Spiritual Warfare Lesson 1- Understanding the Battle...Continued from page 1

Part I:            
The Spiritual Battle

How do we know that there is a spiritual realm? If we cannot see it, should we believe in it? Many believers and unbelievers today do not want to “deal” with a world we cannot see when the world we do see is hard enough to “deal” with. Before we can discuss the spiritual battle, we have to believe in the spiritual realm. We have a tendency to act like a two year old child who closes her eyes and places a blanket over her head, really believing that no one can see her because she cannot see them. Just because we cannot see the spiritual realm does not mean it is not there. Keith Green, a Christian song writer, wrote, “I [Satan] used to have to sneak around. But now they just open their doors. No one’s looking for my tricks because no one believes in me any more.” However, if we choose to ignore or not believe in the spiritual realm, we will find ourselves confused, frustrated, and quenching the peace that God has promised to each of us. The best defense is a strong offense. Just educating ourselves about the spiritual realm is half the fight and God gives us everything else we need to be victorious with the other half.

Question 1: What words used in the verses below describe the spiritual realm and its invisible components?

Nehemiah 9:6

Luke 2:13, 15

Ephesians 6:12

Colossians 1:15-16      

According to Hebrews 11:3, what is required for us to believe?

What does that mean to you?

We all have an innate sense that there is more than what the eye can see. However, since we do not see it, we often fail to believe in it. If we do not believe in it, then we cannot  be aware of all that is going on, for and against us. Whether we choose to believe in the existence of spiritual beings and places does not change the fact of their existence and their activities. Let’s step back a minute to assess what we do believe. As Christians, it took faith to believe in Jesus Christ. We cannot see Him but we believe that He died on the cross for our sins. We believe that God raised Him from the dead and we believe that He alone is the source of our eternal salvation. All those beliefs are not physically seen by us today. We believe Jesus accomplished these things in the spiritual realm when He lived in the physical realm on earth. We know that we, too, need to believe in this physical realm to be welcomed into His spiritual realm. Thus, it is faith that confirms to our hearts that we will be going to a very real place called heaven some day. The Bible is filled with references to the heavenly realm or a place that is invisible to our eyes physically today, yet very real in its existence. We believe with the eyes of our heart, instead of with the eyes in our head. There have been others who were able to see with their physical eyes into the spiritual realm.

Question 2:  From the following Biblical examples, describe the scene. What is taking place in each situation?

2 Kings 6:11-17

Daniel 10:7-17

The stories above represent two different scenarios of activity that are taking place in the invisible realm around us. God allowed these men to bridge the gap in the physical realm to see into the spiritual realm. The Lord opened the eyes of Elisha's servant to see the host of God's army. His spiritual eyes were opened to see into the spiritual. And only Daniel saw the angel standing before him as everyone else felt the "terror" and fled from the scene. Daniel was granted an access to see, hear and speak spiritually, as he could communicate with the angel.         

These examples clearly demonstrate the workings of an invisible realm around us. The Lord is with us and provides for us through His angels as He chooses. The Lord loves us and protects us physically as He works it out spiritually. However, we must be extremely careful of not delving into this place with the wrong motives. The Bible explicitly warns against the practice of spiritual fascinations. Just as the agents of God exist in this invisible place, so do the agents of Satan. The demonic forces want to lure us into their deceptions of power and supernatural activities. Witchcraft, horoscopes and psychic phenomenon can seem innocent on the surface yet are a dangerous influence causing great harm to those who get involved.

Question 3: There are those who believe that fortune telling, horoscopes and ouija boards are harmless fun, but what does the Bible say?

Leviticus 19:26-31

b.     Deuteronomy 18:9-14

c.     Have you ever been involved or participated in these types of activities?                         
Discuss what happened and how it started.

We have learned in this first section that the spiritual realm, these invisible or unseen forces, is real. If we believe in Jesus Christ, then we believe that He died to conquer the works of the devil to set us free. There would have been no need to come to die for us if this is all there is. There are forces, both angelic and demonic, that are actively working around us. Jesus told us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. He told us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the work that God has purposed for us to accomplish, as His will is being worked out in our lives. But we do hit opposition. We need to understand that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers in the heavenly places. As we begin to get a revelation of the spiritual warfare, we will begin to understand how the enemy moves against us in the physical realm. Job is a perfect example of a spiritual conflict that was manifested in the physical form. Job was a real human being living here on earth, but the Bible gives us a clear look at what was happening concerning Job’s life in the spiritual realm. God looked upon Job as a righteous man but, because Satan wanted to prove God wrong, Job became the victim of Satan’s attacks. Job’s family, finances and home were destroyed and his health and friends turned against him. Job experienced very real physical and circumstantial conflicts because of the conflict in the spiritual realm. Job also became the victor because of his faithfulness to God in words and actions throughout the trial. His victory was spiritual, physical and material…on earth as it is in heaven.

In the next section, we need to examine more closely the Worldly Battle. Why is the planet or the world in a battle in the first place? What factors play a role in this battle in our physical lives? Is there anything that we can do on this large scale?