What Is Spiritual Warfare?

If ever there was a sacred cow subject about to become tipsy it’s this one. For any who have ever been involved with any of the Charismatic venues or of its teaching’s, will at least inwardly acknowledge the disconcerting milieu it has become.
In my continued reading of my good friend Bill Landon’s book, Up From The Ashes, he has a chapter dealing with spiritual warfare, and some of his thoughts were so freeing to drink in.

What Jesus came to proclaim was a truth that was radical and important. Christ is the summation of the Father’s plan for His creation-both for the Jews and for the followers of Christ. Due to the importance of Christ’s work it was necessary for Him to be validated. The Father did this through the empowering of Christ to work miracles. We should never misunderstand the healings and exorcisms of Jesus as a special example of spiritual warfare for us to emulate. The Father gives each of us a testimony that comes out through our living. This message of our living may be powerful and dynamic or quiet and subtle. The outward manifestation of this testimony is not important. What is important is that we are true to the testimony both in its content and in the method of its delivery. The people who are truly seeking the Father will understand the living testimony regardless of the particular nature of its manifestation. The people are living in opposition to God will not understand the living testimony in our lives no matter how powerful or miraculous it is. Remember, the religious leaders of Jesus’ time saw His miracles and concluded that He was demon possessed: “But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”(Matthew 12:24)
So if spiritual warfare is not binding and loosing and demon expulsion then what is it? I mentioned earlier that Jesus engaged in spiritual warfare. That being said it is now important to ask: What was it in Jesus’ life that represented the essence of spiritual warfare?

To be continued….

Rich

Living Loved

In my opinion because of the innate desire within us (in our flesh) the hunger for knowledge, the father of lies is constantly appealing to our independent self, we are consumed with learning facts about the “Christian” Life.
Why, well of course that we might live it as best we can, right..wrong!

Maybe the all consuming burning desire of the Father of our spirit is, in us learning to live in a confidence of Papa’s unfailing, never ending stubborn Love for us?

If this isn’t the central focus of our hearts, discovering moment by moment, the truth of how loved I am of the Father, then that void will be filled with, not necessarily bad things, but if you have ever seen the majesty of the ocean, how could you dare compare a little side eddy with such grandeur!

In my heart I continue to hear His voice, “I AM.”

Rich

Lifeless Doctrines

In many places of the world walking along some shoreline or beach, it is a common sight to see many living creatures such as crabs. It’s probably even more common to see the shells these living creatures use to call their home, but are now just empty lifeless shells. Some of these shells can be very beautiful and in many places of the world they are harvested and sold in large quantities for good money.
As beautiful as many of these shells are, the fascination seems to be with a fading beauty rather than what actually caused it in the first place.

There has always been a fascination with death or shadows rather then life, and it all gets carried over into the spiritual realm as well, such as doctrines.
I want to share a quote from my friend Bill Landon from his book, The Life That is Real Life.

Many of the doctrines and statements of faith that form the foundation of the Christian denominations in the world today have their basis in a revelational truth. The people who had these revelations—Luther, Calvin, Nee, Simpson, Wesley and others—had a living and personal experience of the Father. Most of these people expressed in their writings and teachings some understanding of this living and vital aspect of relationship with God. They each gave it their own interpretation as they were given the understanding by the Father to see this reality. In that sense, each of these understandings was right and true for the people who received them. However, it is important to remember that these people never saw these revelations as doctrinal statements. None of these people ever set out to create a denomination. The organization came later as an attempt by others to codify these truths into a systematic and organizational expression.

Life comes from living. Only living things can transmit life because life is experiential. The only real and complete sense of life any us will ever have comes to us through our experience of life.

Rich