POWER STUDY - A43

[Albert Finch]

Biblical Secrets of War
(Read Isaiah 42 and Ephesians 1)

Spiritual warfare is unavoidable and ignoring this subject won’t make it go away, we must learn to battle with supernatural authority! The following principles are insights:

1.Exodus 13:17 17Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”

(God is mindful of what we can handle in our present state. He leads us away from anything that might cause us to turn and abandon our calling. The implication is that He leads us only into a battle we are prepared to win. The safest place in this war is obedience. In the center of His will, we face only the situations we are prepared to win.)

2.Psalm 23:5 5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

(God wants fellowship with us right before the devil’s eyes. Intimacy with God is our point of strength. Paul’s intimacy with God enabled him to say, from a demon infested prison in Rome, “rejoice always, again I say rejoice!”

3.Philippians 1:28 28in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

(I return to the promises of God, spend time with people of faith, and encourage others with testimonies of the Lord. Since fear invites the enemy to come to kill, steal and destroy, I praise God for who He is until fear no longer knocks at the door.)

4.James 4:7 7Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

(Submission is the key to personal triumph. Our main battle in spiritual warfare is not against the devil, it is against the flesh (thinking that is governed by human nature rather than the Spirit of God.) Coming into “living from our spirit instead of our flesh” puts the resource of God at our disposal for enduring victory – enforcing what Jesus has won for us at Calvary.)

5.Matthew 16:18 18“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

(We are not left on planet earth just waiting for Jesus’ return. We are here as a military representation of Him. The church is on the attack, that is why “the gates of hell” the place of demonic government and strength, “shall not prevail” against the church.)

6.Psalm 105:24-5; 149:9 24And He caused His people to be very fruitful, And made them stronger than their adversaries.25He turned the Egyptians against His people, To deal craftily with His servants. 9To execute on them the judgment written; This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the LORD!

(God makes us strong, and then He stirs up the devil’s hatred towards us. Why? Its not because He wants to create problems for His church. Its because He likes to see the devil defeated by those made in His image, who have a relationship of love with Him by choice. We are His deligated authority. It is His delight to have us enforce the triumph of Jesus.)

7.Isaiah 42:11-13 11Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,The settlements where Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.12Let them give glory to the LORD And declare His praise in the coastlands.13The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.

(Our ministry to God is one of lifes most important privileges. Praise honors God, but it also edifies us and destroys the powers of hell.)

Conclusion:

Ephesians 1:17-18 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Matthew 4:17 17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

(We need to turn our perception of spiritual warfare from one that is religious and carnal to one that has a kingdom mindset. By repenting i.e. changing our way of thinking, we will be able to see how “at hand” His kingdom really is. We were born in a war. There are no time outs, no vacations, no leaves of absence. The safest place is in the center of God’s PURPOSE for your life, which is the place of deep intimacy. There He allows only the battles to come our way that we are equipped to win.)