I've fairly recently discussed the topic already from a personal point of view and I didn't want to simply re-hash those thoughts. As I was thinking about Spiritual Warfare and how the term is used, abused, and thrown about, I got to thinking about what really matters in all this. The name I chose for my blog kept popping into my brain as I was pondering and so I decided on the subject of Grace and how it relates to spiritual warfare and what our attitudes should be in regards to it.
Definitions:
Here are a few of Dictionary.com's descriptions of the word Grace that relate:
grace /greɪs/
–noun
3. favor or good will.
4. a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior.
5. mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.
8. Theology.
a. the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
b. the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.
c. a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces.
d. Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.
9. moral strength: the grace to perform a duty.
The following passage is from Ephesians 6 and is the word picture that prompted the use of "warfare".
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18
"Spiritual Warfare"
Call it what you will, Spiritual Warfare is a very real thing. Most of the time it doesn't feel very war-like though. We're not perpetually caught up in heated battles, duking it out with demons and evil presences. There are times when you may come face to face with evil, either in your own life, or in the lives of those around you, but for the most part, it's not a very "sensational" thing in American life.
As Christians, we are constantly fighting for the Kingdom of God, but what I find I'm fighting most often is myself. I struggle between what I know I should do and what my flesh and sinful desires would have me do. My first priority as follower of Jesus is to be with Him, learn from Him, and communicate who He is with others, be it through actions or words.
Christians are called to be where He is, to enter into what He is already doing in us and the world around us. We are given blessing that we don't deserve because of the grace of God. We are given the Spirit of God to lead us and speak for us when we don't have the words. We become heirs to the Kingdom of God and are given the spiritual authority to fight "against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." in the powerful name of Jesus.
The Dangers and the Benefits
It can be too easy to swing to the extremes when it comes to attitudes about spiritual warfare. One extreme is to basically ignore that it happens. The second is to emphasize it so much that it negates the power of God. We need to recognize that it exists so we can constantly be on alert for how we might fall prey to our own human, sinful tendencies, so we can rely on God to give us the strength to win over through His Spirit.
I have found that spiritual warfare within my own life has been a source of growth, knowledge through experience, and healing in my journey towards understanding God and becoming closer to Him and closer to who he created me to be. He has constantly continued to show His power over evil things I let into my life and became so entrenched that I didn't think I'd ever be free of them. He continually restores me closer towards His original intention of who He created me to be. He has given me knowledge through experience that has helped me walk beside people in my life through similar experiences and be a part of bringing them closer to Jesus.
Through the work of God in our own lives, through the internal wars that go on throughout our lives, God shapes us. He sharpens us, and softens us. He enables us to be a part of his plan in the lives of others as they journey closer to Him.
Grace Towards Others
Throughout it all, the important thing to remember is that just as God has given us all this through His grace and love, so we need to treat others with the same grace and love. We are not fighting against other people, regardless of whether they are followers of Jesus or not. It's easy to judge and put someone in a box when they lean towards an extreme attitude towards spiritual warfare, have differing beliefs, or speak incorrectly about spiritual warfare.
Our priority should be to pray for them, treat them with the same grace God's given us (after all, we could be the ones who are wrong!) and depending on the relationship with the person, challenge them about their attitudes in a spirit of love.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Stand firm against evil, but be filled with love and grace, let those guide your actions. Consistently be in prayer for fellow believers as we fight for the same causes, no matter how different our strategies may be.
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Others in the Discussion
Here's a list of the other SynchroBloggers participating on the discussion of Spiritual Warfare - I'm excited to see what other thoughts come out of this discussion...
Phil Wyman - Pagans, Witches, and Spiritual Warfare
John Smulo - Portraits of Spiritual Warfare
Mike Crockett - Sufism: How the Inner Jihad relates to Christian Spiritual Warfare
Steve Hayes - Thoughts on Spiritual Warfare
Marieke Schwartz - Grace in War
Cindy Harvey - Spiritual Warfare. (?)
Jenelle D'Allesandro - The Militancy of Worship
Mike Bursell - Spiritual Warfare: a liberal looking inwards
David Fisher - Spiritual Warfare: Does it have to be loud and wacky?
Brian Heasley - Something from Ibiza via Ireland
Webb Kline - Webb Kline
Sally Coleman - Sally Coleman
Mike Murrow - Mike Murrow
