I have a natural inclination towards fighting and it seems like I have been doing this all my life as evidenced by the fact that I have been in over 22 altercations that have led to physical fights, two in which I have been jumped or stabbed resulting in serious injury. I consider myself an above average fighter and when I look at my record (unofficially) I can say that I have come out on the winning side of the conflict more often than not.
I am currently serving in the US Army as a Signal Captain and have had the opportunity to box at Army boxing events in which I have earned a victory on four separate occasions without suffering a defeat. I can also claim the title of Infantry Officer Basic Training “Pugil Champion” as a result of me winning a Pugil Tournament which consisted of some pretty stiff competition. It is safe to say that when it comes to conflict I don’t shy away from it, however it has been an eye opener for me to come to the realization that in my walk with Jesus Christ that I have been passive when it comes to fighting against the principalities and powers that are a reality.
I currently operate a web based Non-denominational Christian Ministry by the name of giveyourwitness.com and I realize that in order for my ministry, to the lost, to be as effective as possible, I need to be just as tenacious in my prayer life that I am when it comes to physical confrontations. It is through prayer & fasting that God is influenced to act. More is accomplished through prayer than any other activity that we can accomplish on our own; “He can do more in a tiny fraction of a second than I can accomplish in years. He can do it better, bigger, and more permanently than I can ever imagine.” The current date is 09 MAY 11 and I will be praying for the salvation of God’s people in the upcoming days with a consistency and fervency that I have demonstrated on rare occasion, I unfortunately have to admit.
In addition to praying for the salvation of God’s people fervently, I will make a concerted effort to minimize sins in my life in order that my prayers will be heard by God; “1Behold, Jehovah’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59: 1-2). Another factor that hinders believers from receiving what they desire is the fact that they do not ask God for what it is that they would like to receive in an unselfish manner, rather often Christians pray for things that they personally might benefit from; “Prayer may properly be offered—will be properly offered for many wholly personal things; for physical strength, healing in sick-ness, about dearly loved ones, money needed; indeed regarding things that may not be necessary but only desirable and enjoyable, for ours is a loving God who would have His dear ones enjoy to the full their lives down here. But the motive determines the propriety of such requests.”
The third thing that I will focus on, in order to ensure that the success of my ministry is secured, is eliminating any spirit of unforgiveness that I may have towards anybody or anything.
PERSONAL APPLICATION
As I stated earlier I have had my fair share of physical altercations and I am no stranger when it comes to having to deal with conflict and fights, in fact I have always handled these situations with the appropriate amount of force to mitigate the cause of the problem; however I have sorely ignored the very real fight that is taking place in the spirit realm and as a Christian we are told that “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.“ (II Cor 10:4). As Christians we war against three things; our Flesh, the World and Satan himself; “The subject of aggressive spiritual warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil is becoming increasingly important.
Many are giving themselves to rampant abandonment and indulgence in fleshly sins. The glitter and appeal of the world system keeps pressuring for conformity. Satan and his kingdom relentlessly press their battle against believers and all of God’s program.” The passage below captures the fact that as Christians there can be an under appreciation for praying; “I am going to say something this morning that you won’t believe. This year, 1964, I have been a Christian nearly thirty-two years. I have just come to the conclusion that the weapons of our warfare are not physical. According to the Bible, some of the things Christians think are important in serving God don’t mean one thing.”
Many people believe that they are fighting the good fight by going to church regularly or by observing a custom of some sort, but without prepping the battlefield for whatever it is that we would try to accomplish, through prayer, our efforts will not be met with as much success as they would if we had taken the time to pray. I will keep in mind what we read on page 139 of Bondage Breaker; “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).
God’s Blessings in Christ Jesus
Brother Bush
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Our weapons are the weapons of mercy, forgiveness, kindness etc. Put on the armor of righteousness. Tell others how they should treat one another. Don’t follow vain idols (pictures, names, labels, algorithms, etc..) Follow the way… The way is the things Jesus Christ commanded us to do for one another. The same things he is the very embodiment of. You are not following Jesus by simply say you are. You are following Jesus if you love those who hate you. Do these things and you will see Jesus’ followers even in those that don’t even know his name (as you know it).
In order to fight spiritually, one must first understand a spiritual war is not fought in the same way a worldly war is fought. For example, what the spiritual views as courageous, the world sees as cowardly. This could be because the world doesn’t understand or acknowledge the inner strength and courage it takes to deny one’s own self.
It is easy for the world to acknowledge the strength of the victor in a physical altercation. However, it takes a spiritual wisdom to understand the strength one is displaying by holding his or her own temperament. Even more so, it takes much courage to hold ones temperament knowing he or she will be thought weak for it (Even though he or she is more than capable of handling his or self). Worldly, one is slandered for such acts. This is just one example of countless slanders one will take for righteousness sake (Mathew 5:10).
At the core of this war is the lie. What is the lie? In order for us to recognize the lie, we must first recognize how lies are possible. It is plain arithmetic. A lie is possible because a second element is introduced. Let me explain… If a man held an item in the palm of his hand, he would know exactly what the item is. No one could tell him otherwise. It is what it is. Let’s say the item is number 7. However, what if the item was not in the man’s hand? Let’s say the item was in his acquaintance’s hand. Now what? In order for the man to know what the item is he has to rely on what his acquaintance is willing to disclose. Let’s say the item in the acquaintances hand is represented by the variable X. This is to signify the man not knowing what the item is. Therefore, when the item is in the man’s (M) hand he knows the item = 7. When it is in his acquaintances (A) hand the man does not know the item = 7. The item has an extra element represented by the “X”. Therefore to the man the item equals X and he relies on his acquaintance to understand the item equals 7 as shown in the following algorithm item = X = 7. The acquaintance can tell the man X = 6. The man would not know otherwise. He has to trust what the acquaintance says. Even so, the lie is possible because of the extra element. If the man held the item himself, no one could lie to him.
With all this being said, the second element represented by “variable X” allows for the lie. This might seem elementary to most. However, it is “variable X” that allows for the lie to take place. It would seem no one pays attention to “variable X” anymore. Variable X could be anything. Variable X is needed for the world of Man to function. It is part of the very basic laws of our world. However, variable X is exploited and used as a weapon in spiritual warfare. Liken it to a hacker exploiting a systems communication protocol to do malicious activity. Unless we start to pay attention to variable X, our world will continue to be successfully exploited by these malicious spiritual forces. I don’t like using this spiritual language. Therefore, let me rephrase this. Variable X can have one believe that wrong is right, up is down and good is bad (get it). Variable X allows for people to do horrible things in the name of what’s right. All the while they are ignorant to that fact that they are not on the side of what’s right. In other words the Man can believe the item = 6 when in fact the item = 7.
Variable X could be anything. Just to name a few it could be a Name, a Label, or an idol. Yes it could be even they way a man interprets a book. VARIABLE X COULD BE ANYTHING. It could be tangible (worldly) like an idol or a person. It could be intangible (spiritual) like an algorithm, procedure or ritual. Variable X is anything that is not the source but in fact is a second element. Some might not be able to accept this but if you get anything from what I am trying to tell you get this… Variable X can be a name. If one says he is Christian please know that does not make it so. If one says they come in the name of Jesus, please know that does not make it so. God is who he is. The great “I AM”. To do the things of God is of God (Gods Will). To turn the other check is of God. It is not foolish like the world would call one who does this (Spiritual war). One that understands the wisdom of and can turn the other check is righteous. The same that is ridiculed for such an act is as the passage in Matthew 5:10 refers to. It’s that plain and simple… have faith in the wisdom and do the things that are commanded of us by Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Doing the things alone won’t save you, because one can do these things and not believe them to be wise. Faith in these things will save you. One must believe these things are wise and soon their works will follow. For the things that Jesus Christ commanded us to do is Jesus Christ (His Flesh and Blood). These things are the word. Jesus is the word. He is the word made flesh. Do not put all your faith in just a name. Only put your faith in a name if it refers to all the things that are commanded of us like Jesus Christ’s is. However, do know that a name is variable X. If you don’t want to be deceived, you would have to hold the item by knowing what the word is. Just like the man knows the item is 7 and no one can tell him otherwise, you will know what is of God. Look at their fruits not their label or the name they come in. You will be surprise of who is Gods. You might even see those who don’t even call themselves Christian as being Gods. Is this so crazy? Did Moses call himself Christian? Or did he just do the will or God? Look with new eyes and understand. Matthew 7:15 – 27
Well said brother,
God’s blessings in Jesus Christ…..
Brother Bush