Leon du Preez

5 Rules Of Engagement For Spiritual Warfare

Leon du Preez -

One key verse, Ephesians 6:10–18, is a staple of every believer's lexicon and spiritual foundation. In this section, Paul discusses the cutting-edge equipment that a believer possesses. The problem we face is that Christians metaphorically recognize the Armor of God but lack revelation regarding its value.

Spiritual conflict is unreal to those who do not know Christ or to those who deny the existence of spiritual terrorists who oppose God and His people.

Any attempt to explain away these forces do not negate their reality. As many Christians believe, daily suiting up of the armor will not administer the anticipated anecdote. Our lifestyle must couple with revelation to draw out its true worth.

“STANDING AS A FRIEND TO THE WORLD SEATS YOU IN ENMITY AGAINST GOD”

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

“And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourself, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you." - 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 (NKJV)


We ought to showcase un-adulterous faith in our Commander. 2 Chronicles 20 reveals a master battle plan.

  1. The battle is not yours, but God’s:

We must understand that our victory is only through God because He has already given us victory on every side.

2. There may be a battle, but you will not need to fight:

The prophet did not say there would be no battle; he said they would not need to “fight” in this battle. Although the conflict is genuine, our approach will differ from how many people are used to fighting. We do not need to fight an enemy who is already defeated.

3. Position yourself:

We must firmly hold fast to God’s promise while living in a posture of total submission to Him, placing everything under His control, rule, reign, and authority.

4. Stand still:

Standing still here is waiting upon the Lord. Although ‘waiting’ in this context is incredibly important, how we ‘wait’ makes the difference. When Jesus instructed His disciples to go and tarry or wait in the City of Jerusalem, He instructed them to go and wait with expectation, not in the sense of sitting around lazily. We must wait in a posture of prayer and worship.

5. You must see the salvation of the Lord:

This refers to spiritual sight and vision, the ability to see something before it happens. Imagine the desired outcome according to God’s Word and make that imagination a reality. We must walk in that which is not as if it is.

“Your level of surrender will determine your level of breakthrough!”

UNDERSTAND YOUR ADVERSARY

  • Satan, referred to as “the devil”, originates from the Greek word “diabolos”. It is a compound of the words “dia” (through) and “balos” (to throw). The term depicts repeatedly throwing a rock against something until it penetrates that barrier and breaks through to the other side. Therefore, his name means that he continually strikes again and again — repeatedly beating against the walls of people’s minds — until he finally breaks through and penetrates their thought processes.
  • The Hebrew word for Satan is “shatana”, which means to “hate” and “accuse”. It also carries the idea of slander or false accusation.  Because of this archenemy, Paul wrote to the Ephesians church and urged them to “put on the whole armor of God.”

WHAT COMES BEFORE THE ARMOR OF GOD?

It is significant to note what Paul told the Ephesian believers to do BEFORE they put on the whole armor of God:

- Put away lying — Eph. 4:25.

- Speak the truth with your neighbor — Eph. 4:25.

- Be angry, but sin not; the sun should not go down on your wrath — Eph.  4:26.

- Give no place to the devil — Eph. 4:27.

- Let him who stole steal no more — Eph.  4:28.

- Never let a corrupt message leave your mouth — Eph. 4:29.

- Grieve not the Holy Spirit — Eph. 4:29.

- Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, and malice be put away from

you — Eph. 4:31.

A CONSECRATED LIFE IS A PREREQUISITE FOR REAL SPIRITUAL WARFARE:

  • We are never truly free until we fully surrender ourselves to God. The more we relinquish every fibre of our being to Him, the fewer breaches there are for Satan to exploit.
  • A lack of commitment and time in the secret place will only veer us unto Satan’s rabbit trails of hellish schemes. Screaming, yelling, and shouting at the devil will not accomplish anything if we have deliberately, or simply by negligence, allowed “the loins of our minds” to go unchecked and un-girded.
  • When we choose to live holy and surrendered lives — carefully guarding our minds and equipping ourselves with the whole armor of God — we become MIGHTY weapons in the hands of an Almighty God — Romans 12:1-2!
“THE WAY YOU FIGHT TO “OVERCOME” IS BY SEEKING GOD.  THE BIGGER GOD BECOMES, THE SMALLER YOUR PROBLEMS WILL BE”