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October 12, 2019 - January 18, 2020
First, spiritual warfare is a metaphor for standing on the Lord’s side in the epic struggle between the Lord and his enemies.
Second, spiritual warfare is a moral struggle. It is a conflict over who you are, what you believe, and how you live.
But, ultimately, the spiritual warfare was for the loyalty of Job’s soul. He had to make a moral choice: Who will he serve? Who will be his Shepherd?
Third, spiritual warfare is a synonym for the struggles of the Christian life.
Fourth, spiritual warfare is a battle for lordship. At
The way you pay attention to Satan is analogous to how you pay attention to other influencing factors: bodily problems, personal history, cultural and peer influences, situational stressors, and sufferings. They are in the mix, but the person as a moral responder always comes front and center.
Here are six key elements that thread through the whole letter and simply come to a climax in this conclusion.
The point of Ephesians 1–3 is Christ’s strength for us and in us. The point of Ephesians 4–6 is how to live a worthwhile life by his strength.
The Psalms are the source of this imagery.
Almost without fail what a person is struggling with right now—perhaps ten, twenty, or thirty years later—is some further extension and application of what first awakened faith.
As we have discussed, the weaponry of God describes the Lord himself on mission, wearing and embodying his own weapons.
Who is fathering you? Whose words are catching your ear? Whose desires are you following? Who do you say I am?
He wears the belt,
He wears the breastplate of righteousness, a living demonstration of a man redeemed by grace and living fruitfully as God’s workmanship.
His feet walk in the gospel of peace, reconciling people with God and once-estranged...
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He wears the helmet of salvation: his message, his ministry, his incandescent aware...
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Prayer is how we express our living dependence on God.
It’s how we rely on God’s power for the help we need.
Jesus also knew that we needed his prayers. And so he prayed for us when he was on earth (John 17; Luke 22:32). And he is interceding for us now in heaven (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).
It’s easy to feel so confident in what we know that we don’t depend on our good Shepherd for wisdom, help, and the power to change. But if you realize that there are forces at work bigger than you, it makes you really pray and really mean it.
The reality of spiritual warfare teaches the counselor and the counselee about our constant need for dependence on the good Shepherd. We express that dependence as we pray at all times, for all the saints, and most especially for those that the Lord has entrusted to us to guide and help.
Here are some ideas on how to pray at all times for every saint:
Escapism can manifest as alcoholism and drug addiction, or a propensity to overeat and watch too much TV.
We actually end up lying to others, saying things like, “You always do this.” “You never do that.” We are defensive; we blame others; we are demanding, aggressive, merciless.
