Spiritual Warfare - Where does it really take place?

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that warfare takes place in “high places” and that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephes. 6:12 NKJV

In our own lives there is often a struggle Paul describes them in Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.” Each of us has a battle going on in our life that we may be attempting to fight on a human level. Consider the idea it could be (and probably is) a spiritual battle. Open up any new possibilities to handle it?

In the book of Daniel, Chapter 10, Daniel seeks to understand what is going to happen to Israel. He recognizes that time has gone by and that there are new things in store for Israel and has asked God for that understanding. In the first part of the chapter Daniel is in prayer and is fasting. He is seeking the Lord concerning issues he is concerned about. He asked for understanding. An angel appears to him and speaks to him. In verse 12 we find out that his prayers were answered the first day. Yet we see that it was three weeks before this angel had shown up. The angel said that Prince of Persia had withstood. You can understand from the context that this was no mere man but a ruler of darkness who must have had great authority over the things in Persia. Intervention by one described by the angel as “Michael, one of the chief princes,” had enabled him to get through.

Daniel had sought the Lord on the future of Israel. God had sent an angel to come immediately to answer him. Demonic forces held him back until Michael finally came and did battle. Michael, the one we know as the arch angel seems to have the second in command under Jesus. We have only a hazy picture of a country so filled with idolatry and wickedness and such a stronghold of satanic forces that the angel couldn't get through.

Using our weapons and knowing our forces

Are we powerless against the enemy? No! Notice what Daniel did. He used the weapons of warfare. First he used prayer. He sought God. He made his request know before the throne. This was something he could not get an answer for any other way. To the prayer he added fasting. He humbled himself before the Lord. Fasting (in the spiritual sense) is voluntarily giving up food to spend time with God. If you are just giving up food and not spending time in prayer and communication with God you will find little accomplished other than being hungry and maybe losing some weight. Humbling yourself before the Lord speaks of surrender of your wants, desires and your will to God. Although the battle is fought in the heavens what we do on earth is important. Notice what Daniel did not do. First, he did not stop praying. Often people get weary of waiting and stop praying and fasting (if they ever started). There are some folks who believe you only have to pray once and then just believe that you will get what you prayed for. Because of this idea they stop praying and never even think of fasting. I have no problem with believing for something and expecting an answer from God for something. But I do have a problem with those who stop talking to God about it and are no longer seeking His heart concerning the issue. Sometimes folks have bought into the false doctrine that God owes you and so they no longer look to God. They have “said it,” “they believe” it and so that is they end of it. It is as if they have given God a command and He must respond to it. Not only is this arrogance but totally unscriptural

Knowing your forces

In Spiritual warfare it is important to know you forces. Too often we try to depend on our own strength and resources to battle sin and satanic forces that seek to rule and control our lives. There are those that would have us believe that we can seek out the enemy and his devices and that we can destroy them. When we fail we can become discouraged. We begin to think the problem is too big or that the forces of the enemy are greater than anything we have. This is true if we try to accomplish the battle on our own. But we must realize that there are the forces of God, all around us, to protect us, to hold back the enemy and ultimately to subdue the enemy. We have a beautiful picture of this in 2 Kings 6:15-17 In this area of scripture our main character is Elisha. It is a bad time in Elisha’s life. It seems that the king of Syria is planning on invading Israel and Elisha keeps giving away his plans to the king of Israel. Now the king of Syria wants to know which one of his people is a traitor and he finds out that in fact there is no traitor but Elisha is giving away their secrets. The king wants him in custody, most likely to either kill him or at the very least keep him from passing on information to Israel. In the morning the whole city of Dothan is surrounded with Syrian troops and chariots. The servant of Elisha draws attention to the physical enemy. Elisha sees his fear and tells him not to worry that there are more with them than there was of their enemy. Now we have to hit the pause button here and consider what the servant might be thinking as he looked around. Okay Elisha, there are a few prophets and maybe some towns people but I don’t think we have more than they do. The math is just not adding up. This is where Elisha says, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. No fear, our forces greater.

Do you see your forces as greater? The bible says greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) That alone says we have the greater advantage. There are angels all around. Jacob in Genesis 28:12 had a dream where he saw a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. He also saw the angels of God ascending and descending on it. It is here that God speaks to him and restates the promises he gave to Abraham. But the picture we see is that there is constant activity between heaven and earth. There angels constantly going and coming to the aid of the people of God. And there is only need one angel.

In another Old Testament situation Assyria had Jerusalem in siege. The chief of staff for the king of Assyria had come with a letter, not only to threaten Hezekiah, but to try and shake the faith in God's ability to deliver them. Isaiah tells us that over five thousand of the enemy was killed in one night by one angel (Isaiah 37:36)

When Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to worship Nebuchadnezzer’s golden idol they were thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). An angel came to their rescue. Their ropes were removed and they moved about freely- but they were still in the furnace! Sometimes we are not delivered from the situation itself, only the results. When Daniel himself was thrown into a lions den for continuing to pray to God after a royal decree had been made than made it an offence punishable by death, an angel came to his rescue. (Dan 6). The angel shut the lions' mouths through the night so they did not hurt him. When those who had accused Daniel were thrown into the pit they were immediately eaten. (So it wasn’t like the lions were not hungry.)

Finally, one of my favorite stories is from Acts 12. It seems Peter is in prison. He doesn’t seem to be too worried because he is asleep. His sleep is so deep that the angel who wakes him has to punch him in the side. (Acts 12:7-11)

Too often we take the forces around us that we can see, too seriously and the forces we cannot see too much for granted unless they are from the satanic realm and are manifested in the physical realm. The main strategy is to trust in God. Trusting him, that he is in control and that as needed he will send his angels to minister to our needs and situations. Instead of looking to ourselves, to other flesh and blood or worldly answers for our problems, to overcome our sins or the enemy of our souls, we need to look to God. He is our Rock, our Fortress and our Deliverer.

Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. Psalm 63:7 (NKJV)

I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (NKJV)