Strongholds: The Enemy (Apostles)

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.

The overview for the rest of this Series is that God wants our brain to have Profitable Thought Processes. The enemy and our flesh wants our brain to have Unprofitable Thought Processes.

Throughout this Series we have seen the brain is the battlefield on which God and our mind participate in Spiritual Warfare against the enemy and our flesh. So, there are two participants attempting to access our strongholds: the enemy and our flesh. The previous post summarized how the flesh participates in Spiritual Warfare:

How does the flesh actually participate in Spiritual Warfare?

Our flesh takes EVERY opportunity it is given to think on how to sin.

The solution? Don't give your flesh the opportunity to think!

You can't do nothing...this is letting your flesh think!

Your can't stop sinning by just stop sinning...this makes sin the focus of your thoughts!

You stop sinning by doing the opposite of thinking with the flesh...you intentionally choose to think with your mind.

You intentionally choose to let God influence your heart and reflect in your life through the Holy Spirit. Notice, this is the ULTIMATE Spiritual answer! The ONLY reason we are able to have this ability is because of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. We have the mind of Christ...

Who shall deliver me from the influence of the flesh?

I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord! So I myself (mind) serve the law of God written on my heart through the Holy Spirit even though my flesh is going to serve the law of sin.

Today, we will begin looking how the enemy participates in Spiritual Warfare...


STRONGHOLDS: THE ENEMY (Disciples)
The enemy is real and participates in Spiritual Warfare. Rather than just jump into HOW the enemy does this, I am going to first give verses from God's Word showing this actually occurs. Today we will cover what the disciples wrote. Tomorrow, we will cover what Jesus said.


Acts 10
"34 And Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him.
36 The word which he sent unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all.) --
37 that saying ye yourselves know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
38 even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."

In The Book of Acts, Peter states that Jesus healed all that were oppressed of the devil.

1. The enemy can oppress people.


I Peter 5
"5 Likewise, ye younger, be subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,
9 whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you."

Peter himself writes that the devil walks about seeking whom he may devour. In fact, it looks like standing stedfast in faith and allowing God to establish us through grace is the solution to the attack of the enemy.

2. The enemy is actively looking for an opportunity to destroy you.


Ephesians 4
"17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart;
19 who being past feeling gave themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye did not so learn Christ;
21 if so be that ye heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:
22 that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
23 and that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
25 Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 neither give place to the devil."

Paul writes that we should NOT be led by the vanity of OUR MIND (fleshly thinking that occurs when we choose not to think intentionally), but we ought to be renewed in the spirit of our mind (THE MIND that is partners with God in Spiritual Warfare). The rest of the explanation involves speaking truth! Not speaking truth gives place to the enemy.

3. We choose to give place to the enemy when we don't speak truth.

In fact, the next three passages say the SAME THING!


2 Timothy 2
"23 But foolish and ignorant questionings refuse, knowing that they gender strifes.
24 And the Lord's servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,
25 in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves; if peradventure God may give them repentance unto the knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will."

Foolish and ignorant questionings are to be refused, however, we must be apt to teach! We need to intentionally think with our mind according to truth. If we get in the snare of the devil, then we do the devil's will!


James 3
"14 But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."

There is wisdom from above (grace) that we ought to intentionally think on. There is "wisdom" of the flesh which is what can happen when we don't choose to intentionally think. James continues...


James 4
"4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.
5 Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

God's influence comes to those who are humble and intentionally focus on God. All we need to do is resist the devil by being humble instead of proud and getting God's wisdom (grace)...and the devil will flee from us!

We covered the whole armor of God in a separate post. It is becoming quite popular among those who "google" looking for the whole armor of God. Here is the link if you want to get the entire explanation of this next passage that is critical as it relates to Spiritual Warfare: The Whole Armor of God


Ephesians 6
"11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one."

4. The devil uses his wiles and fiery darts.


SUMMARY
The enemy is very real and destructive.

The apostles spoke freely about warring against the enemy:

1. The enemy can oppress people.
2. The enemy is actively looking for an opportunity to destroy you.
3. We choose to give place to the enemy when we don't speak truth.
4. The devil uses his wiles and fiery darts.

Tomorrow, we will look at what Jesus said about the enemy...

Next Post