My name is Jerry Lintz. For those of you who don’t know me, I am a www.debtfreelegacy.com team member and graduate of the 7 week small group program. During the course, I found the most enlightening aspect of “7 weeks +” to be the extent to which the spirit world not only affects our financial situation, but also influences all aspects of our daily existence. And, since Bill Sitter and I have been searching for my role as a fellow servant in this wonderful ministry, I have decided to begin a series of articles on spiritual warfare.
For those of you who may be new to the concept of spiritual warfare, let me make something abundantly clear…IF YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN BATTLING AGAINST THE POWERS OF DARKNESS, THEN YOU ARE LOSING A VERY IMPORTANT WAR!!!
Let there be no mistake. There IS a battle going on around us. We may not be able to see, smell, or touch it, but rest assured it is occurring even as you read this. And this fight is not only between God Almighty and the god of this world (Satan). Oh no, this battle involves each and every one of us: both those that are lost; and especially, those of us who belong to Christ.
How can I be so sure of this you ask? Well, the Bible is our primary source of intelligence information, or “intel” where Paul tells us in Eph_6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (KJV) Notice, Paul does not say we might, or we may wrestle. Also, please note Paul doesn’t say we will wrestle, or even we have wrestled. Paul’s phraseology erases any doubt concerning the nature and scope of this WARFARE. It is ongoing, it is personal, it occurs in the spiritual realm, and if you belong to Christ, it is aimed directly at YOU!!! So please don’t be deceived into thinking that just because you’re not actively engaged in ministry, or that because you’re saved the battle is over for you. Now, I believe that if we are going to be in a war, we should learn as much as we can about this war, train our hearts and minds to function in the face of fear, and equip ourselves to the extent possible in order to be the warriors our Captain and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ desires us to be.
Therefore, in future articles, it is my intent to use the Bible to first educate you about the identity, nature, and tactics of our enemy. Then, I plan to show how we can train our hearts and minds to recognize and counteract the “wiles of the enemy”. Finally, I will show how we can start each day by equipping ourselves with the whole “armor of God” and then “gird our loins” for battle so that we are constantly prepared for the attacks that will undoubtedly assail us as we go about our everyday lives.
So please join me next week as we learn about our enemies and prepare for battle in a war we cannot afford to lose. (If you’d like a hint as to our primary enemies’ identity, please see I Peter 5:8). In the meantime please use this prayer form the pages of “7 weeks +” to begin preparing for victory:
“In the mighty Name of Jesus Christ, and in accordance with God’s Word, we take authority over Satan and all his demonic forces that try to come against us. We are God’s children, protected by the blood of Jesus, and we declare that you – devil – were defeated at the cross and at the grave of Jesus and you remain defeated. Your weapons will not succeed or prosper. So we command you to take your hands off in Jesus’ Mighty name! And all God’s people said…Amen!”