April, 2003
Dear Ministry Partner,
In a time of war, people often
spend a significant amount of time watching or listening to
what is happening, which nation is winning, what the various
weapons are and how they are used. But what is even more important
is the personal war that every believer is engaged in.
There is no country on the planet
where a believer can go to escape this spiritual
war. In fact, you were born into it, and it has been raging
all your life. Most of the problems you have encountered in
childhood and adult life are a direct result of this spiritual
war. There is a brutal, ruthless "dictator" (Satan)
who is heading up this war against you, and he has an "army"
of spiritual followers (evil
spirits) who generally are fanatically loyal to him and
they hate you — simply because you are a Christian. But
this is not supposed to scare you, because you are backed by
a militarily superior country (Heaven)
which has twice as large an army of angels
as the enemy does, and is infinitely more powerful because of
the backing by Almighty God!
The weapons that you can use for
offense and defense are readily available, they never run out
of ammunition, and are simple enough to be utilized by a 6 year
old child. These weapons are very powerful. In 2nd
Corinthians 10:3-5, the Bible says, "For though
we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely
powerful for the destruction of fortresses."
When it comes to these weapons,
the only four chances that your enemy knows he has are:
So what are these weapons available
to us for spiritual warfare? While the following list is not
exhaustive, it gives a person an idea of what is being referred
to as "spiritual
warfare." To over-generalize, the main idea is "doing
something!" It is very rare in God's
Kingdom that doing nothing initiates change or break-through.
But we shouldn't just do anything — there is guidance in
scripture for specific things that God has ordained to make
a spiritual difference (which eventually manifests in the natural
realm). Some weapons are more for defense — closing the
doors in our life to the devil
(like confessing
our sins). Other weapons are more for offense — putting
spiritual pressure on the devil (like fasting).
The first weapon category is prayer,
but there are many types of prayer. Prayer is simply communication
in the spirit realm. That takes in a lot, but pertinent types
of prayer include supplication (asking God for His intervention)
and prayers of authority (using the name of Jesus to command
things to change). Some people stagger at the thought of giving
commands to spiritual beings (evil spirits). Now, we don't command
God to do anything. But we have delegated authority (the "power
of attorney" in our society) to transact business on behalf
of God. We are the "body" of Christ on this earth
— doing what He would do in His place. This is not because
we have deserved or earned it, but we have been entrusted with
the name of Jesus and we must be good stewards of that. This
includes binding and loosing which Jesus gave to us in Matthew
16:19. There is also the prayer of proclamation which includes
positive "confession"
of scripture. This has gotten some bad press because of misunderstanding
and excesses, but it is still scriptural. Then there is the
baptism
of the Holy Spirit with the resulting prayer language. (My
own mother was overheard praying in tongues by foreigners who
understood her at a meeting in Dallas when I was young in the
early 1960's). This is a very effective gift from God, and we
should not neglect what is available! (I have a free teaching
tape on the baptism
of the Holy Spirit, and how to receive it, for those interested.)
Closely associated with prayer
is Biblical fasting.
This kind of fasting is determined by our motive for not eating
(which is plainly clear to God — Acts
15:8, Heb.4:12-13)
and is not just dieting. Fasting was chosen by God because anyone
can do it. Fasts longer than 3 days usually need some instruction
from a medical point of view for safety to health, but fasting
is actually very beneficial to the body if done correctly and
with plenty of fluids. (I have a free
teaching tape on fasting for those interested). Judi and
I have fasted various lengths up to 21 days, and I have accumulated
about 1,000 days of fasting since 1982. Fasting releases more
of God's power against Satan on your behalf, and my family has
had many break-throughs and medically verified healings as a
result of our fasting with prayer.
One special type of "prayer"
is praise
or worship.
When you sing to the Lord, you are technically praying. You
can also worship the Lord verbally, without music or lyrics.
This is perhaps the highest form of worship, but many Christians
say they run out of words, or they feel awkward. But we actually
will be doing this for eternity, so we might as well begin now!
It also has powerful benefits. It's what comes from the heart
that pleases God anyway, so you don't need to have impressive
words. Adding to forms of worship are the physical body positions
available (kneeling, laying prostrate, bowing before the Lord,
raising hands, etc.). And then there is movement or dance like
David did before the Lord. Again, some people don't like this
(and I am not saying everyone has to dance), but neither did
David's wife Michael like it — and she was barren all her
days because of her attitude (2nd
Samuel 6:14-23). So let's not be bound up by "what
people might think" when we worship God.
Communion
is also an act of worship that has powerful spiritual warfare
properties. Many believers take communion elements at church,
but I would encourage you to take it at home, also. We take
communion as a family at times, and it can be significantly
used by the Lord to bring healing if a person is sick. Also,
communion elements taken on land when dedicating it and sanctifying
it for the Lord holds special benefits. I recommend pouring
out the leftover grape juice into the soil while declaring something
like, "I apply this symbol of the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ to cleanse, deliver , and sanctify this property.
I open the heavens over this property now, in the name of Jesus
Christ." Don't be surprised if you feel a mighty
deliverance when you do this, and experience new spiritual freedom
in your home, property, or church afterward. In addition, there
are other Biblical acts such as anointing
with oil. I have anointed people I have prayed for, as well
as doors of my home and offices, and even physical buildings.
Personal power, victory, and spiritual
strength can also come through time reading
in the Word. Memorizing scripture on a topic pertinent
to you is another way to bring break-through. Certain other
acts of obedience can bring powerful change — such as following
scriptural commands like water baptism, confession of sins,
witnessing, restitution, acts of humility or mercy, and other
scriptural principles. Just doing what is right is even promised
a reward by Jesus (Matt.10:41-42).
Last, the Old Testament principle of "sacrifice"
has become the New Testament principle of giving financial offerings.
Under the New Covenant, we no longer kill oxen or sheep and
give them to God's priests — but He still wants us to give
the value of those kinds of sacrifices to His work. Instead
of building Old Testament altars, we build New Testament ministries
through our giving. (Often, giving a one-time or monthly financial
"sacrifice" can bring a spiritual break-through, and
God's special blessings in unique ways.)
Different weapons often have more
value in certain specific situations. This knowledge comes from
study and experience, and is one of the differences between
a "novice" Christian and a "veteran" believer.
Furthermore, it is a sad but true reality that some Christians
have actually died before their time due to not using their
spiritual weapons! Many believers (in ignorance) think that
the devil will somehow hurt them if they use their weapons.
What they don't realize is all Christians are already under
attack, and if they don't actively defend themselves —
they will certainly become a casualty in some area of life.
So we need to overcome "fear
of the enemy," and use the weapons which God has graciously
granted us!
Fighting the Good Fight,
Dale & Judi Leander