10 Principles of Spiritual Warfare

 

Here are 10 principles of spiritual warfare from Matthew 16 to 20. Matthew 16 is the passage where Jesus challenges the Devil right before Mt Hermon. Mt Hermon was the mountain upon which the fallen angels were supposed to have descended when they came to earth. It was the mountain upon which Baal was supposed to have his house built. It was a place of deep and dark idolatry and pagan rituals going back into ancient times. And in Jesus' day there were temples to Pan, a clear demonic figure, and Augustus at the base of the mountain. This is the mountain in front of which Peter declares Jesus is the Son of the Living God, and it is very likely the mountain upon which Jesus was transfigured. And it is the mountain in front of which Jesus says that he will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So, considering the significance of this passage and what comes after it, here are 10 principles of spiritual warfare from Matthew 16 to 20.

1. Faith and Trust in God: Jesus emphasizes the importance of faith, even as small as a mustard seed, to overcome obstacles and challenges. Trusting in God's power is crucial in spiritual warfare.

In Matthew 17:14-20 the disciples encounter a demon that they cannot deal with. Their problem is that they looked not to Jesus, but to themselves. You cannot defeat evil if you look to yourself. Sam and Dean might be able to take on demons with rock salt and a special colt .45 in Supernatural, but in real life our only chance to overcome spiritual evil is Jesus.

2. Discernment and Awareness: Jesus warns His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, highlighting the need for spiritual discernment and awareness of false teachings.

False teaching is not a minor issue, it is an issue of first importance. The Pharisees had so corrupted God’s word that they had created a whole new religion that was not from God (cf. Matt. 15). Jesus warns the disciples to be careful not to allow the false teachings of legalism or adding to scripture to come into their approach to God’s word, because if they do, you will start to make converts into children of hell, just like the Pharisees did. False teaching is a key strategy of the evil one for doing damage in the church.

3. Authority in Christ: Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, signifying the authority given to believers to bind and loose on earth as it is in heaven.

Catholics like to argue that because Peter was given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that he was the first head of the church, and this authority was passed down by the laying on of hands throughout the generations in the seat of the Pope and in the council of cardinals and bishops.

That is one way to read this passage.

Another is that God has given his authority to the leaders in the church, and to Christians, to work against evil in this world. It was not just Peter who cast out demons, Paul did, and so did other Apostles. We see ordinary Christians doing miracles in the book of Acts, not just the Apostles. It is better to read this passage as saying that authority exists in the church to bind and loose (this is confirmed in Matt. 18). Christians have authority, in the name of Jesus, to oppose spiritual evil, and to set the captives free. Is that not what we do when we proclaim the gospel, pray for healing, and pray for people to liberated from evil, both of a spiritual and human source? Do not all Christians have authority, in Jesus name, to take the message that the devil is to be bound and his captives are to be set free, to all peoples?

We must recognize that we have authority in Christ to oppose evil, not because of who we are, but because of his presence in our lives.

4. Prayer and Fasting: Some manuscripts mention that certain kinds of demons can only be cast out through prayer and fasting, underscoring the importance of these spiritual disciplines in warfare.

We have to rely on prayer in the Lord, and true and spiritual fasting to oppose evil. This means we need to seek God continually. You may be facing battles in your life that you do not even realize are spiritual. Bring them to God. You may be facing them and seeking to resist evil in your own strength. Lean on God.

Fasting is first and foremost understood in the Bible to be abstaining from food. But it can be anything else as well. It can also be giving up of yourself to bless the poor, as we read in Isaiah 58. Learning to lean on God rather than our flesh is vital in spiritual warfare. 

5. Humility and Childlike Faith: Jesus teaches that humility and childlike faith are essential for entering the kingdom of heaven, which is a vital principle in spiritual warfare.

The centurion in Matthew 8 had childlike faith and humility. He knew he was not worthy of Jesus’ presence. But he also knew that in his mercy Jesus could do all things, and so he humbly came before Jesus to seek his mercy and power.

We are like little children before our Lord. This is partly why I chose my domain name for my blog many years ago to be young gospel minister. Psalm 119 asks how can a young man keep his way pure? I reasoned that compared to God we will also be young and dependent on him. It feels kind of silly to have the website address young gospel minister as I tick over 41 years of age. But spiritually speaking we are to come to the Lord like children, and humbly recognize our continual need for him. To do otherwise makes us vulnerable to spiritual attack. 

6. Forgiveness and Mercy: The parable of the unforgiving servant highlights the importance of forgiveness and mercy, which are powerful tools in spiritual warfare.

Lack of forgiveness gives the devil a foothold. The devil makes light work of the proud. He also makes light work of the resentful and bitter, which are both just outworkings of being proud. A person who is quick to forgive is someone who is quick to dodge many attacks of the devil. Do not dwell on how you have been wronged, but dwell on how merciful God has been to you, though you wronged him. This weakens the devil's grasp. 

7.     Self-Denial and Sacrifice: Jesus calls His disciples to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him, emphasizing the need for self-denial and sacrifice in spiritual warfare.

At the core of evil is selfishness. We slay evil by resisting selfishness. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24-26,

“24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

What do you call a kid that gets everything they ever wanted? Spoilt. Self denial is key to not being spoilt rotten. The devil will seek to stoke up your selfishness. If he succeeds he has you.

8.     Resisting Temptation: Jesus warns about the dangers of temptation and the necessity to resist it, even if it means making significant sacrifices.

Many things will come into this world to cause people to stumble, Jesus tells us this. But woe to those who bring them in. When Jesus says it is better to lose things in this life than to go to hell whole, he is using shock value to get across the truth that sin is deadly. The devil will use the seven deadly sins to try and tempt you to destroy yourself. He does not need to use his power against you. He can just bring a beautiful young and promiscuous woman along your path. He can just convince you to tell a little lie. He can show you the pleasures of the world.

Don’t fall for it. This world will fade, but those who resist evil will abide forever with the Lord.

9. Unity and Agreement: Jesus teaches that when two or three are gathered in His name, He is among them, highlighting the power of unity and agreement in spiritual warfare.

The church was designed to exist under the most antichristian circumstances. This is why the power of Jesus can be present when simply two or three gather in his name. Jesus says this in the context of church discipline. But there is surely a wider application, that when you gather in Jesus name and agree in Jesus name, you make spiritual statements that send shockwaves through the spiritual world of evil. We are no meant to resist evil alone. But if we stand in Christ together, then we can resist very effectively.

10. Service and Sacrifice: Jesus emphasizes that true greatness comes from serving others and sacrificing for their well-being, which is a key principle in spiritual warfare.

Service and leadership are not mutually exclusive. A leader who serves is not someone who lets themselves be pushed around. It is someone who leads with the authority given to them, to make the right decisions that are necessary, for the good of those they lead. They lead for the benefit of others, not themselves. This is how Jesus lived and led. 

Servant leadership in the home does not mean men should defer to their wives. It means they lead in the way that will best serve Christ’s agenda for their wives and their families. 

Servant leadership in the church does not mean that a pastor just bows before the pressure of others. It means that he makes the right calls that will move his church towards the goal of righteousness, and he takes the flack that comes from that.

Service and sacrifice are necessary for leadership to be good and true. They we also necessary for us to effectively work against evil together. If you are not willing to serve or to sacrifice then evil will run rampant. Every one wants to be a Queen in Hollywood, that is why Hollywood is the opposite of righteousness to its core. In the church it is everyones job to point people to Jesus as the king, to model his way of life, and in this way we make ourselves a bulwark against evil in this world. 

We will build on these themes in future articles. Bless you all, draw unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.