Spiritual Warfare

The first evidence of physical battle dates sometime between 4000 and 3500 B.C. from the ancient city of Hamoukar located in modern northeastern Syria.  Historians believe the Uruks of southern Mesopotamia invaded the region.[1]Battles around the world have been fought for a long time and their spreading evil caused God regret for even creating man (Genesis 6:6). 
 

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Meditation
Song of Songs 3:7-8—It is Solomon’s royal litter surrounded by 60 warriors from the mighty of Israel. All of them are skilled with swords and trained in warfare. Each has his sword at his side to guard against the terror of the night.
 
It stands to reason that Israel’s wisest king would surround himself with the best warriors available—after all, that is exactly what his father did.  They were trained in warfare and they stood on guard when darkness descended to ensure their ruler was always safe from any enemy. David and Solomon were unbeaten because their armies were strong.

Did you know that every follower of Christ is involved in battle? We call it spiritual warfare.  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers:
For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments  and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Cor. 10:3-5)
Dr. Ed Murphy wrote, “Spiritual warfare is an evil issue . . . To enter into victory in spiritual warfare, the believer must rest in the fact that his salvation is totally of God.”[2]  His book The Handbook For Spiritual Warfare should be read by every serious-minded Christian. Over 500 pages long, this book is a fantastic resource that teaches about Satan and his army of demons and how to resist and overcome them. Dr. Murphy identifies strongholds and enemy strategies and how the body of Christ can successfully help those who are demonized.
            
To be ignorant of Satan’s schemes and capabilities is not just foolish, it sets believers up to be defeated when victory was possible. Imagine a young, zealous Christian who embarks on a mission trip alone ignorant to the fact that the area is controlled by evil spirits.  That well-intentioned saint may very well lose his life.  No one with a right mind goes into combat unequipped and unprepared.  Yet, every day we live in a world that is occupied by a roaring lion who seeks to pulverize us (1 Peter 5:8).  Read Murphy’s well-crafted work and be better armed for what lies ahead.  
 
Inspiration
The post-apostolic fathers took the realm of the demonic so seriously that they automatically took new converts from paganism through rites of deliverance from evil supernaturalism, a practice we have lost to our detriment.—Dr. Ed Murphy in The Handbook of Spiritual Warfare
 
©2021 Daniel York ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)
 

[1] https://militaryhistorynow.com/2014/10/13/first-blood-historys-earliest-recorded-military-conflicts/
[2] Murphy, Ed Dr., The Handbook of Spiritual Warfare, Revised and Updated, 2003. Thomas Nelson Publishers,  17,97.