WARNING TO CHRISTIANS
I have come across many Christians who feel that they are spiritual warriors or who feel that they
have been called to spiritual warfare, and yet actually know very little about the subject. Some also
try to be spiritual warriors, and yet seem to fail more often than not, and rather than seek the Lord
in these things, they get discouraged and give up.
Still others I have seen are like rabid dogs who viciously attack Satanists and Occultists verbally, thinking that they are fighting Satan when all they are doing is driving the Satanist or Occultist away from Christianity and back into Satan's kingdom. The Satanists and Occultists then harbor a bitter, cynical view of Christians and Christ, and may never accept Jesus as a result. And I tell you this, those Christians will be held accountable for the blood of those that they have turned away from seeking Jesus because of their actions!
I remember being on a Christian chat-channel when a female Satanist visited. Some Christian members began laying into her because she was a Satanist and some comments were pretty vicious. I in turn treated her with respect over a period of several months and she eventually accepted Jesus as her Savior.
She later left to go to another part of the country and before she did she sent me a private message
that said, “You will always have a special place in my heart, as you were the only one who didn’t
condemn me.” I was deeply saddened by the treatment she received from other Christians. She could
very well have been driven away by their attitudes and lost forever, thinking that Christians were
vicious and judgmental.
Those of you who feel called into spiritual warfare need to understand some things. Some of
you will not like what I am going to say, but the truth is the truth and I will not alter the truth
to soft-soap the message that God has given me to relay to you who read this.
NOT EVERYONE IS CALLED TO BE A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR FOR THE LORD.
ALL Christians should be aware of spiritual warfare, and know how to fight in the spiritual realm with the spiritual weapons God has given each of us. But not all Christians will be called to spiritual warfare as a ministry.
The Apostle Paul stated that there are many different ministries within the body of believers, even
as the body consists of many parts, each with a different function. As Paul relates;
I CORINTHIANS 12:4-7
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 there are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
I CORINTHIANS 12:12-27
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body’, is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body’, is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.
Remember Gideon's army. The Midianites and Amalekites had gathered to attack Israel, and Gideon had sent messengers throughout Israel to gather an army for battle. 32,000 men volunteered to go to fight, but God had other plans. As Scripture records;
JUDGES 7:1-9
1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
4 But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you’, the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you’, the same shall not go.
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.’
6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.’
8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
9 It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, ‘Arise, go down against the camp,
for I have delivered it into your hand.’
The reason why God chose these 300 men, was that they knelt on one knee and drank water from one hand while keeping their weapon in the other, watching for possible attack. The others got on their knees to drink, and were not as vigilant as they should have been.
The same is with Christians. God knows the hearts of those He has chosen for spiritual warfare, and there is no shame to those whom He has not chosen, as He has given them another field of ministry to work in, one that is uniquely suited to their strengths and talents. And those who have not been chosen should not try to seek a position that the Lord has not called them to fulfill, for to do so is rebellion, arrogance and disobedience to the Lord. They will fail and cause more harm than good.
And while spiritual warfare may seem to be a glamorous ministry, it is obedience to what the Lord has called you to do, that is important. For at the judgement of the righteous, it will not be the type of ministry that you served under that will be judged but your obedience to the Lord in that ministry and your diligence to perform what He has assigned you to do.
Remember the prophet Samuel's words to King Saul;
1 SAMUEL 15:22-23
22 So Samuel said: ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.’
So diligently seek the Lord as to what ministry He wants you to perform. No ministry is more glorious than another in God's eyes. And do not seek personal glory in what you do, for as Jesus said to those who sought glory from others;
MATTHEW 6:1-6
1 ‘Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
5 ‘And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you
openly.
And;
MATTHEW 6:16-18
16 ‘Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place;
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.’
Remember, if you seek for honor and glory in the eyes of men you may gain that glory, but you will have no glory or reward from God. Therefore it is up to you to decide which is more important.
Baruch, the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah apparently sought glory for himself perhaps because of his service to Jeremiah, even as the armies of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar were battering down the gates of Jerusalem. The Lord instructed Jeremiah to say to him;
JEREMIAH 45:4-5
4 ‘Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land.
5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring
adversity on all flesh,’ says the Lord. ‘But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places,
wherever you go.’
God rewarded Baruch for his faithful service to God and Jeremiah, by telling him that after the
destruction of Jerusalem, his life would be spared and his life would be safe wherever he went for
the rest of his days.
THIS IS TOTAL WAR!
Satan does not fight fair, and he never will. He will strike at any area he is able to, be it finances, loved ones, job, health, etc. And he uses very real weapons. You must be willing to put everything, including your life on the line for Jesus in the spiritual warfare ministry, because Satan will petition God to take everything from you, or will destroy what he can and seek to poison the rest.
A good Scriptural exmple is contained in the first 2 chapters of the book of Job where Satan tests Job’s faith to the limit.
Satan may even seek to take your life. History is rife with martyrs who have given their lives for the Lord as the final test of their faith.
As Jesus Himself said;
LUKE 14:28-33
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it,
29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
If you feel called to enter this ministry, count the cost before you accept! For as Jesus also said;
LUKE 9:57-62
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’
58 And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’
59 Then He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’
60 Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.’
61 And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’
62 But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for
the kingdom of God.’
Once you set your hand to this ministry, there is to be no turning back. If you do, read verse 62 again!
Jesus wants total dedication, not half-hearted service!
KNOW THE ARMOR OF GOD!
You must also understand completely the uses of the parts of the armor of God! For those of you who may not be familiar with the Armor of God, please see the Armor study on the subject in the Spiritual Warfare section this Web site, and read Ephesians 6:10-17. All Christians should be aware of this armor, and use it daily, but those called to be spiritual warriors need to know it intimately. It may very well save your life!
THIS IS NOT A GAME!
Having demons obey your commands is ego-building to be sure, but it can also breed arrogance and pride, and God will sometimes allow Satan to humble you as a result.
Remember, pride goes before a fall.
And remember Jesus' words on the subject, when the 70 men he'd commissioned to preach the
Gospel returned;
LUKE 10:17-20
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’
18 And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven.’
SOME OF US MAY VERY WELL LOSE OUR LIVES IN THE FIGHT.
Satan is a ruthless, merciless enemy, and will seek the lives of all that God will let him have. As I
have said, history is rife with Christians who have given their lives for Jesus as a testimony before
God and Man that Jesus was more important to them than life itself.
An example is the tragic incident on April 20, 1999 when two killers went through Columbine High School in Colorado shooting their classmates, leaving 15 people dead including one teacher. Witnesses said that they specifically targeted "jocks", minorities and Christians, several of which were murdered.
Satan hates spiritual warriors, because they have been chosen and called by God to fight directly against him and his demons. And as such, they are targeted for his wrath. And those called to this ministry WILL suffer in their service to Jesus. But God allows us to suffer as His Son did, that we might receive praise and glory from Him for persevering through trials, as the test of our faith to Him.
Sadly enough, I don't know how many times I have come into a Christian Internet chat room, and have seen Christians vehemently attacking Satanists who happened to show up, shouting that they are going to Hell, calling them names, etc. And what is worse, the Satanists were conducting themselves better in the chat rooms than the Christians!
Granted, if they do not repent, they will indeed go to Hell, but attacking the person is NOT the way
to get them to repent nor is it the way to preach the Gospel to them! Preaching the Gospel to them
is the best way to reach them, as it weakens Satan's power in their lives!
REMEMBER! OUR WAR ISN'T WITH FLESH AND BLOOD!
EPHESIANS 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Granted also, there are some Satanists who come into Christian chat rooms just to cause trouble. But again, attacking them is not the answer. Preach the Gospel to them! They need to hear the Gospel as chances are very good they have never heard the Gospel before, or if they have they have received it from Christians who were poor examples of what true Christians should be. And besides, how do you know that God didn't bring them to the chat room to hear the Gospel? Remember, Jesus died for their sins too.
This is where we are called to be different. If we can show them true Christianity, they might very well give their hearts to Jesus. And even if they don't seem to respond, you have planted seeds in them that may very well sprout later to salvation.
Too many of them see the televangelists with their packaged and polished productions, slick promotions and show biz smiles, always begging for money as they wear $1,000 suits and arrive at the studio in limousines, have their own private jets? (One popular televangelist owns 3 and has begged his congregation to buy him a fourth one) Many cynical unbelievers believe that is what all Christians are like.
How many of them know that Jesus was so humble that the only possessions He had were the clothes on His back, and even those were taken from Him at the cross? How many of them know that Jesus never begged for money, and never solicited money for blessings or prayers like televangelists do? No wonder non-believers are so cynical of Christianity!
BE PREPARED TO BE ATTACKED BY FELLOW CHRISTIANS!
You will be labeled as a fanatic, a fundamentalist, a troublemaker and worse. Many Christians,
including pastors are asleep and vehemently object to having their slumber disturbed. Satan doesn't
want their slumber disturbed either! A sleeping Christian is no threat to him.
ABOVE ALL, DON'T GET DISCOURAGED!
If people resist you and your preaching, don't give up! Keep doing what God says for you to do, until He says to stop. You never know when you might break through, and bring that person to Christ. And even if you never see them again afterward, you have done what God wanted you to do, and your obedience will be rewarded.
When I was in the Navy, I had witnessed for several years to a guy who had a drinking problem. It was so bad, that a number of times I had to send him home as he was too drunk to work. He was finally transferred away, and I figured I'd never see him again.
I was working at a software store 10 years later, when this man came in, saw me and shouted my name followed by “Praise God!" right in front of everyone in the store. I was stunned! This was the same man I had preached to for all of that time. And while I didn't think he'd been listening, he told me that my preaching to him had finally broken through years later, and he'd given his life to Jesus. Truly God fulfilled the words He'd spoken to the prophet Isaiah, when He said;
ISAIAH 55:10-11
10 ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the Earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it
shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
BOTTOM LINE
If God has called you into a particular ministry, be diligent to fulfill what he has assigned for you to do, and do not seek a ministry He has not given to you because it seems more exciting than what you have been assigned.
God does not view any one ministry as being more important than another, and we should arm ourselves with the same mind. In God's eyes, it is how obedient you are to Him that will be judged and rewarded. You may sow seeds, and another may reap the harvest, but that doesn't make you any less in God's eyes. You will also reap the harvest that others have sown. And besides, it doesn't matter who reaps the harvest, it matters that souls are won for Jesus.
Just as a soldier likes artillery support hammering the enemy when he is preparing to go to battle, a spiritual warrior likes to know that he or she is backed by prayer warriors, people who are mighty in prayer before the Lord, who "back up" the spiritual warrior.
This is a vital and often unappreciated ministry, and while it may seem to lack the glamor of the spiritual warrior position, a true spiritual warrior knows and appreciates the value of this powerful ministry.
And remember, the battles we wage are against Satan and his demons, not against the people who blindly follow him. Jesus died for their sins, just as He did with ours.
And never, ever consider a person to be unworthy of salvation! That is not for us to judge! For if we do so, we place ourselves in the place of God who alone is capable of judging this.
Time is becoming extremely short. The One World Government is almost in place, and World War III as prophesied by Ezekiel is coming soon. We must be diligent to do the work the Lord has set out for us to do while there is still time.
And may the Lord Jesus fill our hearts with diligence and willingness to work before this comes to
pass! And may He be forever exalted and glorified in the work of His servants!
Questions? Comments? E-mail: watchmen_777@yahoo.com