My
Perspective on Spiritual Warfare
Contents
Jesus saw Satan cast down
like lightning!
Scripture References
for Spiritual Warfare
Introduction
Spiritual
warfare is a fascinating subject. It
has its origin in the rebellion of many angels against God. Satan is seen as
the prince of this world, leading an array of forces opposed to God. Although
disarmed by Jesus Christ on the cross, they remain a potent threat to the
church and individual believers.
We have many references to this subject from
the Old Testament and New Testament. We are experiencing the effects of
spiritual warfare in today's society. I will look at the impact that spiritual
warfare has on a culture of people who have felt abandoned by their trusted
leaders. I will explore three areas of thought that will help us understand and
overcome spiritual battles: the orphan mentality, the father embrace, and the overcomer's
lifestyle.
The
Orphan Mentality
When I refer to the orphan
mentality, I am identifying a person with an orphan spirit. What is an orphan
spirit? Leif Heitland, the founder and president of Global Mission
Awareness describes an orphan
spirit as a foul spirit introduced by Satan.
When Satan decided to live outside God's realm and believed he could
thrive independently of God's love and substance, he became an orphan. By doing
so, he released the orphan Spirit into the world.
I showed the signs of an
orphan spirit. These signs are doing things in my strength, leaning on my
understanding, doing things my way, and loving myself before God and others. I did
not care about anyone because I felt abandoned by the ones I wanted to love. My
parents were sixteen years old when I was born. They were too young to
understand how to be parents. My father was not around that much. My mom was
still trying to find herself. When I was a baby, She left me with my
grandmother until I was eleven years old. My mom would come to see me, but I went
with relatives during those years.
These years helped form an
orphan spirit in my heart. I felt abandoned by my parents, and I always seemed
to roam from one of my relative's homes to another. I started believing in my
heart that I was not wanted and accepted. I decided to do things my way. An
orphan spirit can make a person doubt the plans and purposes of God.
I want to give an example
of doubting God's plans and purposes for my life. In December 2018, I had a dream in which the
Lord Jesus appeared as a 12 or 13-year-old boy wearing a white garment. In the experience,
I was watching the Lord speak to me about Luke Chapter 11. He called me to be a
Herald and to declare the words that he says to me. I knew the dream was
talking about two-way journaling. At this time of my life, I was in unbelief
about my journaling. In the dream, Jesus told me to continue focusing on my
journaling. The rest of my dream went like this: I was watching the Lord, and
suddenly, he turned into a horse, and the horse started speaking to me,
sounding like the Lord's voice, and then the horse turned back into the Lord.
Then my friend Michael Appichela appeared to me, and we started talking and
walking down this path together. We both were smiling at each other as we
walked down this path together. I woke up, and I knew to refocus on my
journaling.
Margaret Cornell, a
spiritual mentor sent my dream to
Charity Virkler Kayembe, the author of 'Wisdom Through Dreams.' Charity interprets
the horse speaking in the dream to mean whatever the Lord said to me came
straight from the horse's mouth, a common expression meaning something is true.
The revelation about
straight from the horse's mouth gave me faith to start believing in my
journaling again, which ultimately opened the door for me to teach the course 'The
Four Keys to Hearing God's Voice which I do today. I shared this dream because of my unbelief and
God's plans for my life.
A person with an orphan heart doesn't believe
that God loves him or will protect them or keep His promises. God wants to heal the orphan mindset through
his love and acceptance. The orphan spirit will rise in rebellion or create a
religion. A person with an orphan mentality wants their rights fulfilled. If
these rights are not met, the person with an orphan spirit will rebel to get what
he or she wants out of life. We see this in today's culture with the Me Too Movement,
Black Lives Matter, and Antifa. The people in these movements exhibit signs of
a fatherless generation. As the prophet Malachai says, the lack of mothers and
fathers in society has caused a curse in the land. God wants to turn the hearts
of nations back to Him through His loving embrace.
The Father's Embrace
I want to share a conversation
my conversation with God and His response. I want to show you the struggles I
had with receiving the Father's embrace. In my life, I felt a need to perform
for love and acceptance. In my journal entry, I struggled with the issues of
performance.
Holy Spirit, I am still struggling with
performance issues, and it is hard for me to let it go!
I know my
child. This is why you need to trust me. I will guide your steps. Sometimes you
think the worse about life. Your emotions are all over the place. You can be
hysterical at times. Trust me, my child, to guide you. Do not be moved by
people's misconception about you. You do not have to win their approval. Be
still and know that I am God. Wiley, I want you to read the book by Leif
Heitland. You need a reminder about the Father's embrace. How protected you are
in his love for you. You are accepted in the beloved. You are a champion, my
child. Wiley, this is how we see you in heaven.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for
the way you counsel me and guide me in the way I should go.
You are
Welcome, my child. We love you with an everlasting love.
I love you all as well.
As you have read my journal
entry above, I realized that I need the Father's embrace just as much as anyone
else. This course, 'War in the Spirit,' has shown me that it is essential to
understand our relationship with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Every child of God needs the Father
to embrace them in a personal way. Reading the book, The Father Embrace by Jack
Frost has helped me start to rediscover God's love for my life and the lives of
others. In my journey with the Lord for my healing, I experience many
strongholds and traumatic experiences from the past, present, and possible
future that have made me seek inner healing and deliverance. Doing a course
like 'War in the Spirit' is exciting and challenging.
We serve a God who is supernaturally
practical. If we follow his ways and instructions, God moves significantly. The life stories
that I have been reading about, have pushed me to hunger and thirst after
righteousness. Seek his kingdom and His righteousness, and we will overflow. I
believe that God has called us to be overcomers in this life. He has given us
the keys to doing this. All things are possible to them that believe.
The bible talks about the
surrendered life. Today, the Lord has reminded me of Galatians 2:20. 20 I have
been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives
in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
In 2 Peter chapter 1, we read:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to
us everything about life and godliness, through the true knowledge
of Him who called us [d]by His own glory and [e]excellence. 4 [f]For by these He has granted to us His precious and
magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world by lust. 5 Now
for this very reason also, applying all diligence in your
faith supply moral [g]excellence, and you're moral
excellence, knowledge, 6 and your knowledge, self-control,
and your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly
kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours
and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the
true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For
he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted,
having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to
make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you
practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will
be abundantly supplied to you.
The verses above have helped
me transition into a lifestyle surrendered to the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus
Christ. To me, entrance into the eternal kingdom is not only about when we die
a go to heaven. It is about living from the eternal kingdom within hearts. This
revelation has helped me to hear God's voice and vision for my life. Here is
another journal relaying the Father's love for me.
Here is a prophetic
message I received from the Holy Spirit about the Father's heart for His kids.
Wiley, the Father's heart
includes sonship; I will produce many sons and daughters because they abide in
me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. Stay connected to the vine, and
you will bear much fruit because you can do nothing, my child, without me. When
society learns on their understanding instead of seeking my heart of love, you
see a counterfeit movement that preaches acceptance of their life instead of
living out of a loving relationship with God the Father. This type of message
causes so many problems in the realm of religion as well. When my people live
with an orphan spirit, they strive for my acceptance by living by the law and
performance. Law and performance are not my way. Who the Son sets free is free
indeed. That is why it is essential to know that the way to heal a person with
an orphan spirit is to bring them to the Father's embrace.
Unconditional love is
never based on performance or the condition of the person who is receiving the
love of God. His nature is love. This nature is critical to understand because
when we are starting to walk in our freedom. The loving relationship we have
with God will help us walk in the light of his love and the light of his truth.
It is an overwhelming experience when you embrace the Father's heart for you
and others. Whenever we engage in spiritual warfare, we should never forget how
much God loves the world and how much God wants freedom for his children. When
his children are free to love and to serve the living God with pure motives,
then the children of God start to understand how to rule and reign with Christ
Jesus forever. We are In training to reign with Christ. Even when Satan in his
forces try to stop the plans and purposes of God, we know that he that is
greater in us is he that is greater in the world. When we live from God the Father's embrace, we get a revelation of
sonship and how to live an overcoming lifestyle.
The Overcomer's Lifestyle
The revelation about overcoming lifestyle is vital to
me. The promises for overcomers are revealed in the first three chapters of the
book of revelation. In my journal entry, The Holy spoke to me and said,
"Wiley, to become an overcomer requires two
things. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbour as yourself. These
two points are important because these two words of the Lord are the most
neglected and disobeyed in all the scripture. Usually, my people go for the
scriptures that are self-satisfying to them, but there will be a time where I
will require these two scriptures to be the way forward."
The overcoming life consists of these two scripture
manifesting in your life. Jesus came to show these two verses. The first one.
He told you the plan about loving God with all of your strength and will all
your heart and mind, and body. The reason for this is because you are in
complete surrender to God. This way, we worship God in Spirit and truth. Jesus
said that he only does the things that he sees and hears his Father doing. That
means that he is in complete union with God the Father and with the Holy
Spirit. The second is loving your neighbour as yourself. When you are in full
collaboration with the Godhead, you start to feel and experience the love that
comes down from the heart of God to all humanity. The bible tells us that there
is no fear in love. Perfect love cast out fear. We love him because he first
loved us.
I was thinking
about the prophet Daniel in Lion's den. Daniel 6:7-24. It reminded me of the Father's love. Let me
explain. Daniel's jealous individuals convinced king Darius to pass an
unrighteous law stating that no one could worship any gods or men for 30 days. He received a death sentence by being thrown
into a lion's den to be eaten by the lion. What we believe about God makes a
difference in how we perceive life. Life and death are in the power of the
tongue. He who likes it will eat its fruits. Satan's position is that he is the
accuser of the brethren. He brings accusations against others. Just like
Daniel's experience with the other leaders, king Darius's heart reminds me of
Jesus's heart. He stayed up all night to pray on Daniel's behalf for his
deliverance. God the Father delivered Daniel by sending an angel to shut the
mouths of teeth lions. The bible says that vengeance is mine says the Lord.
Being an accuser can cost more than you can ever imagine. I am saying this is
because we take the accuser's position; it allows Satan to bring destruction
into people's lives. This course has
taught me about spiritual warfare that we must take every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ. We must watch what we speak about others and
ourselves. Our thoughts, our motives our speech should be rooted and grounded
in love and God's word. Keeping a journal helps us stay on top of this.
We must learn how to
overcome Satan's strategies. His strategies are a vital area of concern for
Christians as we pray for victory in Jesus's name. The central places to watch
out for are habitual sin, pride, and self-delusion. Why do I mention this? If we are going to walk
as an overcomer, we need to deal with our fleshly desires. These desires can
get in our way of walking in the Spirit. We want to live in complete union with
the Godhead. As I am writing, I can sense the Holy Spirit stirring me on in the
area of love. Sometimes we have to let things go so that God can bring new
things into our life to help us grow in love.
In the book, the Father's
Embrace, the writer, Jack Frost, speaks about an overcomer's life. He says,
"An overcomer overcomes more than he or she is overcome—that is, 51 per cent or more of the time you have victory in that area." A few years ago,
I had this dream in which I watched former President Barack Obama sitting on
this black couch with a lady named Stacey Abrams(who had run for governor of
the State of Georgia in 2018 and lost). They were in the big lounge room. I ran
into the room full of anger and wanted to express my views aggressively. I was
letting them know that I disagreed with their opinions about sexuality. However,
the Lord Jesus had stopped me from going further by trying to argue with them
both. He took me back into the other room to calm down, and then we relive the
same again. I went back into the room with former President Barack Obama and
Stacey Abrams. I talked to them in the Spirit of gentleness and said that I disagreed
with their stance on sexuality, though it was too liberal.
The moral of the story is God
prevented me from just expressing anger to being kind and reasonable. God wants
us to walk in love in all situations. I understood his wisdom, love, and timing
on how to fight spiritual battles in the natural. The weapons of our warfare
are not carnal but mighty and God of pulling down strongholds. Overcoming
strongholds is vital to win spiritual battles and walk as an overcomer in Jesus
Christ.
Dreams and visions are a
vital part of my walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has blessed me with
receiving dreams and being able to understand my dreams. I've received dreams
most of my life. Still, it wasn't until I became a Christian and started
understanding how the Holy Spirit showed me how to interpret my dreams and
apply the insights I received in life situations.
Anytime my walk gets hard
as a Christian. I know that I am not living out of the Spirit but out of the
flesh. As I meditate on this truth, I realize that we are in an awakening. We
need the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to help us understand the War in the Spirit
taking place over man's affairs. The concept of spiritual warfare is that the Lord
Jesus commissions us to destroy the devil's works. In the book of Acts, chapter
ten vs thirty-eight, we are told that Jesus of Nazareth came to destroy the
works of Satan. We carry the same commission as Jesus.
The Holy Spirit trains us
to be overcomers in this life to the glory of God the Father. In his book, the
Christian writer Paul Billheimer states Destined to Overcome; we receive training
to rule and reign with Christ by overcoming Satan's schemes. Satan's schemes
are why we fight on behalf of the innocent ones that God is drawing to himself
through salvation. He is drawing the heir of salvation to a deeper level of
relationship: the desire of His heart.
I am reading a book called 'Limitless.'
by Nancy Coen. The beginning of this book focuses on our motivations on why we
want union with Christ. The partnership with Christ is the catalyst to
overcoming life. It is an incredible journey into the unknown. The Holy Spirit
leads us into the deep things of the kingdom. The deep items of the kingdom
require us to move from glory to glory.
We
have to look to Jesus as our example of a life of an overcomer.
12 Therefore, since we have so great
a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every
encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 [a]fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the [b]author and perfecter of faith, who
for the joy set before He endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility
by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary [c]and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3.
Jesus saw Satan cast down like
lightning!
Finally, I want to show you that we have victory over
the demonic realm. This morning I had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit
when I read the scripture verses in Luke 10:17-20. This passage of scripture
reminded me of how all-powerful God the Father is. We read Jesus's words about
Satan threw out of heaven. It gives you the strength to overcome the accuser
of the brethren. There is a great battle in the heavenly realms between
Lucifer, better known as Satan, and the arc angel Micheal in the book of
revelation. It is not even against God. You see, Satan understands who the boss
is. We, as believers, need to understand this as well. We need to realize that
Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He says that wase
can do the more significant works than he did because he has gone to the Father.
Jesus sits at the right hand of God. We are seated in heavenly places with
Christ. Once we start focusing on our position in the sacred arena, we will see
and obey the plans and purposes of God from a different perspective.
My hope for us as believers is to understand God's
heart for us. His heart is to prepare us to rule and reign with Christ, have an
intimate relationship with us by hearing His voice and seeing His vision for
our lives, identifying the orphan mentality, and replacing it with the Father's
embracing us as sons and daughters. When we understand this, we will begin to
walk our journey as overcomers in Christ Jesus.
Bibliography
Hetland, Leif, Healing The Orphan Spirit, The Father
Wants His Kids Back, Paperback, Revised Edition, 192 pages Published March
12th, 2013 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Frost, Jack, Experiencing Father's Embrace, Paperback, 238
pages, Published October 11th, 2002 by
Creation House (first published January 1st, 2002)
Coen, Nancy, Limitless,
Living The Life Of An Overcomer, Kindle Edition, 340 pages
Published December 19th,
2019 by Revelation Partners in association with Nancy Coen
Media
Billheimer, Paul E, Destined To Overcome, The
Tecinue Of Spiritual Warfare, Paperback,
123 pages Published June 1st, 1982 by Bethany
House Publishers
Scripture References for Spiritual Warfare
All scriptural references come from Bible Gateway.
Spiritual warfare, causes of
Spiritual warfare has its origin in the rebellion
of many angels against God. Satan is seen as the prince of this world, leading
an array of forces opposed to God. Although disarmed by Jesus Christ on the
cross, they remain a potent threat to the church and individual believers.
Satan and his angels fall
2Pe 2:4 See also Isa 14:12-15; Eze 28:12-19 Some believe the kings of Babylon
and Tyre to be types of Satan; 1Ti 3:6; Jude 6
Satan and his angels comprise a well-organized army
Jesus Christ will fully disarm Satan and his angels
Col 2:15; Rev 12:7-9 See also Mk 3:27 pp Mt 12:29; Lk 10:18; Jn 12:31; Heb 2:14; 1Jn 3:8
Satan persecutes the church
Rev 12:13 The woman is here thought to
be symbolic of the church. See Rev 2:10; Rev 13:7 The dragon is here believed to be
symbolic of the world's persecution (empowered by Satan) of the church.
Satan opposes the gospel
2Co 4:4 See also Mt 13:19 pp Mk 4:15 pp Lk 8:12; Mt 13:38-39; 1Th 2:2,18
Examples of opposition to the first Christians Ac 6:8-14; Ac 7:54-58 Stephen stoned to death; Ac 8:1-3 Saul causes havoc in
Jerusalem. Opposition to Paul and his companions: Ac 13:6-12,44-45; Ac 17:13; Ac 18:6,12 Violent hostility to Paul and
his companions: Ac 9:23; Ac 14:5,19; Ac 16:16-24; Ac 17:5-6; Ac 19:23-29; Ac 20:3; Ac 21:27-36 Jewish plots against Paul in
Jerusalem: Ac 23:12-15; Ac 25:3
Satan attacks individual believers
Rev 12:17 See also Job 2:7; Lk 22:31-32; 2Ti 3:12; 1Pe 5:8#
8484 spiritual warfare, enemies in
8484 spiritual
warfare, enemies in
Christians are at
war with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Satan empowers the world
to attack believers externally, persecuting, deceiving, and seducing them.
Internally, sinfulness frustrates the efforts of believers to serve God fully.
The world is an enemy
Jas 4:4 "world" here refers
to the sinful human race, hostile to the truth and the people of God. See also Ro 12:2; 1Jn 2:15-17; 1Jn 5:4
The world hates Christians Jn 15:19-20 (see also Mt 5:10-12 pp Lk 6:22; Jn 16:2; Jn 17:14; 1Pe 4:12-16; 1Jn 3:13; Rev 13:7 The beast may represent the world's
antichristian persecution.
The world has its false teaching and religion Col 2:8 See also 1Ti 4:1; 2Ti 4:3-4; 1Jn 4:1; 2Jn 7-11; Jude 3-4; Rev 13:11; Rev 19:20 This beast is thought to
represent antichristian religion.
The world seeks to seduce Christians 1Jn 2:16 See also Lk 12:15,19; 2Ti 4:10; Tit 2:12; Heb 11:24-25; Rev 17:1-5 Babylon may represent the world's
seduction.
Sinful human nature
is an enemy
Gal 5:17; 1Pe 2:11 See also Ro 6:12; Ro 7:14-23; Ro 8:13; Gal 5:24; Col 3:5; Heb 12:4; Jas 4:1
The devil is an enemy
1Pe 5:8 See also Mt 13:39 pp Mk 4:15 pp Lk 8:12; Jn 17:15; 2Th 3:3; Rev 2:10; Rev 12:17
He seeks to tempt Christians 1Th 3:5 See also Ge 3:1-6; Heb 2:18; Heb 4:15
He seeks to deceive 2Co 11:3; Rev 12:9 See also Ge 3:13; 2Co 2:11; 2Co 4:4; 2Co 11:4; Rev 20:3
He constantly seeks to accuse believers Rev 12:10 See also Job 1:9-11; Zec 3:1
6166 flesh, sinful nature
The Flesh, Sinful Nature
Human beings' physical aspect distinguishes them from God and is
therefore frequently used in the NT as a symbol of sinful human nature in
contrast with God's perfection. (The Greek word for "flesh" is
sometimes translated by other words and phrases in the passages cited in this
theme.).
Flesh as the bodily substance of human beings
As individuals or concerning others Ps 84:2 See also Ge 2:23-24; Ge 29:14; 1Co 15:39 The following two examples
from Paul, where the usual word for "flesh" underlies the translation
"body" makes clear that to live "in the flesh" is typical
human experience; the phrase does not necessarily imply that human nature is
sinful, even though in many other instances a specific connection between "flesh."
and "sin" is intended: Gal 2:20; Php 1:22-24
As to how Jesus Christ identified with the human race to bring salvation Jn 1:14 See also Eph 2:15; Heb 10:20; 1Jn 4:2
As subject to mortality Isa 40:6-7 See also Ps 78:39; Ac 2:31; 1Co 15:50
As subject to weakness 2Ch 32:8 See also Ps 73:26; Mt 26:41 pp Mk 14:38
Flesh as contrasting
human nature with God's perfection
The powerlessness of human beings contrasted with God's eternal power Isa 31:3 See also Jn 3:6; Jn 6:63
Human or worldly standards contrasted with God's standards Jn 8:15 See also 1Co 1:26; 2Co 5:16; 2Co 10:3-4
Flesh as denoting the
sinful nature of human beings
The tendency to sin Ro 7:18 Paul does not mean that no
goodness exists in people, nor that the physical aspect of human beings is
inherently evil. He implies that humans are invariably infected by evil and
subject to its power. See also Jer 17:5
The conflict in human experience between the sinful nature and the
Spirit of God Gal 5:17 See also Ro 8:4-9; Gal 5:19-25
The sinful nature is
opposed to God and his will
This opposition finds expression in a range of acts and attitudes Gal 5:19-21 See also Ro 7:14-25; Ro 8:7; Ro 13:13-14; 1Co 6:9-11; Eph 5:5; Jas 1:14-15; 1Pe 2:11; 2Pe 2:10,18; 1Jn 2:16
Confidence in the law is futile Ro 8:3 Because of the sinfulness of
human nature, God's law is powerless to bring people into a relationship with
God; Gal 3:3 Even the attempt to find
acceptance with God through keeping his law is an act of the sinful nature
because it involves rejecting his offer of salvation through his grace. See
also Ro 7:25; Php 3:3-9
The sinful nature controls human behaviour in ways that run counter to
God's purpose Ro 8:8 See also Ro 7:5
The sinful nature,
therefore, makes people subject to God's judgment and death
Ro 8:13; Eph 2:3 See also Gal 6:8
The sinful nature
does not control believers
Through Jesus Christ's entering into human flesh, God delivers from the
power and consequences of human sinfulness Ro 8:3 See also Eph 2:15
Believers have crucified the sinful nature Ro 7:5-6 See also Ro 8:8-9; Gal 5:24; Col 2:11
The power of God's Spirit enables believers to continue to resist the
sinful nature Ro 8:13 See also Ro 13:14; Gal 5:13; Col 3:5-6; 1Pe 2:11
God's provision of church discipline in eliminating the sinful nature 1Co 5:5 The penalty of excluding a
sinner from the church community is intended to bring him to repentance and
abandon his evil course of action. Repentance provoked by physical suffering is
possibly also in mind.
More scriptural references used:
Galatians 2:20
2 Peter 1: 3-11
Daniel 6:7-24
Hebrews 12:1-3
Luke 10:17-20