11.2 Spiritual Warfare
© 2018 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
I intend to make this lesson as practical as I can without giving background teaching or attempting to convince anyone. We live and have always lived in heaven as well as earth, and the present heaven is filled with good and evil just like earth. In fact, the two cannot be separated, for they are one place. We are not wrestling or contesting against blood and flesh, but against the rulers [sources], against the authorities [influences], against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:13 – JSV).
Union with Christ in no way removes us from heaven/earth or from spiritual warfare; union with Christ simply gives us true warfare and real victory.
Inside Each Bubble. No Christian can be possessed by a demon. All Christians are perfectly free to possess and make use of, to listen to and believe, any demon they wish.
Man is the master, and every angel of heaven knows that.
It is evident to me that the knowledge of our union with Christ removes no one from the realm of spiritual warfare or from being targeted by heavenly wickedness. You see, the battle is entirely inside of each individual bubble of self-story, whether the good speaking of Christ being all that is known or accusation being all that is known. And just because we speak Christ our only life does not mean accusation vanishes from our lives.
Unnecessary Suffering. All accusation is energeoed by an angelic power, even accusation coming from the heart and through the lips of one who “believes in” union with Christ.
Now, for those of us who walk in the knowledge of our union with Christ, that fact is no big deal. I accept no thought that any spirit of accusation has anything to do with me, but only Father – even when I am feeling extremely discouraged. Nonetheless, much torment and unnecessary suffering takes place inside the lives of dear believers in Jesus because demons are tolerated in the church. And even worse than that, Nicene theology places the ministry of the church in alliance with the demonic assault of accusation.
Regard, not Disdain. The root of this alliance between accusing demons and the preaching of accusation is not theology, however, but rather that disdain for other Christians that rules the heart of Adam. And here is why Paul said that the house of God is built upon the ministry of apostles and prophets.
“Apostles” MEANS those who lay down their lives for other believers in Jesus no matter the cost to themselves. “Prophets” MEANS those who speak only Christ, calling Him forth as the life and joy of every individual believer.
Do nothing from rivalry, ambition to rule, or empty pride, but in humility [the same humility that is Christ the image of God] esteem and highly regard one another as better (Philippians 2:3 – JSV).
Laying down Our Lives. The foundation of the church, including every local assembly, is “my” willingness to place your interests above mine, to allow only honor for you to exist in my heart, to see you as Jesus to me – AND – to receive the same back from you in joy and as the kindness of Jesus to me. I put “my” in quotation marks to signify that the first-person voice is every individual person, making responsibility for one another to be personal to each one.
In other words, John 3:16 – and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren – coming through the hearts of the core members of any community, is the foundation upon which God builds His house. These people break the spirit of accusation, then, for the sake of the brethren.
Discernment. The accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him… (Revelation 12:10b-11a).
I think the best way for me to draw the line that must be drawn between godly spiritual protection and ungodly practice that only increases the assault is to talk about discernment. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all… to another discerning of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:7 & 10). – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God (1 John 4:1a). This gift of discernment is a discernment of spirits, NOT a discernment of sin.
A False Discernment. God has never once told anyone about the “sins being committed” by another believer in Jesus. God has no knowledge or memory of such things, and God does not speak what He does not know.
Much of what was claimed to be “discernment” in my experience served only to increase the accusation assaulting the heart of another believer. The one speaking “discernment” was the one needing to be protected from the attack of a false spirit even more than the brother or sister whose “sins” they had “found out.” The one “discerning” was not seeing Christ, but treating their brother or sister as inferior to themselves.
Godly Discernment. Let me give an example of godly discernment in action in the church. I was visiting an assembly in which a good friend of mine was one of the leaders. We had experienced a wonderful time in a service together, much joy and praise and a good sharing of word. There was, however, a man in the assembly who seemed not to be connecting, but rather, was shadowed by something. This man left early, and the one in whose house we were meeting went out to speak to him. She came back in and shared the view of this brother, that we were moving in a “religious” form. Then she said to the assembly that his concerns might be something to consider.
A Shadowing Spirit. My friend spoke immediately, in kindness, but in strength. “No, we should not. We have moved in the Lord and we do not need to second-guess His work in our lives.” (my paraphrase). Instantly a shadow that had come over us passed as the wind, and we returned to the joy of the Lord.
And here is the dividing line, according to John. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God (1 John 4:2). The other spirit, seeking to cast a shadow upon us was confessing that it was not Jesus coming through our flesh – my friend, with strength, confessed that it was.
Protection from Heavenly Evil. The greatest weapon we have against the assault of the accuser is to speak Christ into one another, Christ the only life you are. But consider Paul’s words. – Against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual evil in the heavenly realms.
In the realm of physical well-being, there is a natural protection. In the realm of our souls, our self-stories, there are the good words of Christ which we speak. But in the realm of the heavens, against heavenly evil, there is a heavenly, that is, spiritual protection that flows out from the power of God through our confidence. It is my role to protect you from the accuser, especially when the accusation would come through my own words.
Words of Spirit Power. I protect you from the accuser by rejecting all accusation against myself first. And I reject all accusation against myself only by speaking Christ personally as me. Thus the words of Spirit power flowing from me to you, in order to prevail in the heavens, must contain the good speaking of Christ regarding you.
And here is where the foundation upon which the Church is built is to be found. If I reject all accusation against myself by the good speaking of Christ – and if then, you come along and, in my vulnerability, speak accusation against me – what do I do with that? Refusing to accuse in return is called “laying down my life.”
He Opened Not His Mouth. The foundation of the church is not Christ Jesus, but rather, Christ in and through us as His ministry.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken (Isaiah 53:7-8).
Here is the bottom line. When you attack me, will I bear my humiliation in silence, will I lay down my life (cut off from the land of the living) for your sake, that you might know only the good things of Christ inside of you?
Authority and Power. “Hey, it’s just Christ as me,” is just another weapon of a bully to manipulate and control others. To use such a claim against a brother or a sister, to triumph over them, is the strange fire that can cause an individual to lose all knowledge of Christ as He is.
What do you do when someone throws a spear at you? The answer to that question is the foundation of the Church.
Yet here is the thing. Those who, out from loving the knowledge of Jesus as the only life they are, lay down their own lives in order to prefer others, even when it hurts, possess in God a place of authority and power in the heavenly realms – as John said, “Now is come authority and power.”
Led in Triumph. That power is exercised first in the secret place of each individual believer’s walk with Father. That power is exercised second in collaboration with others walking in that same place, Christ together with Christ. And that power is exercised third in the assembly of the church, in praying for one another in the victory of the Lord.
And this is why the seventh most important verse in the Bible is so important. God always leads us in triumph [that is, IN the present celebration of a victory already finished] (2 Corinthians 2:14). This is part of the function and ministry of every local church.
An Example. The best way for me to describe for you this continuous practice of the church, in establishing freedom from the evil of the heavenly realms for one another and for the gathering together, is to describe the order of the many deliverance services in which I was privileged to participate at the Blueberry Christian Community in British Columbia, Canada. I am describing these services, not as a rule, but as an example. We are always led by the Spirit of Christ – that is the one rule.
In the gathering together of the Church, the Spirit of God, very often, led us to pray for one another in deliverance. Sometimes this would be something that arose spontaneously out from present need; at other times, it would be planned around a visiting ministry.
A Deliverance Service. As we gathered together, we placed the chairs in the back, for momentary repose. The brother or sister towards whom we were extending the love of Christ through us, would sit in a chair in the center. The whole family would gather around, singing songs of deliverance inside of Jesus. Those anointed in prayer would gather close to the brother or sister and, in gentleness, pray in the Spirit for them. Those who had the prophetic gift would share what they saw with those anointed in prayer.
We might continue in that way for an hour or two for each one. And I have seen so many shadows vanished, so many set free, so much joy of transformation in the lives of brethren whom I knew and with whom I walked daily.
The Impartation of Christ. Really, as I think of it now, all we were doing was prevailing in the heavens for our brother or sister to be freed from the viruses, the snippets of false thinking, the many ways in which the accuser speaks his accusation into the hearts of each. And in each instance, that deliverance showed itself in a new way of seeing and thinking in the one for whom we prayed.
You see, the reason we spent an hour or two in prayer and the singing of praises over each one, was that we were not interested in “deliverance” but the impartation of Christ. Who cares if the demons leave the person alone – for a while. Unless that person’s “house” is then filled with Christ in all of His good speaking, the accusations will come back even worse.
Met in the Gathering. I am not gifted with the ability to lead in prayers of deliverance, though in such, I am a full support. My gift is in word. Yet in that gift, I am always seeking to impart Christ to you while breaking the bonds of accusation that have assailed you.
Some who write to me share needs and concerns that I know would be met in the gathering together of the church, standing together, supporting one another in victory over all accusation. I know that there are spiritual chains that bind, even in those who shout “union with Christ.” The evidence for those chains is clearly in view in the words being spoken.
Speaking Victory. Yet I am speaking of a function of the local Church, gathering together in the same room with others of like precious faith.
The knowledge of victory that comes in our isolation cannot compare with the knowledge of victory, of Christ in His Body, that comes in the gathering together. Those who do not know the difference have no evidence for their lack of knowledge.
Here is the source of all victory in spiritual warfare, that is, speaking victory into one another. – Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, speaking good grace at all times, giving thanks for the sake of all things in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, to Him who is God and Father, submitting to one another inside the fear of Christ (Ephesians 5:18b-21).