Ministering: Pastor Seyi Osanyinbi
By way of introducing this topic, we need to realize that the kingdom of God cannot move forward without warfare. So at a time like this, we are just beginning to see how real the warfare will play out. Many believers were afraid to meet because the government told us not to due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their faith and commitment was exposed even though this is not yet the tribulations that Jesus spoke about. By way of reminder, at the beginning of the teaching on warfare of the kingdom, we looked at different spheres where we will be required to fight as believers in order to establish the kingdom.Looking at the instruction of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew 28:16-20, it is clear that it is an instruction to commence an invasion. It was a charge to “go into the world”!You must understand that preaching is an instrument of the invasion.We will be fighting the enemy with the instrumentality of preaching the gospel.The land that we have been called to invade are the hearts of men. This makes us both a sower and awarrior and we need God to help us come into an accurate balance of our expression. We have the sword on one hand and the gospel on the other (Nehemiah 4:13). Note that you cannot go to war without the word. As we go out, we will confront two basic types of oppositions, devils and diseases.
Two things are clear if we must carry out the mandate that Jesus gave the church; first, we will confront devils and second, we must heal the sick. You must also understand how to practice personal protection spiritually i.e. drinking deadly things and not be hurt. The earlier we prepare for the oppositions, the better for us. Observe that in Luke 10:1-17-Jesus sent them out giving them authority over demons and diseases. In verse 19, serpent and scorpion talk of demons not natural entities. Although we cannot cover the whole spectrum of demonology, we can however get a little understanding on the subject.
Many sorcerers have entered into the church and we cannot discern them. They have had a field day because no one has challenged them, either out of fear or ignorance.We have come to a place where we deny the existence of demons. We live in a time when people pay no attention to the activities of the devil and nothing pays the enemy more than to know you do not agree he exists or that you are afraid of confronting him.
Isaiah 14:4-14– This is the story of satan when he fell. His desire was to be set above the angelic hosts and seat on the same throne like God. Satan had the designation, sun of the morning which means he had something to do with light. That means he had something to do with wisdom. He was birthed by light Himself. But he is not addressed in the New Testament to have power especially after the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In Ezekiel 28:11-19 – That Satan was said to be perfect does not mean he was the most powerful. He understood the meaning and power of God’s anointing because he was once anointed. Lucifer at creation was given charge over certain part of creation. He was meant to teach heavenly beings the knowledge of God (Verse 15) which was associated with light. The iniquity found in him was pride. Lucifer began to think highly of himself. He introduced business, which only thrives where there is scarcity. He created a problem of lack and abundance which reveals that Satan’s primary assignment is to destroy the nations with greed (Matthew 6:30-32).
Isaiah 14:13
At this point, satan was not in heaven though he was the sun of the morning. There had been two earlier conflicts in heaven; the first involved the fight among angels of God and those in support of Lucifer when they were pushed out of the Heaven and satan removed from his position as head of the earth (Isaiah 14:12-14). The second destroyed everything in the solar system (Revelation 12:7). In the book of Genesis, Satan was introduced as the serpent and in the book of Revelation as the dragon. He has grown by feeding on dust (humans). Although he was cast into the earth, we have not seen him physically on earth. He has been in the heavenlies or the second heaven. He rules in that realm which he occupies.
Ephesians 6:10-12
In our conflict with him, we were admonished to put on the whole armor of God. This is the armor of God which He uses proving that He is a warrior. He is not asking us to use what He has not used. Note this; it takes only God to defeat the devil. You also need to be aware that you cannot go to war and assume there will be no injury or casualty. Men who are afraid of death don’t make good soldiers. Warriors love not their lives unto death. No matter how short or long you fight, you must contribute your own quota.
To “wrestle” gives an impression of hand to hand combat. The fight is not going to be fair and you must learn to fight multiple forces at the same time. It is a continuous fight. You may even be at war with them and not know because they are not flesh and blood.
Matthew 4:8-10
In looking at how Jesus fought against these spirits, we may begin to have an idea how the enemy of the kingdom will likely confront us too. Here we see him leverage of Jesus legitimate desires to entrap Him. And we need to understand that there are legitimate desires but how you get them is the issue. Jesus is worthy to be worshipped because he paid the price to get it. At a point in our lives, Satan will offer us alternatives. He is allowed to use anything lawful and unlawful to tempt you. He is looking for your weakness to exploit. He will use everything possible against you. You can only stand against him by taking the whole armor. The word of God is the beginning and the end of God’s armour. Every portion of the armor is God’s word.
Ephesians 2: 1-3; 6:12
There are different forces to fight with. The course of this world was designed by a fallen prince called the prince of the power of the air and aided by principalities. These are powerful entities with a command structure. There are also rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. There are different kinds of demons and there are different manifestations.