Spiritual warfare is a New Testament reality

Every Christian loves a good message on how much Jesus loves them and the glories of our heavenly home that awaits us after life on earth. But one of the Bible topics that is not as pleasant and is rarely discussed is the fact that followers of Jesus are in an ongoing spiritual battle here on earth. 

One of the core doctrines of the New Testament is that there are spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies who direct their bad intentions earthward. 

The apostle Paul warned the Ephesians, “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.” 

Cosmic powers? Not the usual subject matter of Sunday morning worship. The sad irony is that people race to the movie theater or subscribe to a streaming service so they can see the latest film about aliens, shape shifters, witches and Avatar superheroes but dismiss what the Bible has to say about the reality of the spiritual realm. 

So, what does spiritual warfare look like in a believer’s life? Well, 99.9% of the time it’s not the stuff of the "Twilight Zone" or "The Exorcist." The battle we are built for comes at us in the form of lies, strife, factions, modern morality, false doctrine, Pharisaical religion and sickness to name a few. 

Jesus encountered Pharisees when he healed a woman on the Sabbath. The religious folks scolded him and told the people that there were six other days to be healed, but not on the Sabbath. 

The church must be careful not to put tradition above meeting the needs of people. The apostle Paul told the Colossians, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” 

Satan’s tactic is to get believers to accept modern morality and the philosophy of “anything goes.” And if he can’t get us with that one, he will try to subvert from within. Paul was weeping when he told the Ephesian elders, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock and from among yourselves men will rise up speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them so be alert.” 

The teaching of spiritual warfare coming against believers is all throughout the New Testament. It’s in plain sight for all to see and is not to be ignored. But fear not, Jesus won the battle at the resurrection. We are his occupying army and we should be diligent to heed Peter’s advice, “Stay alert. Watch out for your great enemy, the devil who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Ken Staley is pastor of Faith Church of Pleasant Grove 9:30 a.m. and Harrisville Methodist Church 11 a.m. Both are Global Methodist congregations. Text Ken at 918-852-9797