AFTER WWII THE U.S. AIR FORCE hired a tribe of pigmy Philippinos, called Negritos, to guard Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. After several years the base commander fired the Negritos replacing them with G.I.s. The Negritos felt insulted. They knew they could do a better job.
After about a week the Negrito chief asked the base commander to inspect the shoes of the men that guarded the base. Each sole had a white chalk mark. The American guards were so bad, and the Negritos were so good, that the Negritos were able to chalk their shoes completely unnoticed.
Spiritual warfare is similar. Unless you understand the Devil’s wiles, his tactics, and his ways, he will clandestinely mark your soul with temptation, deception, and pain, and you will be completely unaware of the source. Your ignorance of his wiles can result in great pain.
God has embedded us in an unseen spiritual world. You and I make contact with the hordes of darkness every day. In fact some reading this are in contact right now—and like the Air Force guards, are completely unaware. Our spiritual enemies have one goal: to provoke unbelief, to distract us from a single-minded devotion to Christ, to separate us from God, and ultimately to haul us away into eternal conscious torment. Paul realized this. Here is how he described our opponent.
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Ephesians 6:10-13
Paul is concerned. He understands the spiritual warfare that swirls around us 24×7. His admonition comes at the end of a long exhortation about marriage, parenting, serving masters, etc. This warning about spiritual warfare then follows. (If you or I were writing Ephesians would any of us have thought spiritual warfare this important)? Yes, the flesh is our fundamental problem, but Paul knows it is bigger than that. We can’t conduct successful marriage, parenting, or work relations without knowing why and how to conquer evil spirits.
Counseling Weakness
I am most thankful for the contemporary biblical counseling movement. It has replaced secular therapy and psychology with counseling directly from the Bible. This approach is much needed. However, this movement has one weakness. Although theoretically, it believes in spiritual warfare, practically it gives little attention to Satan’s activity in the Christian life. It is as if our only obstacle to spiritual progress is the flesh. Are we like the Air Force guards constantly and unknowingly marked by spiritual negritos? I believe we are. Therefore, it is crucial that we know how evil spirits attack us and how can we fight them?
For those truly born again, the Devil’s goal is to make your life as miserable as possible. If this is true, there is only one logical response. Don’t be passive. Don’t be ignorant. Rather, as vs 10 advises, “Be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might.”
The Enemy
The symbols scripture uses to describe our Adversary are most alarming. His name, Satan, just means “adversary.” Scripture also calls him a “Serpent” (Genesis 3). It describes him as a great Red Dragon (Revelation 12), a Roaring Lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5), the Ruler of this World (John 12), the Prince of the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2), Prince of Darkness (Matthew 9), Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies (Matthew 12), etc. The descriptors are vivid. They speak of aggression, power, tearing, killing, devouring, and all in the context of darkness.
Therefore, the apostle Paul warns us. “We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.” This means we have a powerful, crafty, intelligent spiritual enemy. Again the nouns Paul uses are vivid, and alarming—“rulers, authorities, cosmic powers.” Because his goal is your physical and spiritual death Paul doesn’t want us to take him lightly.
The Conflict
For these reasons Paul encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might…take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day.” Practically, what does this look like? How do we “withstand” them? To fight effectively we must understand the nature of the conflict, our weapons, and how to fight. The conflict is about truth. It is a war of words or ideas. That is why the Bible constantly refers to God’s word as a sword.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
We use swords for fighting and killing. God’s word is a sword. It is the word of truth. Our conflict is spiritual, not material. It is a war of ideas and concepts.
This implies that the Devil also has a sword—lies, untruth, deception, exaggeration, and distortion. He also uses his sword to kill. Note how Jesus connects our adversary with murder and lies.
“Your father the devil…was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44
The Devil kills with lies. But God’s sword is the word of truth. It puts lies to death. It kills exaggeration. It slays distortion and deception. This is how we conquer the Evil One. We brandish the lie-destroying sword of truth.
Face To Face
Our conflict is not theoretical. It is not waged from a distance. It is face-to-face, experiential, and intimate. If you don’t understand how it works the spiritual Negritos might get you. Satan wields his sword three ways—through culture, friends and acquaintances, and by speaking thoughts directly into our minds.
Unless you understand the Devil’s wiles, his tactics, and his ways, he will clandestinely mark your soul with temptation, deception, and pain, and you will be completely unaware of the source
First, Satan speaks through the world. Three times Jesus called Satan “the Prince of this World.” That means he is the Mastermind behind secular culture. He lies through T.V., podcasts, social media, Hollywood, Civil Government, the News Media, and our educational institutions. Therefore, be careful about that to which you watch and listen.
Second, Satan speaks to us through acquaintances and family members. After Jesus predicted his coming death, Peter dissuaded him, “far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you.” But Jesus turned on Peter and addressed the real source of his words. “Get behind me Satan. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man” (Matthew 16:22-23). This means the Devil will speak to you through others, and tragically, he will also speak to others through you.
Third, Satan inserts thoughts into our minds. He leads “our thoughts astray” (2 Cor. 11:3), and inserts “lies into our hearts” (John 13:2). His goal is either our self-hatred or our self-worship. Either suits his purposes. “God doesn’t love you. You are a failure. your future is hopeless. people don’t like you.” Or, maybe the opposite. “You are really special. There is no one else like you. You are above the rules. They don’t apply to you. You are so special that you need to push yourself forward. Eventually, others will acknowledge your remarkable gifts.” He motivates bitterness and wounded feelings, and he convinces you that you have a right to feel this way. He promotes selfish ambition, jealousy, greed, and insecurity and then convinces you that you are justified to feel this way.
How do we discern our natural thoughts from those of evil spirits? Satan’s servants are pushy. They don’t take no for an answer. When you try to reject his suggestions you will be met with resistance. The temptation keeps coming and coming. It can even turn into”torment” (1 Samuel 16:14, Acts 16:16-18), all the while you are not recognizing the source. You think its just your thoughts. You’re having a bad day. You are suffering under some kind of inward compulsion. The way to wage war against him is direct confrontation.
First, confess the sin. Let’s say you are plagued with anxiety. Anxiety is really always fear. What am I afraid of losing or gaining? The cause of my fear/anxiety is always some idol. It has power to oppress me because I believe it can do for me what only God can do—provide ultimate happiness. Maybe I’m afraid of gaining or losing a relationship, my reputation, and asset, physical death, disease, the approval or disapproval of someone.
Therefore, the first step in the battle is repentance. “Father, forgive me for idolatry. Forgive me for expecting _______ to give me what only you can. Repantance is the first step in breaking the power an evil spirit has over you.
The second step is dominion. Confront him. Speak to him directly. “In Jesus’ name, I command this lying spirit to leave me at once.” Then we draw God’s sword from the scabbard. “The truth is ____________.” Sometimes we need to persist in this for a few minutes, but when the evil spirit gives up you will experience immediate metal peace, relief, and calm.
Satan can’t stand against the truth of God’s word. An American friend who spoke Spanish was praying with a Hispanic woman who knew no English. To encourage her he quoted 1 Peter 5:8-9. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” Amazingly, an evil spirit spoke out of the woman perfect English. “Don’t say that to me. I hate it. It pierces me. It pierces me.” This is how God’s word affects evil spirits. It pierces them. It is the “sword of the Spirit.” It pains them. It hurts them. From it they run and hide.
The Sword
God’s word is your sword. It is your only offensive weapon against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,” and without it, we are helpless victims. Do you take it seriously? Do you understand the ways of Satan? Are you waging spiritual warfare, or are you a passive victim?
When we listen to sermons on Sunday morning, God is taking his sword from his scabbard. When we read our Bibles in daily devotions, we are polishing and sharpening God’s sword. When we conduct family devotions, on behalf of our children and spouses, we are brandishing God’s sword in the face of the Adversary.
So, here is the vital question. Are you doing this? Are you using God’s weapon? Or are you like the passive Air Force Guards unknowingly disabled by silent, stealthy spiritual Negritos?
“Resist him firm in your faith”(1 Peter 5:9).
“Resist the Devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
