This past Sunday Pastor Nathan shared how many of the acts of spiritual warfare are found in the normal flow of church life. When a church proclaims the truth of Christ through the scriptures, it is forcefully proclaiming against the lies and deceit of the enemy. When a church ordains godly men as elders it is creating a blockade against the attacks of Satan so that the people of God would be guarded against falsehood and harm. When the people of God love and serve one another we are committing acts of violence against Satan’s forces who desire that we live selfish lives in order to defame the name of Christ.
Spiritual warfare is real, yet it rarely (if ever) looks like something out of Hollywood. Instead, this warfare is found in the normal, everyday faithfulness of men and women who seek to obey Christ in their lives. Paul actually provides a glimpse of this warfare in Romans 13:12-14.
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Notice the two-fold actions of this kind of everyday battle. We “cast off” the flesh (“works of darkness”) and in it’s place we “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ (“armor of light”). This act of putting off and putting on is our means of battling the enemy within the normal flow of life. Many of the decisions we face each day are a kind of warfare. They may seem insignificant in the moment but in Christ they are powerful actions against our devious enemy.
- When you choose to spend time in God’s word in the morning rather than mindlessly scrolling Instagram you are fighting the good fight.
- When you resist the urge to badmouth your boss to others you are fighting the good fight.
- When you give up something you would like to do in order to have meaningful time with your kids you are fighting the good fight.
- When you turn off the computer and call a friend rather than look at pornography you are fighting the good fight.
- When you pray to God instead of raging online you are fighting the good fight.
- When you generously give instead of always spending on yourself you are fighting the good fight.
- When you wake up early for church on Sunday rather than hitting the snooze again you are fighting the good fight.
- When you talk to that unbelieving friend about Jesus rather than about the latest football game you are fighting the good fight.
Have you ever considered this before? Do you see the seemingly small decisions of your life as acts of war against Satan? Have you taken time to consider how the Holy Spirit has equipped you with the power to boldly stand for Christ in any context? Keep in mind, we will all misstep in this war against Satan, but in Christ we have hope.
In those moments we fall short we can remember the words of Christ to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor 12:9)”
God desires to use your normal, everyday life in profound ways. How are you actively pulling off darkness and putting on light? What small decisions are you leveraging for Christ? When you get discouraged in the fight remember that you are not alone. You have Christ as your advocate and His church as your support.