Week 4 – Spiritual Warfare Devotional by Pastor Mark Cowart
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 NKJV
Ultimately what Satan is trying to stop with his attacks is the spread of the gospel, the good news of Christ reconciling us to God. He stands in the way, at every opportunity, of the Church getting the message to every nation, tribe and tongue. The Great Commission is why the Church exists.
The Gospel of salvation is not only New Testament. It goes all the way back to the old covenant. It’s been called the “metanarrative” of the Bible. It is the theme that runs throughout the entirety of scripture. Hitting the high points, we see the fall of man, the dominion of Satan, the redemption by Christ and, before He left the earth, He gave us the Great Commission. This last phase is where we are now. It is a CO-mission with God, an assignment that He has given us, that we cannot do without Him. The words of Christ which we call The Great Commission are recorded in all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as in the book of Acts.
I like how the account in Mark individualizes The Great Commission by referring to every living person. Then the Lord goes on to say about each individual, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Critically important consequences.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:17-18 KJV
Counterfeit or illegitimate spiritual authority will never overcome Satan.
We must be discerning what is true, what is genuine versus what is not. This is basic spiritual warfare, recognizing what is spiritual and what is fleshly. As we are submitted and attuned to the Word of God, we develop this discernment. Following after the Lord and obeying the Word, being led by the Holy Spirit is automatically effective spiritual warfare. Your very life is an act of war against Satan, because when you walk in the Spirit, the enemy can’t touch you. In Luke 4, when Jesus read from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth and proclaimed His mission, the people tried to grab Him and throw Him off a cliff, but the scripture says, “…passing through the midst of them, He went His way.” He still had things to do.
And so do we. There are billions of people still on planet earth who have not heard the message of salvation.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 NKJV
At Church for All Nations, we teach in our “growth track” series of three classes, that the above passage means our “Jerusalem” is Colorado Springs, our “Judea” is our state, and “Samaria” is the marginalized subcultures that isolate people. We are sent to reach people in all these areas. The “end of the earth” refers to the unreached people groups all over the globe. There are estimated to still be more than 7,000 of them. We are charged to reduce that number continually. The last verse of the book of Mark tells us how that is done.
And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Mark 16:20 KJV
Some of the most important spiritual warfare goes on in the heart of the disciple in the battle to continue to follow Christ and work effectively for the kingdom. This is the struggle against the powers of darkness to maintain that relationship and the attitude required to overcome.
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
John 8:31 KJV
In America, we have not had to pay the price to continue in His word, to follow Christ, that some have in other countries. In Acts 1:8 above where it says, “…you shall be my witnesses…”, the Greek word is martys, from which comes the word martyr. He knew there would be forces arrayed against the believer to exact a high cost.
In India, for example, a person who desires water baptism must register with the courts and state he has not been pressured to take this step. It goes on record that this individual is a born-again believer, and severe persecution will follow. Many times one’s own family comes against their conversion with rejection and even violence. Elements within the wider community as well get stirred up to come after them, oftentimes causing loss of freedom, property or life.
What goes on in the mind and emotions of the believer through these trials? The battle to stand in faith is continual.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. I John 4:4 NIV
One such believer was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor in Nazi Germany who was imprisoned and eventually executed for his witness. He said, “Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” The Lord Himself laid down His life, and He’s calling us to lay down our lives when it comes to it.
Bonhoeffer went on to state, “Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it, a man will go and sell all that he has.” Each of must fight through the distractions and wrong priorities that keep us from this precious communion with Christ in us. This is spiritual warfare.
For in him we live, and move, and have our being…. Acts 17:28a KJV
Here’s where we start. As the Lord taught Martha and Mary in Luke chapter 10, being in His presence is more important that doing stuff for Him. We always have to ask ourselves, “Am I spending time with the Lord? Am I receiving sustenance from the Vine? Am I consuming God’s Word as my daily bread?”
Beyond this, we must also learn to be continually thankful, to avoid offense and forgive readily. All these are essential to move forward in spiritual warfare. The final segment of this study will go into more depth on these disciplines.
Father, I pray that you would quicken the Word I have heard here, that you would make it come alive in me. Thank you that we are fighting from a place of victory, seated with Christ in the heavenly places. Lord, continue to impart to me everything I need concerning spiritual warfare, in Jesus Name. Amen.
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