Biblical Success - Spiritual Warfare?Sample

The nature of the war

As a Christ-follower, it is almost impossible not to notice these days, the shaking of our culture and the polarization both within the church and without. Our country and the global community are being whipsawed by forces of pandemic and political upset. What we might be less aware of is the basic nature of the forces involved in the chaos and their effects on us and our cultural environment. As we watch the news, which can be a string of contradictory clips without coherent context, we can easily slip into fear or even despair neither of which is helpful in our efforts to live a positive and productive, Christ-centered life.

What we are seeing is actually the continuance of a battle begun in the garden of Eden, that will continue until Jesus returns. It is spiritual warfare at its base. We are in a manifestation of intense spiritual warfare, perhaps even an historic manifestation. The war is between God’s way and man’s self-centered ways, between Satan and God, expressed in the battle for world dominance.

In the Garden of Eden Satan offered Eve an alternative choice to God’s order and direction. She, and then Adam took the option of disobedience, and sin and conflict entered and have been present on the earth ever since. Since that first rebellion man has tried to find peace on his own terms. All of the ”isms” that man has proposed over the eons through philosophies, economics, social reforms, political brute force, etc. have been offered as an alternative to God and His expressed way in life, and have resulted only in bringing misery and death on a massive scale, and chaos across the globe in different times, places, and manifestations.

In the book of Hebrews in chapter 12 God tells us He will shake everything that can be shaken to leave only what cannot be shaken. God is still in control. He is either causing or allowing the shaking and conflict. In either case, Romans 8:28 remains true. This shaking is being used by God and worked together for good in the lives of those who love and are the called of God. In other words the lives of Christ followers.

Can you get your arms around this stuff? What do you think? Let’s look at some scripture and talk.