10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
The Lord gave me this topic after I asked Him what He wants me to say to His people. I looked at the flyer for the 24-hour prayer and fasting… 24 Hours of Power: Prayer and Fasting. And I looked at the text of the flyer, and the topics mentioned spiritual warfare and setting the enemy in flight. The Lord then told me that the topic of the message is “The Tools and The Authority to Engage In Warfare.” The Scripture that I read from Ephesians clearly outlines the tools that God has given us in order to effectively engage in Spiritual Warfare. God has equipped us to go into warfare against the enemy, and he has already given us the ultimate victory. But what I want to let you know is that not only has God given us the EQUIPMENT to engage in spiritual warfare, but he has given us the POWER to engage in spiritual warfare.
You see, you can have all of the tools at your disposal, but if you don’t know how to use them, then they won’t do you any good. Also, even if you know how to use the tools in front of you, but you don’t have the authority to go to war, then you won’t have the opportunity to put those tools into good use. In the natural realm, when we look at warfare, we look at two things: Do we have the equipment to go to war, and do we have the authority to go to war. I’m not going to get into the politics of what’s going on now, but I want you to understand that the tools of warfare and the authority of warfare go hand in hand. If a country felt that they had a right to go into warfare, but lacked the proper tools in order to carry out that plan, it would be a catastrophe. Also, if a group of soldiers decided to declare war without having the authority to do so, then they would be in a huge amount of trouble, wouldn’t you agree?
But in the realm of spiritual warfare, the rules of engagement are already in place. The Enemy has already made the first move, by rebelling against God and being cast out of Heaven! From that time on, the Enemy has been seeking to subvert and corrupt man, and to go against the very will of God. The enemy’s plan for us as Children of God has already been laid out in the Word. John 10:10 tells us “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” It doesn’t say that the thief has come to negotiate or to reason. It doesn’t say that the enemy is looking for a peaceful resolution. It doesn’t say that the enemy is looking to build. The enemy is looking to STEAL, TO KILL, AND TO DESTROY. But God has given us the power and the authority to claim the victory! God has given us the authority to not only DEFEND ourselves against the tools of the enemy, but to advance on enemy territory in the name of God the Father! We have the power of the mighty name of Jesus to advance on the enemy’s camp for the purpose of Kingdom-Building!
My pastor taught me that you are always doing one of three things in Spiritual Warfare: You’re either moving forward, standing still, or moving backwards. We don’t want to be in a position where we’re standing still, and we CERTAINLY don’t want to be in a position where the enemy is moving us backwards. That’s why it’s important for us to understand the TOOLS and the AUTHORITY that we have to go to war against the enemy – the POWER to engage in spiritual warfare! When we look at the tools laid out in Ephesians, we look at tools that equip us and protect us from head to toe! Everything from the Helmet of Salvation to having our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel, we have the equipment that we need. We have the authority by being Children of God. Jesus has given us the Great Mandate to go out into all the nations to preach the Gospel! Not only can I guarantee you, but most importantly, the WORD guarantees that when you go to war on behalf of the Kingdom, the Lord will not only be there for you, but he will move in a mighty way. You can do more with the power of God on your side than a superpower can accomplish with all of the weapons man can make! Psalm 91:2-7 says
“This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
The WORD says that these evils will not touch you! The WORD says that you will be protected! The WORD says that no matter what is happening around you, the weapons of the enemy will NOT touch you! Doesn’t the word say that “No weapon formed (or forged) against you shall prosper”? Yes it does! Psalm 18:29 says “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” The Word also tells us that when we go into warfare, the Lord is with us! In Deuteronomy 20:4, the Bible tells us “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you the victory.” And speaking of enemies, that’s something that’s important in spiritual warfare! Remember, the PERSON that does wrong against you isn’t your enemy. The person that tries to harm you isn’t your enemy. As Christians, we have only ONE enemy, one foe, one adversary! The gang members and drug dealers, they aren’t the enemies! We advance on the enemy’s territory when we turn those who perceive themselves as OUR enemies into friends! When we bring that drug dealer, that gangbanger, that sinner to Christ, we send the enemy fleeing! When we witness to the communities, and when we are active in the business of Kingdom-building, all of that is part of spiritual warfare! Remember, the Lord is with us, so we don’t have to worry, we don’t have to fear! The Word tells us that God did not give us a spirit of timidity or fear, but a spirit of power!
Don’t you know that when you go out on Kingdom Business, God sends heavenly hosts to protect you? In 2 Kings 6:15-17, the Word tells about a servant of the prophet Elisha, who was with Elisha as Israel was at war with another kingdom. This servant saw all of the enemy’s forces surrounding the city, but he didn’t know what Elisha knew. This servant didn’t know that Elisha served a God who provides! This servant didn’t know that Elisha already had the victory! The servant was afraid, because of what he saw in the natural realm. But we serve a God who operates in the Spiritual Realm! Elisha serves a God who operates in the Spiritual Realm, and Elisha already knew what time it was! You know the phrase “If you knew what I know…”? If the servant knew what Elisha knew, then he wouldn’t have been afraid! If the servant knew what Elisha knew, he would’ve known that God was with them! The servant asked what they were going to do, and Elisha gave the servant a glimpse of the spiritual realm! Verses 16 and 17 read “Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Let me say that again: He looked and saw hills FULL OF HORSES and CHARIOTS OF FIRE all around Elisha! As you can see, you don’t have to worry about how many obstacles the enemy places in front of you. You don’t have to worry about being outnumbered when you’re in spiritual warfare!
The King James Version of Isaiah 59:19 says “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.” Regardless of what the enemy tries to throw at you, you already have the victory! The Lord has already told us that He will never leave us, nor forsake us!
As we continue in this time of fasting and prayer, we must remember that we are moving FORWARD in spiritual warfare! When we call upon the name of Jesus, we are moving FORWARD in Kingdom-building! The Bible tells us that even demons know the name of Jesus, and they shudder, and they tremble at that name! Because we call upon the name of Jesus, we have the authority to use that name in our lives! We have the authority to use His name for healing! We have the authority to use his name for salvation! We have the authority to use his name because God has given us that name!
Remember, saints of God… if God has given you a VISION, he has given you the PROVISIONS to see it through. The enemy wants you to rely on the way things look in the natural realm, but you serve Jehovah Jireh, God the Provider! You serve Jehovah Nissi, God our Banner! You serve Jehovah Sabbaoth, the Lord of Hosts! You serve Jehovah Shammah, The Omnipresent Lord! You serve Jehovah El Shaddai, the Lord Our Supplier! You serve Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our Healer! You serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! You serve the Great I Am! And even in the realm of spiritual warfare, you serve Jehovah Shalom, God our Peace! It’s HIS peace that will sustain us, and comfort us! It’s HIS peace that allows us to boldly proclaim His name! It’s the peace, and the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that gives us the power to endure, the power to sacrifice, the power to be obedient, the power to fast, the power to pray, and the power to go into higher heights and deeper depths of praise and meditation, and that mediation leads to higher heights and deeper depths of worship! And when we humble ourselves before the Lord, and boldly proclaim his name, we can show that we have the tools and the authority to go into spiritual warfare, and we will know that the victory is already won!
