Spiritual Warfare

   The first mention of spiritual warfare in the Bible is not in the New Testament as most would assume but in the book of Genesis with Adam and Eve. In the Garden of Eden, we get a picture of the nature of the relationship between God and man. The serpent’s purpose was not to have the man and woman eat the fruit and therefore know the difference between good and evil. Its purpose was to separate man from God.  Notice the serpent never tried to convince Eve to eat the fruit. It only caused Eve to question what God said and God’s motives. It caused her to question the very nature of God.

The enemy knows we are easily distracted, and it was even easier to distract Eve, because she had only secondhand knowledge of what God had said concerning the tree.  This is why it is so important for us to intimately know God and His word for ourselves and not just depend on what our pastor preaches on Sunday morning. 

Eve was even able to take what the serpent said and put a positive spin on it. (Gen 3:6) “She saw that it was good for food AND pleasing to the eye AND desirable for gaining wisdom.” She should have never taken that second glance at the tree, but because she did, she was able to meditate on it and second guess what God said.  She was able to justify in her own mind what she was about to do. Remember that just because we think something is good doesn’t mean it’s God or that He approves of it. We tend to think of God’s rules as too restricting, but when you look at all of those “rules,” you can see that they are all there to protect us. He didn’t make those rules or give us those commands to suppress the fun we want to have on Earth, but He put those rules in place for our own protection. 

Let it be said that it will NEVER be required of us to break the laws of God in order to receive the things of God. The voice of God will never contradict the Word of God. 

So, the purpose of spiritual warfare is to separate us from God by questioning what He said and who He is. This is how to recognize spiritual warfare in your personal life, because not every hardship is spiritual. Sometimes it’s just life, and sometimes we’re just facing the consequences of our own decisions. Now that you know the goal of the enemy in spiritual warfare, what does that tell us we should be fighting for? Do we even know why we are fighting, for what purpose? Or are we just beating the air aimlessly? If the enemy’s goal is separation from the Father, our goal should be connection with the Father. 

How do we combat this? We should go into every battle prepared with the full armor of God. (You didn’t think we could have a conversation about warfare and not talk about armor, did you?)

In Ephesians 6:11, it says to put on the full armor of God not from God. This would imply that the armor is part of the very essence of God Himself and not just a gift that He hands over to us. Verse 13 says, “…so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.” Remember that the enemy’s purpose is to separate us from God. This armor serves to help us hold our position.

The Armor of God 

A. The Belt of Truth

  Roman soldiers were identified by their belts even when they weren’t in full armor. They used their belts as a way for the general public to recognize them even when they weren’t in full uniform. So much so, that removing the belt was used as discipline and humiliation. The truth that we wrap ourselves in is what makes us identifiable to others, namely our enemy. The sword is attached to the soldier via the belt, and the Romans would add flashy buckles and things to the belt so that they could be identified even without being seen based on the sound of the things attached to their belt. What we allow to be attached to us via the truth we partner with creates a sound. What sounds are we carrying? What you carry affects how you walk. In fact, for Roman soldiers, their belt was designed so that when they were carrying their sword they were unable to sit. What they carried affected their posture!

B. Breastplate of Righteousness

  The breastplate protects vital organs from attacks, specifically the heart. The Biblical definition of righteousness is the state of being right with God, the standard against which all things are measured.  The Greek word for righteousness means equity of character. Interesting that that it is the equity of our character that will protect us. The breastplate needs to be solid and made of the right material in order to effectively protect.  It is the same for our character. The Bible teaches us that the heart is deceitful, so we must be sure that our right standing with God and our character is effective in protecting it.

C. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

   It is much easier to fight a battle where the enemy is a distance away, but when the enemy is close and the battle turns into hand-to-hand combat, your foundation matters.  Your foundation determines your ability to stand or move. I don’t find it ironic at all that we are told our foundation in any battle should be peace. How is it possible to have peace in the middle of war? When the enemy is throwing death blows at you, how can you have peace?

  When I was in boot camp for the army, one of the first things they did with us was teach how to put on our PPE, personal protective equipment. Then they took us into a room while wearing our gas mask. They told us that even though we couldn’t tell it at that moment, tear gas had been released in the room. We just didn’t know, because we had on our mask. They then had us unseal the mask and lift it for three seconds and then reseal it. This was to give us a small taste of the tear gas. They then had us completely remove the mask and answer questions for a few minutes before allowing us to leave. After walking out of the room, they gave us a short period to recover. Why did they do this? To teach us to trust that our equipment was going to do what it was built to do. What does this have to do with the shoes of the gospel of peace?  We are able to have peace in the midst of our battles when we have walked with the Lord through other battles. He lovingly and faithfully allows us to go through things not to hurt us but to teach us that we can trust Him. The enemy wants to remove your peace, because fear muddles every decision you make. 

  Roman soldiers had sandals that at first glance looked flimsy but actually had metal studs on the bottom for two reasons: 1. To hold them firm 2. For treading on the enemy. Our peace allows us to stand firm and causes further damage to an already downed enemy. Don’t just knock him down, take him out as you press onward!

D. Shield of Faith

  By far and wide, the majority of discussion around Roman shields I found online when researching this topic was the different forms or shapes the shields had over time.  This reminds me that as we become more proficient in warfare our faith will take on new shapes and not look the same as when we first started.  When most people visualize a soldier holding a shield, they tend to think that the shield was held out in front of the soldier, but it was actually held more to the side and used to press against and push back the enemy while also delivering strikes against them. When you press against an enemy, they have no choice but to shift their position to one of defense. This opens their body and makes striking them in a devastating manner much easier.  Your faith, built on your experience, will force the enemy to change or rethink his position.

  When the enemy was shooting arrows, one shield was not enough to provide adequate protection, so the Roman soldiers would link their shields together creating an impenetrable barrier of protection not just for one, singular soldier but for everyone who was linked together.  When we link, or join, our faith together with other believers, the enemy’s arrows cannot touch us.

E. The Helmet of Salvation

  While a Roman soldier could be identified as a soldier via their belt, their status was made known by their helmet. Their rank and even what type of soldier they were was identifiable by their helmet. I find it interesting that God declared our salvation to be the only thing by which to identify our rank. It’s almost as if the Lord is saying that there is no rank in the Kingdom of Heaven outside that of salvation. Our covenant with Christ is what gives us our highest status, not our ministry titles. There is no such thing as a junior Holy Spirit. The highest rank, or title, we can achieve in the Kingdom is that of Son. It is our salvation that protects our way of thinking and holds fast to our authority in Christ. 

  In healthcare, it does not matter that all the organs are working if the patient is braindead. If the organs are being kept alive by a source outside of the brain, they cannot maintain forever and will eventually decompose. We cannot have a fake salvation and hope to live.

F. The Sword of the Spirit

  It is clearly stated in Ephesians 6 that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. The sword was kept in a leather covering attached to the “belt of truth.” The more that sword came into contact with the leather, the duller it became, requiring it to be sharpened. We talked about our belt of truth being the truth with which we choose to partner…The more we keep our sword sheathed and muddled with “our truth,” the duller and less effective it becomes in our hands. David said, “Your Word I hide in my heart that I may not sin against you.” Between every battle and during the “lull” seasons, soldiers spent their time sharpening their swords so that they would stay ready. Keeping their swords sharpened meant that even surprise attacks would not find them with a dull blade. Even in the dry seasons, we must continually be in hot pursuit of knowing and learning about Him. Keeping our swords sharp by continually being in the Word even when we’re tired means the enemy may try to catch us blindsided, but He won’t find us defenseless. 

  To protect their swords from damage by the elements, the Romans would coat their swords in oil. (Hello!) The oil served as a protective barrier. The oil is symbolic of God’s presence in our life, the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, oil was used to mark individuals and objects for holy purposes, signifying consecration and sanctification. Make sure that your time with your sword includes the oil! Don’t just read the Word to tick off a religious check box. Be sure that the moment is saturated with His presence.