. No more will we cower from lies and threats, both subtle and overt; we will be humble in our acceptance of grace but be bold and ferocious in our authority, for we have become more than just slaves, but have become Sons and Daughters, co-heirs to Christ, and that is born witness by His presence in every one of us. Christ is the supreme authority, and therefore the authority resides within us. When the enemy challenges you and demands on what basis you stand up and give a bold word and strike a blow against his works, tell him you do so by the authority of Christ within you. We are not called to be humble to Satan, but to one another. Humility has its place, as boldness has its place. So in this battle against the evil one, let us be without humility because we owe him no measure of our Lord’s grace, and there is no debt of love to illness, or to demonic oppressors, or to bittersweet lies, but only an outstanding debt of love to one another.

No more should we fear to become like those who take up their arms and instead of fighting alongside the Lord use them for tyranny of people’s souls and betrayal. No soldier throws down his weapon because his fellow has betrayed and fears he will be a betrayer himself! Each man knows in his heart what his intentions are. They are either for the Lord or they are not. Therefore, we must not fear to take up our arms because of someone else’s false intentions. Those who drop their weapons in fear in the midst of a battle are cut down mercilessly, and our enemies are peerless in their blood lust; they give no quarter to the unarmed, and savor cutting the scions of man down without a fight. The scripture says that the enemy is a roaring lion seeking men to devour.

Each one of us has been brought up in this lifetime to wield these weapons in the battle that rages around us; to bring ruination to the works of the enemy with powerful prayers, to mount a stubborn defense with insurmountable faith, to coordinate the fight with key decisions given by wisdom, to instruct and inform through knowledge, to restore the wounded with healing, to glorify our commander through miraculous works, to recruit new warriors into this battle and to send them off with understanding and prophetic words of direction, to see clearly through the distracting haze of the physical and clearly see the spirits of the heavenly realms.

These weapons are not a part of us, any more than a sword or a bow or a staff is a part of our bodies; they have been forged in the Father’s hands out of his Spirit and are given to us according to His will. Each weapon is an aspect of Him who is in us, and through us these weapons are wielded with terrible power. We are given our orders to go to the battlefront, each and every one of us, to wield these weapons we have been handed. With them we train and become strong, and in time they become familiar to our hands. To some one weapon is given which they hone to graceful, deadly perfection and a singular lifelong purpose; to others an arsenal is given, for they are called to many places in the battle line, each weapon more suited than another for the fight at hand. But to each one, the armory remains open, and should anyone be poorly matched against the enemy or an opportunity be opened to a specific one, there is not a weapon that cannot be taken and used in God’s name. Never will you be unable to pray powerfully for a man’s healing. Never will you, in the absence of wisdom lack for a chance for powerful insight. Never will miracles of provision be beyond your reach. Never will prophetic words of knowledge be too secret for you to hear. All that is required is the faith to use them, and that you use them in accordance with the Lord’s leading and timing. Not every person is skilled with every weapon, but every person is lead to see it and its use in the basic sense; for a soldier who does not understand every weapon available at his or her disposal can be defeated when in a situation that calls for something unexpected; improvisation is key on a battlefield which is always in a state of flux. Has there ever been a soldier on the battlefront who declared a day in the fighting was “business as usual”? What soldier trained in the use of bows will refrain from taking up an unfamiliar staff when the enemy is too close? Who will not pick up the staff simply because he is unfamiliar with it allow himself to be cut down? Which should we be more concerned of, our ineptness with a weapon or our destruction if we do not take it up and fight? The answer seems clear enough. If we allow the enemy to take us and other people out spiritually, then that is tome not spent doing good for His kingdom. In some cases, it could be permanent.

In our training and closeness with our weapon, we should not grow in arrogance and be assured of our superiority. For even though each weapon is mighty in its own right, how can one be compared in greatness to another? What soldier on Earth hates to hear the sound of friendly cavalry arriving for the decisive charge? Though the knight serves a different purpose, how can he have contempt for the men on foot, who are needed to stay the course when the fighting is thick and close? We must not deride others for their gifts and their place on the battlefield. Each is given what he has according to God’s design, and shouldn’t chasten one for carrying a weapon they do not understand. This is why understanding of each gift is so critical, so that each soldier will have respect for the other and recognize the other’s legitimate place on the battlefield. We are assigned to our place on the battlefront with a purpose, and each man’s purpose is according to God’s will. This is very clearly laid out in 1 Corinthians 12.

There is another key thing that we must have in this battle, and that is the Armor of God. A soldier will not last long on the battlefield without armor to protect himself from the rigors of combat. Paul clearly spells out what these components are in Ephesians 6:13-17:

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Now that last one is interesting. I have been talking about arming yourself with weapons- and here Paul talks about how the Word of God is a weapon literally (which kind of places what he specifically says is a weapon above mine, if we are going to be technical about it). So at the least, we know that the word is a weapon. That is without a doubt true- but it is not the sole weapon we are meant to handle. Paul says that “we should eagerly desire the spiritual gifts” in 1 Corinthians 14.

So which, then is our weapon? The answer is both. The weapon of scripture, our sword, is always available to everyone. The advantage of scripture as a weapon lies in its concrete nature, and that it does not require much faith to wield- reading a book does not require strong faith. But we are called to live lives of faithfulness, and we must take up the responsibility of searching for and training in the use of our gifts. He goes on to say that these gifts should be used in an orderly way, and that is right; each weapon has its own specific application and purpose, and should be used at appropriate points. Archers do not open fire en masse when the battle is joined so that they don’t slay their friends in the melee. Each Christian should know the appropriate and timely application of his or her gift, or begin to learn to discern when that is. The Word is always necessary, but not always useful; it many ways the Word is like a short sword that every man carries at his side as a backup. Everyone from knights to archers all usually carry a short sword at their side, a weapon that is readily available to every soldier. In some cases, this weapon is not appropriate, or is one we are not trained well in, or to a degree are meant to. For which is the archer trained, in the use of his bow or in the use of his sword? Which ability is more important for his use on the battlefield? Why would he be commissioned a bow if it were unimportant? But there are some soldiers whose sole purpose is to use the sword, and that is their primary weapon entirely. Some people wield scripture better than others, that is the nature of things. But it does not take away from its usefulness or accessibility. Like all gifts, the Word should be used when one is most appropriately lead. We have all heard of the infamous “Bible bashing”. I in my love for scripture am sometimes guilty of it myself. The scripture is not always the direct solution.

Of course, all of these things are good and well. The powers and gifts we not only should use, but must use in order to be as effective as possible. We must understand that some are given many gifts, and others few, and some this kind and others that, but all are for a good purpose. We know that equally important is development of character that creates a thick and sturdy defense against the temptations and attacks of the enemy. But all of these things are meaningless in the end if there are not driven by love. Paul famously writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

No matter what you are doing- performing spiritual gifts in Christ’s name, performing acts of service, teaching through scripture, it doesn’t matter. God is Love. And if we have not Love (and therefore God) it is nothing. In all that you do, ensure that it points back to Christ in you. It does not have to be directly stated- but it must be made understood in some way, that love is what has driven whatever it is that you are doing. If it is not, then draw near to the Lord and it will be so.

Whatever your stance is on this, do not fall prey to fear. Some fear that if they pursue the gifts, it will be over a cliff and to their on destruction, that they will forget their first love. Others fear that they will be stripped of the Lord’s presence and what special things he has in store for them. Neither of those people must heed those fears, but heed the Lord and his scripture, and its example.

So, then, my brothers, my sisters in arms…go, seek your gifts, use your gifts, be sure that your armor is secure, and do both in Love!

I want to offer a special thanks for this note- it is inspired from the writings of Paul in 1 Corinthians 12/Ephesians 6 and also from Jason Upton’s song “Lion of Judah” from “Between Earth and Sky”.

Let the Lion of Judah roar from Zion and shake nations to their knees!

Amen Lord, shake up this world.