Courage Wins!

Jesus School of Spiritual Warfare is so much fun AND so educational. You know, the Bible is replete with images of war. The history of Israel is a history of battle, victories and defeats, conquering and being conquered and all revolving around the dedication of a people’s souls to The One True God. When the heart of a nation is surrendered to God, they are an unbeatable force. However, when the heart of a nation is not surrendered to God they have no power over their enemies and other nations (powers) rule over them.

It is only when we come to Jesus that we see the truth. In Jesus the curtain is pulled back and the mysteries are revealed. Only in Jesus do we begin to see that what is really happening in life is all about the battle of dominions in the spirit world.

This is difficult for us to grasp because our minds are trained to look at only what we can see and interpret life with only the natural, logical side of our being. But functioning from the basis of our natural mind is like living in an unenlightened condition. And without knowing the world we see is more spiritual than it is natural we walk away from the enlightenment of Jesus and what we are left with is only darkness.

About Jesus, the apostle John wrote, “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came to His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to those who believe on His name: Which were born not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, BUT OF GOD”, John 1:4-5, 10-13.

John is the same one who teaches us, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship (serve) Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John is adept, if we will listen to him, at explaining to us that the coming of Jesus and His kingdom is not a kingdom like the natural kingdoms of this world, but it is an invisible kingdom that is not of this dimension. He is explaining to us that Jesus kingdom is of the spirit dimension and those who serve God must operate out of that dimension instead of the dimension of the five senses.

This is one reason so many who followed the prophecies concerning Christ missed the fact that the long awaited Deliverer was standing right among them, staring them in the face. They had assumed (wrongly) that Christ was coming to establish a kingdom like all the other kingdoms around them reminiscent of the days of king David and Solomon. They assumed the power of life was in the natural realm and missed the truth that the true power of life emanates from the invisible world of the spiritual. They were unenlightened.

Again it is John who tells us about Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by cover of night so as not to be seen by anyone, and to talk with Jesus, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said to Him, ‘Teacher, we know you are a teacher COME FROM GOD: for no man can do THESE MIRACLES that You do, except God be with Him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Listen very carefully to what I am about to say to you. Except a man be BORN AGAIN, he cannot see (perceive) THE KINGDOM OF GOD.’ Nicodemus then said to Him, ‘How can a man be BORN AGAIN when he is old? Can he climb back into his mothers womb and be born a second time?’ Jesus answered, ‘Listen very carefully to what I am about to say to you. Except a man be born of water AND OF THE SPIRIT, he cannot ENTER (go into and out of, actively participate in) THE KINGDOM OF GOD. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You MUST BE BORN AGAIN.’ The wind blows wherever it CHOOSES, and you hear the sound of it, but you can’t tell from where it originated or where it is going after it disappears: So is every one that is BORN OF THE SPIRIT.”

So, the message of Jesus is a message of spirit. The power of Jesus is a power exercised in the heavenly or spirit dimension against the evil that is present there, as well as bringing forth into the earth the beauty and blessings of heaven. Being born again is being born by the Holy Spirit into a dimension of spirit where powers that control this physical world are constantly at work. If a person is unwilling to operate in life from the spirit level, they cannot actively participate with Jesus in the true work of His spiritual kingdom.

This is why Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world: If My kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight…but now is my kingdom not of this world”, John 18:36.

But yet we have every indication that those who are of Jesus kingdom are indeed engaged in a fight of extreme intensity. We find the fight we are engaged in is a continuation of the war that began before the foundation of the world and it is between the invisible powers of God who is rich in life, goodness, abundance and love, and spiritual darkness who’s dimension is death, destruction, diminishing and hatred. God who is all life and has no limit of being is found abundantly giving, giving, giving, whereas the darkness, which is the opposite, exists in its being by sucking out the life of other beings and is always stealing, stealing, stealing. These are the invisible powers at work, ALL OF THE TIME, influencing lives and histories here in the visible screen of life.

The apostle Paul was crystal clear on the nature of the war when he admonished, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS IN HIGH PLACES”, Ephesians 6:12.

So there is a war, but it is not for the destruction of other people, it is a war for the salvation of people and it is fought on a level that is far beyond any natural means. But a war just as real it is, and it is against sworn enemies just as real as any ever in existence. But often our confusion is in the fact that THEY CAN’T BE SEEN because they are indeed spirit and this becomes a huge disadvantage to us when we take our eyes off this fact.

The apostle Paul had trained himself to view things ALWAYS on the spiritual level. As an apostle and a warrior/servant of the supernatural kingdom of Jesus, Paul knew what it was like to be involved in MAJOR CONFLICT with the opposing supernatural powers.

Listen to this, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe it, lest THE LIGHT OF THE GLORIOUS GOSPEL OF CHRIST SHOULD SHINE INTO THEM…For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in (our) earthen vessels; THAT THE EXCELLENCY OF THE POWER may be of God and not of us. WE ARE TROUBLED ON EVERY SIDE, yet NOT DISTRESSED, WE ARE PERPLEXED, but NOT IN DESPAIR; PERSECUTED (pursued with the intent of doing one harm), but NOT FORSAKEN; CAST DOWN, but NOT DESTROYED…For which cause WE FAINT NOT; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is RENEWED DAY BY DAY. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more excessive and eternal weight of glory; WHILE WE LOOK NOT AT THE THINGS THAT ARE SEEN, BUT AT THE THINGS THAT ARE UNSEEN: FOR THE THINGS THAT ARE SEEN ARE TEMPORARY; BUT THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN ARE ETERNAL”, 2nd Corinthians 4:3-18.

Paul, and the vast number of believers in the early church, faced the realities of spiritual warfare. In their conversion and undying allegiance to Jesus Christ, they had unleashed a conflict on earth, striking at the heart of control in the supernatural realms, with the intent of overthrowing the god of this world and establishing the new world supernatural order of the kingdom of God in earth.

What is it with us? Do we not think that there would be a backlash on the highest order toward those who would dare to deliver the planet from supernaturally evil forces? Do we not get the realness of what we have involved ourselves in with this Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the living God, the Jewish child born of a virgin who God has annointed as both Lord and Christ and whom He has set at His own right hand UNTIL ALL HIS SPIRIT ENEMIES ARE PUT UNDER HIS FEET? For some reason, do we think evil will relinquish its hold without any resistance?

I am sorry to report to you that I have at times in my life been that naive’. Twenty plus years ago when I first started preaching the concepts of the church being the invading force of Christ in the earth against the powers of hell, I didn’t realize I had just stepped over the line of happy Christianity and into the naked battlefield of war. I was unprepared for the attack I was about to experience and the powers of hell drug me in their undertow below the surface in their attempt at destruction.

I have resurfaced.

And the Holy Spirit has brought new clarity and understanding. And the power of the resurrection has brought me from the brink of death to the daring edge of life. And my eyes are open to see the difference between the power of heaven and the power of hell.

Can I say I’m heading down easy street? I think I can safely say, “Hell no!” and know it’s true. I bear in my soul the wounds of war, but like Samson was waylaid for a season, all that time his hair was growing and he slew more Philistines at the end than he had in any of his prior battles.

Joshua was about to lead Israel into war. They were going in to take the land of promise from those who were the current occupiers, just like believers are to invade and take what belongs to Jesus and themselves from the principalities that are currently parked in our parking space. We have the permit to that space and they don’t. But they’ve had possession and use of it for a very long time and maintain control by fear and intimidation. But we have not only the permit to the space, but the power to take it by force. And make no mistake, it will take force to take what is yours by the promise of God.

There was an admonition repeated to Joshua somewhere in the neighborhood of six or seven times between the book of Numbers, Deuteronomy and the Book of Joshua. In every case it is nearly identical saying, “Be strong and of a good courage, for I am with you and I will fight for you.” It is interesting to note that this is nearly the same type of admonition Paul gives to Timothy when discussing the “fight of faith” in 1st and 2nd Timothy.

But what does it mean and what application is there in the battles we face? In spiritual warfare, when we move ahead against the powers of darkness to take away possessed territory, it is imperative we learn to stand firm with strength and courage in what we know to be true in heaven and in God’s purpose.

When Moses told Joshua to “be strong”, he was telling him to take hold of, or seize a thing, to stand your ground and not let go of it. But the word “be courageous” takes the idea deeper and means: to act boldly or persevere IN THE FACE OF DANGER.

Courage is tried in the atmosphere of danger. Medals are given to those who act boldly or persevere when the battle is raging all around them, when the bullets are flying and the missiles are exploding and the enemy is in the foxhole and the combat is hand-to-hand. That is the atmosphere where courage is tried. It’s in the midst of the fight, not before it or after it.

Before the fight we often have those who brag about their courage. During the fight we have pain, wounding, confusion, casualties, advancement and a thousand other things happening all at once. After the fight we have proven warriors and those who not only fought and survived, but in the midst of the fight proved themselves valiant, mighty men and women of war who become warriors of renown. And looking for another fight. And looking to train others in the successful tactics of winning warfare.

It is perseverance when the battle is hot that is quite often the key to victory. The enemy isn’t going to easily let go of possessed territory very often. But your continued faith in Jesus name and power, and knowledge that your cause is His cause and holding to faith regardless of what you see with your natural eye, will bring complete triumph against the enemy and you and Jesus will become the new possessor of that space. Together you will rule and reign in that new conquered turf.

Here is Paul to Timothy:

“This charge I commit to you my son Timothy, according to the prophecies that were declared previously on you, that you by those prophecies might WAR A GOOD WARFARE; HOLDING FAITH, and a good conscience; which some HAVING PUT AWAY CONCERNING FAITH have made shipwreck”, 1st Timothy 1:18-19.

“When I call to remembrance the UNFEIGNED FAITH that is in you…I put you in remembrance to STIR UP THE GIFT OF GOD, WHICH IS IN YOU BY THE PUTTING ON OF MY HANDS. For God has not given us THE SPIRIT OF FEAR; but of POWER, and of LOVE, and of A SOUND MIND”, 2ND Timothy 1:5-7.

“Therefore my son, BE STRONG in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”, 2nd Timothy 2:1

“Therefore, I want you to ENDURE HARDNESS as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”, 2nd Timothy 2:3.

“I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I have finished my course, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH”, 2nd Timothy 4:7.

The earth altering power of faith is shown in Hebrews 11 and it is always a delight to read Hebrews 11:32-35 & 12:1-4, “And what more could I possible say? For time itself would fail if I began to tell you of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; and of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection…seeing we also are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin/unbelief which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking to Jesus the very author and finisher OF OUR FAITH; who FOR THE JOY that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is SET DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. For consider Him that ENDURED SUCH CONTRADICTION of sinners against himself, LEST YOU BE WEARIED AND FAINT IN YOUR MINDS. You have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin/unbelief.”

The battle is real and it is spiritual and it is very important to keep this in view. Just because you can’t see your enemy doesn’t mean it does not exist. Just because you often can’t immediately see the effect of your faith doesn’t mean it isn’t doing its work.

Always prime yourself to BE STRONG AND OF A GOOD COURAGE as the battle rages, because it WILL RAGE. Don’t quit, don’t give up, don’t cave in because in the fire is where the power of faith begins to do its most powerful work and where hero’s and warriors and mighty men and women of God are created.

“But thanks be to God, WHICH GIVES US THE VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my brothers, BE STEADFAST, UNMOVEABLE, ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD, forasmuch as you know that YOUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN IN THE LORD”, 1st Corinthians 15:58.

“For whatsoever is BORN OF GOD overcomes the world: and this is THE VICTORY that overcomes the world, EVEN OUR FAITH”, 1st John 5:4.

Randy