Don't allow your teachers to keep you off the battlefield
The great unrecognized element of the Faith is spiritual warfare. Even those who naively downplay the role or need for spiritual warfare in the life and "walk" of a Christian engage in it, but mainly by means of the defending of the faith, as they see it, in doctrinal debate. That is spiritual warfare, by default, in that the participant sees the importance of defending sound doctrine against forces of ignorance or confusion or willful mischief.
But doctrinal debate and defense does not make up all of spiritual warfare.
What is the main difference between the Christian, to use Bunyan's language, who resides in the Village of Morality and the Christian who is on the Way? The latter is engaged in spiritual warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. (Flesh being their own Old Man.)
A real Christian experiences what Jesus experienced.
Regeneration itself provokes the forces of darkness.
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Are you getting into the deliverance movement?
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If you write about reading the Bible in a serious way the church Christians mock. If you write about spiritual warfare, the church Christians mock.
Readers of this blog know who "c. andiron" is. He's fat and depressed and a moralist and a church Christian supreme.
This itself is an event of spiritual warfare. When the church Christians, from their Village of Moralism, Ritualism, Formalism, Clericalism, and devil-suckism, operating on pure instinct and the spirit of disobedience do what the devil wants them to do in attempting to keep any Christian from reading the Bible or engaging the faith at the practical level you have to realize you are being confronted by the world and the devil.
ok, sorry if you're too sensitive for a little ribbing (I freely admit I'm a bit overweight & melancholy). Let me ask you this. If you really believe the doctrines of grace, do believe we are inherently depraved, or is the Devil merely trying to sell us the Brooklyn Bridge and we have to be clever enough to figure this out and reject it? I think we're depraved enough to get to hell without the "Devil's" help, so I'm a bit skeptical when I hear the "spiritual warfare" phrase.
Read Ephesians 6:10-18.
Read the Emabattled Christian by Zacharias.
Read the Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall.
Read Jesus in the Gospels.
If you are truly a regenerated believer stop conforming to the world, to what your inner 'Old Man' desires and demands, and what the devil himself demands, stand your ground, practice the faith, and you'll soon enough know by experience what spiritual warfare is and whether or not it is real or necessary.
"Readers of this blog know who "c. andiron" is. He's fat and depressed and a moralist and a church Christian supreme."
I repent of my lashing, knee-jerk meanness. The burden is on me to show patience and understanding in the face of mocking. I apologize. O! the power of the 'old man'; the fury of the flesh when provoked... ~:/
~:O "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!!"
~:/
~:|
~:/
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