Christian Family Services Ministry

5-5-2022 – A Word to the Wise – The present war in the Ukraine and Russia reminds us of the need to understand war from God’s perspective.

The Lord’s purpose for war is different from men’s or Satan’s.

Men wage war to avenge, kill, steal, and possess. War is Satan’s goal for mankind: to destroy, manipulate, and possess. But God wars to cleanse, protect, and serve. He uses war to inhibit the growth of evil. Men, in the end, align themselves with whom they wish.

Behavior on the battlefield is different from that on the Sunday-morning pew. The passage “as far as possible live in peace with all men” (Romans 12:18) does not apply to the battlefield. Turning the other cheek and “do unto others as you wish them do to you” are principles not practiced at the gates of hell (Matthew 5:39, 7:12). If one is to march into the very depth of Hades to rescue the perishing, then one best be armed with the finest fire protection available. One must be ready to use every weapon in God’s armory; ready to trade blow for blow with a fierce enemy who shows no mercy. Christian warriors need to understand God’s armory, strategies, and battle plans.

Few understand the depth of the conflict between Christians and Satan. The Enemy’s chief tactic is to blind people to the reality of warfare and the battlefields on which it occurs. Blindness prevents believers from becoming effective warriors. It obscures the battlefield and limits full utilization of God’s armory, tactics, and intelligence-gathering techniques. Offensive and defensive strategies are impossible to prepare under these circumstances.

A strong correlation exists between what takes place in physical combat and spiritual warfare. An understanding of the military campaigns found in God’s Word—how the Lord trained His warriors and the tactics employed—provides much insight into how to approach the spiritual struggles of the present. Often the tactics and training taught for physical warfare by God to ancient Israel apply to spiritual warfare in the present.

The origins of this material began with a lie. Most are aware that both the Lord and Satan place thoughts in our minds. The Lord’s purpose is to guide, test, direct and warn. Satan’s purpose if to tempt, confuse and terrorize. At the time of my marriage Satan planted the thought that my wife would die before we had been married twenty years. I believed it because of the terror of childhood and therefore interpreted life accordingly. Twenty years afterward, God revealed the truth. I was astounded; Satan had pulled a slick trick. How does one defeat such an enemy? My mind was filled with many questions after seeing the disaster he had created in my marriage by a simple believable lie. How does one fight insidious believable untruths? What weapons are available to defeat deceit? The questions continued in a never-ending flood but now with a slight change in direction. What weapons does God, and His warrior angels wield? What divine weapons are accessible to humans?

It is my belief that every Christian ought to examine biblical battles, geography, culture, religion, weapons, and attitudes to discern strategies for conducting warfare today. Principles of yesterday illuminate the paths of tomorrow. Knowledge about our Commander-in-Chief’s purposes and goals provides insight into how God intends to use each Christian in battles with the enemy. Preparation includes understanding the enemy’s tactics and weapons as well as God’s counter tactics. Training for military or spiritual assault is vital to ensuring victory. Passive acquiescence is acceptable for a civilian but deadly for the warrior.

It is important to recognize the strategies employed by the enemy. However, knowledge is of little importance if the skill is not incorporated into our behavior. Believe me, every Christian will at some point in their life find themselves in direct combat with the forces of evil. My marriage is in its 58th year, if Satan had his way it would have ended forty years ago.