Christian Family Services Ministry

1-31-2024 – A Word to the Wise – 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 quarter. Christian warriors need to understand God’s armory, strategies, and battle plans.

The reality of warfare and battlefields

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 Israel apply to spiritual warfare in the present.