Spiritual Warfare: Enemy's Method

This month, we are covering a seemingly simple concept that has powerful, revelatory, and wide ranging applications: Right-Right vs Right-Wrong...Right WHAT-Right HOW/WHY vs. Right WHAT-Wrong (or NO) HOW/WHY.

In the previous post, we contrasted the sons of Sceva's method of Spiritual Warfare with Jesus SPECIFIC instances where what He spoke during Spiritual Warfare:

We have seen several accounts of Jesus participating in Spiritual Warfare. In each instance, Jesus made a Statement. He stated a will for something that was unable to state a will or act apart from its nature.

In today's example, the Spiritual Warfare participants made a Statement of their OWN will by someone else's faith (understanding and experience). EVERY WORD in the SENTENCE showed the participant in Spiritual Warfare had NO authority...they didn't know their Doctrine...they didn't know the HOW/WHY for the WHAT they were stating.

AGAIN, Spiritual Warfare depended on a person's ability to use WORDS and SENTENCES. It also looked like the person's understanding and experience with the WORDS and SENTENCES that were stated was critical.

Jesus was a MASTER at using WORDS and SENTENCES...the sons of Sceva were the contrastive example of Spiritual Warfare.


SPIRITUAL WARFARE: ENEMY'S METHOD
We looked at Acts 19 yesterday. The end of that passage was:

"16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
17 And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."

This event became known to ALL and fear fell upon them ALL...and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

HOW/WHY did this event magnify the name of the Lord Jesus?

Today, we are going to answer this question and look at what happened next. (Do you know what happened next?)

If the benefit was ONLY that more people knew the Name of Jesus, then this would mean the comment by the evil spirit was profitable...it was based on an evil spirit. Also, how was the Name of the Jesus being known more a benefit in and of itself? There must have been something more that happened...something extremely profitable.

Acts 19
"18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring their deeds."

The cause was that people believed. The effect was that they confessed and declared their deeds. These people were growing in their belief.

"19 And not a few of them that practised magical arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver."

Wow! NOT A FEW of them that practised magical arts brought their books and burned them.

"20 So mightily grew the word of the Lord and prevailed."

People confessing their deeds and repenting of their deeds was the reason the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

However, notice an extremely subtle point that had been in front of our eyes for decades...

What method did those who practiced magical arts use to do Spiritual Warfare for the enemy?

They used BOOKS...which were made up of SENTENCES...which were made up of WORDS.

We ALL know that those who do Spiritual Warfare for the enemy use WORDS and SENTENCES.

WHY do we think that Spiritual Warfare for God would be physical?

WHY do I have to spend so much time hammering the point that Spiritual Warfare is COMPLETELY made up of WORDS and SENTENCES when we ALL know the enemy practices Spiritual Warfare with WORDS and SENTENCES?

I need to do this because next month as we get into practical examples of Spiritual Warfare that we encounter every day, we are going to see it involves WORDS and SENTENCES...and most people don't consider the examples I will present as Spiritual Warfare BECAUSE it ONLY consists of WORDS and SENTENCES!


SUMMARY
Spiritual Warfare is COMPLETELY made up of WORDS and SENTENCES.

A person's ability to successfully participate in Spiritual Warfare COMPLETELY depends on their FAITH (understanding and experience) with the WORDS and SENTENCES they use.

Tomorrow, we will look at more examples of people participating in Spiritual Warfare.

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