We tend to think of spiritual warfare in a disconnected way. We don’t really understand what it is or feels like, because it seems like an intangible thing; We don’t see it, sometimes we can’t feel it. And in the places we feel at home and comfortable, we sometimes don’t think that there is any spiritual warfare happening at all. We don’t feel attacked. We often don’t even realize that anything is going on. Not that we don’t acknowledge that spiritual battles exist. But we don’t think of them as battles or attacks on us by demons or spirits.
So what happens when you go somewhere that these attack are tangible? When you drive down a street and past a temple and you feel a difference somehow? When you feel so alone in a strange, dark place with no way out?
If there is a good real world metaphor for jumping into a place like this, I think it would be something like this:
Picture Mogadishu, Somalia during the 1990’s. There are market places, infrastructure, an airport, a stadium, radio, maybe air conditioning, maybe a corner store where you can go and get an ice cream, a lot of the comforts that you would get at home. But it is a country run by warlords, battling it out with unbelievable violence. We back at home hear about everything on the news, and we think “Wow, how horrible.” But we are disconnected. Its happening so far away, and we can’t feel it or experience it. We don’t really know what that’s like. The people there know. It’s just a part of their daily life. It’s what they know. They know not to go down certain streets, stay away from certain buildings, etc. In a lot of ways, they are used to it. We aren’t. So when we go there, do we just walk around in street clothes, with no training in what to do in bad situations? Without a map with the bad areas to avoid marked down? With out some sort of protection? No definitely not. Even with body armor, the best local guides, people you trust, friends, family, you can be overwhelmed. Which we found out the hard way in 1993. If you want another military metaphor, google the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, another example of a well trained group going into a strange culture and getting overwhelmed.
Now, I don’t think I was unprepared. I had the training, I more or less knew what to expect. Sometimes that just doesn’t really matter. You can get all the training in the world, and still get overwhelmed. The only thing you can really do is rely on God.
When speaking and learning about spiritual warfare, the go to passage is. of course, Ephesians 6: 10-20
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand agains the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as short for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
We know what a lot of the elements of the armor of God are (mainly because we are told by Paul what they are), but what are they practically speaking? It’s important to know a little bit about context and how armor works. Paul was writing to the church in Ephesus, which was in modern day Turkey, during the height of the Roman Empire. These people at least understood how armor worked. The first thing is that you need ALL of it. Every piece. Paul says “Put on the whole armor of God, so you can withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” All parts of the armor are important and needed. With out one piece, we are vulnerable to attack. I always find it almost funny in movies, during a battle scene, or on a foreign, unexplored planet, when the hero takes off his helmet. CinemaSins says it best “Well, I won’t be needing THIS anymore!” Especially in the armor of God, the helmet is crucial. It protects our head, and in this case, our minds. It is the helmet of salvation. Do you want to take it off and remove the protection that it brings?
The belt of truth, knowing who we are in Christ, and what he has done for us.
The breast plate protects the vital organs from the waist to the neck. An injury there, especially in Roman times was almost certainly fatal.
And shoes given by the readiness given by the gospel of peace. The readiness, the ability to slip them on, and go serve the Lord, have grip on slippery surfaces, and when your being pushed back by the enemy, have the courage that you will be held firm.
The shield of faith, the only thing that Paul mentions the practical use. It extinguishes the flaming darts of the evil one. It is the primary defensive tool, faith in God.
And the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. The offensive weapon, what we need to strike at the enemy, using truth. We sharpen it by reading it and knowing it, so it can be used at a moments notice.
The armor is so important. Applying it and keeping it on is hard. Sometimes we need help. Which is another important point about warfare in the time. A warrior was not meant to fight alone. Every man was dependent on the man next to him. In the same way, we need a strong community of believers, the people we stand shoulder to shoulder with, and without that, we are vulnerable. One man cannot stand up to an army. An army can stand up to an army. We need each other, and to lift each other up, defend the person next to us, and be defended by the person next to us. That’s how God designed it. Ultimately, he has our back, and we need to rely on him, knowing he will rescue us when we are overwhelmed. My favorite psalm is my final thought. It shows the extent that God will go to rescue us when we are overwhelmed and cry out to him for help.
“The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
The cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me
In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke when up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him
thick clouds dark with water
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds
The lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
the foundations of the world were laid bare
At Your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils
He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”
Psalm 18:6-19
