Tag: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Spiritual Warfare – Part 2

In today’s reflections, I will be sharing a summary of what the Lord Jesus has been teaching me through Biblical Restoration Ministries (BRM) concerning the biblical process for finding freedom in Christ that delivers us from spiritual bondage.

As stated in the first part of this spiritual warfare series, Satan is a defeated enemy. He has been stripped of his power at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 2:13-15; Heb. 2:14-15). The Devil has no power over God’s children except what we permit him to have in our Christian lives. Here is a summary of the steps to freedom in Christ: [1]

1. WE MUST SEE AND FEEL SIN AS JESUS DOES. That is, we must have a genuine repentance of sin. When a Christian expresses a desire to find freedom in Christ, it is important not to assume that he or she has genuinely repented of his or her sin. Only the Holy Spirit can convict us of sin (cf. John 16:7-11).

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, “8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.” (2 Cor. 7:8-9). The “sorrow” the Corinthians felt from a previous “letter” Paul wrote to them, was of a “godly manner” (2 Cor. 7:8-9). This sorrow they felt was what God felt about their sin. Since Jesus dwells in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16-17; Gal. 2:20), genuine repentance of a Christian feels what Jesus feels about something, especially our sin. This is key to experiencing victory over spiritual bondage. When we feel and think the same way as Jesus does about our sin, we experience God’s deliverance from that sin.

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” (2 Cor. 7:10).  “Godly sorrow” or grief about our sin that God sees and feels, “produces repentance leading to salvation.”  The word “salvation” refers to “deliverance” from that sin. Since Paul is writing to Christians (2 Cor. 1:1, 8, 19-24; 3:2-3; 4:13-14; et al.), he is not talking about deliverance from the penalty of sin to get to heaven. He is talking about deliverance from the power of sin so one may grow spiritually and experience victory in his or her Christian life over that sin.

“The sorrow of the world” is grief about getting caught in our sin or having to face the consequences of our sin. This type of sorrow does not deliver from that sin. Instead, this grief produces “death.” Godly sorrow feels and sees sin the same way God does and leads to repentance that delivers from that sin.

2. WE MUST TAKE BACK THE GROUND GIVEN TO THE ENEMY. As discussed in part 1 of this spiritual warfare series, we give “place” or “ground” to the Devil (Eph. 4:26-27) when we refuse to let go of our sin, confess it, and forsake it (Prov. 28:13). Satan wants to build his “strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4) of lies on the ground we have given him which will begin to undermine our relationship with and testimony for Jesus.

After repenting, the way we take back that ground we have given to the enemy is by making an open declaration that what we did was wrong. This involves announcing that in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood, we are asking Him to take back any ground we have yielded to Satan. We announce to the forces of evil that right now, we renounce Satan’s works and ways in our lives, and that we want nothing to do with them any longer.

Logan writes, “For many this declaration is where the real battle starts. Why? Because they are standing against Satan, in most cases for the first time in their lives! These are Christians who have let Satan push them around and keep them in bondage their whole lives without ever once resisting him.

“Remember that ‘ground’ is legal jurisdiction. It is like giving the enemy the key to my house. Whey I yield ground, I am giving the enemy permission to attack me with destructive thoughts and temptations. Looking at it from another angle, I have strayed into his jurisdiction, his territory, and that gives him a claim I must renounce.” [2] [emphasis added]

The occult is one area where we can clearly give Satan ground on which to build his strongholds. Other areas include bitterness, lack of a clear conscience, pride, sexual sin, and unforgiveness. [3]

Once all the ground has been taken back from the Devil (his legal right to attack us), then it is time to command the enemy in the name and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ to leave and go where Jesus sends him, never to return nor send replacements.

3. TEARING DOWN STRONGHOLDS. The Devil is a liar (John 8:44). As discussed in part 1, a “stronghold” is a fortress of lies that Satan builds in our hearts and minds (2 Cor. 10:4). Unlike fortresses that are built with stone and brick, these strongholds cannot be destroyed by the weapons of our flesh.

What undermines and destroys a lie? The truth! Christ said that the truth is what sets us free from bondage to sin and shame (John 8:31-32). The more we abide in Jesus’ word, the more we will know the truth which will help us identify the lies we have believed so we can replace them with Jesus’ truth (cf. Psa. 119:28-29).

Keep in mind that Satan is a deceiver (Rev. 12:9). Since Jesus defeated the Devil at the cross (Col. 2:13-15), Satan’s only power in our lives now is in the lie and deception. A deception is when our mind and emotions believe something that is not true. Deceptions may be 90 percent truth and only 10 percent lie, but the power of a deception is only broken when we discern that it is a lie.

Our enemy is not only a liar and a deceiver, but he is also “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10).  Satan will accuse God to me, me to God, and me to me. He will intrude his thoughts into our minds and then accuse us for having them. [4]

For example, if you listen to your parents constantly criticizing you, you will begin to believe you can’t do anything right or be good enough. Satan can use that critical voice to develop thoughts and feelings of deep inadequacy and insecurity so that they become a stronghold in your life.

The Bible says the Devil is “the ruler of the world” (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Eph. 2:2). He can use his world system to shape our beliefs. He may use family, peers, education, politics, television, social media, and even the music we listen to. That is why it is essential that we renew our minds by thinking God’s thoughts through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God (Rom. 12:2). One way to do that is by focusing our minds on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Phil. 4:8).

4. BUILDING TOWERS OF TRUTH. When we tear down a stronghold, it is important to build a tower of truth in its place. This involves reprogramming our minds with the truth about ourselves, God, and Satan and his ways. God’s Word, the Bible, is the ultimate source of the truth we need to replace Satan’s strongholds of lies. Then when the Devil comes with his intruding thoughts – lies, deceptions, and accusations – we can flee to the tower.

I love this verse: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Prov. 18:10). “The name of the Lord” Jesus Christ is our strong tower. He is “the truth” (John 14:6) and He is “full of truth” (John 1:14). When we “run” (not walk) to Jesus and listen to and do what Jesus says to us in His word, we can be “safe” from the attacks of the evil one.

5. TAKING THOUGHTS CAPTIVE. The Bible instructs us, “3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Spiritual warfare takes place in the mind of Christians. We see this with the use of the following words: “arguments… knowledge… thought.”

God wants us to take “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). We are to bring our thoughts in line with what God desires and what pleases Him.

Evans writes, “Satan’s strategy is to block the knowledge and/or application of God’s Word in the thinking of believers so that they can be held hostage by his lies, which are communicated through false teaching.

“If addictive behavior is present in a person’s life, that behavior is not the stronghold but merely its fruit. Strongholds can only be demolished by the knowledge of God – that is, by truth. As Jesus told his disciples, ‘The truth will set you free’ (John 8:32). When your relationship to the living Word connects to the written Word, ‘you really will be free’ (John 8:36). If you’re not taking every thought captive to obey Christ and are instead succumbing to a stronghold, it’s because you either don’t know the truth or aren’t making use of the truth you know.”  [5] [emphasis added]

Another reason a Christian may not be taking every thought captive to obey Christ and is therefore succumbing to a stronghold, is because the thought is not from himself. It may be from the Devil or his wicked spirits. Such a thought requires Jesus to take that thought captive. I believe this is what happened in Matthew 16:21-23.

When Jesus predicted His upcoming sufferings, crucifixion, and resurrection (Matt. 16:21), Peter rebuked Christ for talking about the cross. “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matt. 16:22). Immediately Jesus does not just inform Peter that this thought was from the Devil, but He rebukes the Devil, saying,  “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt. 16:23).Jesus did not tell Peter to take that thought captive because he was not capable of doing that. Instead, Jesus rebuked the Devil. What this tells me is there are some of our thoughts that Christ Himself must take captive because they come from the enemy who is oppressing us.

How do we differentiate between our own thoughts and Satan’s when both are contrary to God’s will? I believe one way is to see if we can take them captive through prayer and the application of God’s Word. God wants us to control our thoughts. Otherwise, why would He tell us to take them captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)? If we are unable to take the thoughts captive that are contrary to the will of God, it may be because they come from our enemy.

In recent years, I encountered thoughts that dominated my thinking and behavior which were contrary to my Christian beliefs and values. It was not until I went to Biblical Restoration Ministries that those dominating thoughts were taken to Jesus to send where He wanted them to go. This resulted in a new level of freedom from sin and shame that I had never experienced before. I give all the glory to my Lord Jesus in me Who is far greater than he who is in the world.

Lord willing, in the future we will begin to look at the spiritual conflict all Christians face and the resources God has given us to experience victory in our lives.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Much of the following is adapted from Jim Logan, Reclaiming Surrendered Ground (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), pp. 38-42.

[2] Ibid., pg. 40.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., pg. 41.

[5] Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary, 2019 Kindle Edition, pg. 2578.

Why is there pain and suffering? Part 1

“Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.’” John 9:3

When I was working as a security officer at a high school while church planting, I got to know my fellow officers quite well. One such officer was approaching sixty years of age and told me he once believed as I did about Jesus Christ and the Bible. But now he said he no longer believed in God. When I asked him why he stopped believing, he told me because he could not reconcile how a God of love could allow so much pain and suffering in the world. He believed that if God truly existed, He would not allow pain and suffering especially among people who seemed to be innocent.

Why does God allow pain and suffering in the world? That is, how can a God of love allow such things in His world as war, sickness, abortion, rape, disease, and other types of suffering and death, especially among those who are apparently innocent? For example, why does He allow dedicated Christians to be slaughtered by radical Muslims in the Middle East and in Africa? Why does He allow babies to be born with deformities? Or why does He allow unborn babies to be torn apart in the womb through abortion procedures? Why does He permit a madman to shoot and kill many people gathered outside at a concert? Why are thousands of innocent people killed each year from earthquakes and typhoons? Unbelievers claim, “Either He is not a God of love and is indifferent to human suffering, or else He is not a God of power and is therefore helpless to do anything about it.”

This is a difficult question for Christians to answer. Certainly, atheism or agnosticism are not the answers to this dilemma. However, in John 9, we will discover that Jesus was asked a similar question. After claiming to be the Light of the world and the eternal I AM in John 8, Jesus encountered a man who was blind from birth. “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.” (John 9:1). The words “as Jesus passed by” do not tell us the exact time frame or location for this miracle. It may have taken place as Christ left the temple (8:59) or somewhere else. This man’s blindness was congenital and was not expected to be healed. He had lived in darkness all his life. No doubt he experienced helplessness and hopelessness as a blind person.

From birth, however, all people are spiritually blind, hopeless, and helpless without God. All non-Christians lack the ability to see Jesus spiritually. The apostle Paul writes, “3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they do not believe in Christ. God must remove the veil from non-Christians so they can believe in Jesus. No amount of education or information is going to remove the spiritual blindness of the lost. God must be the One to give them spiritual sight.

Christ focuses on the blind man. His disciples probably would have gladly passed by the blind man, but Jesus would not. I imagine at this juncture, the disciples had no idea why Jesus focused on this man when there were thousands of beggars in the temple area.

“And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ” (John 9:2). The disciples ask a theological question, not a compassionate question. “Why does this man deserve blindness?” they ask. It was insensitive of the disciples to ask this question within earshot of the blind man. The Jews, like many people today, believed that all suffering was caused by specific sins. So, either this man sinned in his mother’s womb (Genesis 25:22; Ezekiel 18:4) or his parents sinned (Exodus 20:5; 34:7). Examples of children suffering for their parents’ sin today include babies born to a drug-addicted or alcoholic mother, or to a mother with AIDS. They can suffer from physical and mental impairment. Children whose parents are verbally, physically, or sexually abusive suffer deeply. The disciples wanted to look backward to find out “Why?”

Isn’t that what we want to do? We usually want to figure out the cause of our pain before we decide how to respond. Jesus redirects the disciples’ attention and ours. He points forward instead of backward. “Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.’ ” (John 9:3). Jesus says this man’s blindness is not due to his sin or his parents’ sin. Instead, Jesus answers a different question. He does not address the backward-looking questions of “Why?” He points to hope for the future. A human tragedy, like blindness, can be used to display the power of God at work. This man was born blind to demonstrate the power of Jesus. Why does God allow pain and suffering?

The first reason is TO DEMONSTRATE CHRIST’S POWER (John 9:1-3). Sometimes the work of God is manifest through a dramatic miracle, as with the man born blind. Sometimes it is not. Suffering always offers an opportunity for us to display God’s work. A sick person is not unspiritual, rather he is a vehicle through which Jesus can demonstrate His power. God’s work is a miracle to man, but normal work for God. It is unbiblical to assume that all suffering is the result of a specific sin. It is also wrong to conclude that all suffering is allowed by God so He can heal the person. This is the reason for this man’s suffering, but we cannot conclude this is the reason for all suffering. Notice that the disciples focus on the man’s blindness as an act of God’s displeasure, but Jesus sees the man’s blindness as an opportunity to display the power of God at work. 

How do we respond to someone with an emotional or physical handicap? Are we condemning by asking, “Who sinned?” Or are we compassionate by asking, “How is God going to show His power at work in this situation?” The first question focuses on the problem. The second question focuses on the solution. Regardless of the cause of this blind man’s affliction, he was a picture of all people who are born spiritually blind and in need of a Savior.

In summary, God allows suffering and pain to demonstrate Christ’s power. He may not perform a dramatic miracle as with the man born blind. But He may transform our attitude or heal a broken relationship. He may lift the burden of guilt and legalism off our shoulders so we can serve Him freely without shame. Whatever the form of our pain and suffering may be, God wants to show us His loving power if we will let Him.

Prayer: Father God, many people are asking, “If You are a God of love, why are You allowing so much pain and suffering in the world today?” Your answer is clear. It is because You want to demonstrate the power of Jesus in the midst of peoples’ suffering. It may not be an instant fix as it was with the healing of the man born blind. It may involve a process of gradual healing and transformation whereby You walk with people through their pain. The suffering that we experience may be Your way of bringing us to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like the man born blind, all people are born spiritually blind and unable to see Jesus as the Savior of the world. They need You, Lord, to perform spiritual cataract surgery on their eyes so they can see Christ for Who He truly is – the Eternal I AM Who can wash away their sins and give them everlasting life the moment they believe in Him. They do not have to clean up their lives any more than the blind man had to clean up his. They simply must believe in Jesus, and He will do the rest. Thank You my Lord and my God, for the simplicity of the gospel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.