How Does Spiritual Warfare Work?
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Earlier this week My friend Karyn sparked up a great conversation on social media. It all began with a playful jab at her husband, suggesting that it was his job as a husband and father to lock the doors at night. She then tagged me in the post and challenged me to back up her claim with scripture in my next video.
I don’t know about locking the doors, but I’m pretty sure that the idea that the man is responsible for making coffee is Biblical. I don’t know exactly where to find it but it’s somewhere in the book of… HeBrews. Yeah, that's a bit cheesy, but let's roll with it.
1 Corinthians chapter 7 says “The Husband’s body is not his own but He yields it to His wife.” Admittedly, I’m taking this slightly out of context, but the application is sound. So go lock the doors!
I began looking through scripture (and a quick Google search) scouring for any mention of door-locking related wisdom.
Nothing.
And then I came across Luke 11:21-22! “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.”
There it is:
“Lock your doors or someone will rob you.”
Ok. That’s not really what He is saying. Of course, it's worth noting that this passage is actually parable, conveying a deeper message. Ironically, right after talking about prayer at the beginning of Chapter 11, Jesus goes here; Straight into the topic of spiritual warfare. That's not an accident.
Grab your Bible, open up to Luke chapter 11, and follow along. If you don’t have a Bible, that’s ok. Go grab one.
“14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. (Circle that, its going to be important later.) When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.”
There is no denying that Jesus has power! So far in the book of Luke, we have seen Jesus cure all kinds of sickness and diseases: leprosy, paralysis, and even raised a teenage boy from the dead during his funeral! He has been casting out demons and restoring people to wholeness again.
The only question now is, where does that power come from? The Pharisees look at Jesus and say, “He can drive out demons because He is one!” They’re not just astounded by what Jesus does, they are astounded by the way He does it.
According to their religious traditions, there are rules to casting out evil spirits. Rules that we don’t find in the Bible, and rules that Jesus seems to disregard. The first one of which is, you have to know the Demon’s name. The thought that if you know the name of the demon, you could command the demon. They thought knowing the name of a spirit could work like a handle to get hold of it. And everyone here is amazed because Jesus just broke their belief about exorcism because this Spirit was mute. Meaning Jesus can’t ask the spirit his name.
The Pharisees can’t wrap their heads around this. “You know what? He does this differently than us. He has a power that we don’t. A power that says, ‘I don’t care about the rules that your religion makes up for demons.’” However, they don't attribute Jesus’ abilities to divine authority; instead, they accuse him of being a demon himself.
“17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ”
Jesus is now quoting Abraham Lincoln… Or maybe it's the other way around.
“18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
In essence, Jesus challenges the Pharisees, saying, "Listen, Satan is evil, but he’s not stupid. Even Satan knows that division weakens a kingdom. All you need to do is look at a divided family to know that. If Satan is fighting Satan, what can he possibly gain? But, if I’m not casting out spirits by Satan, then the Kingdom of God is standing before you”
It's an audacious claim of Jesus - “I can do this because the Kingdom has arrived, and I am it’s King”.
Then, Jesus proceeds to unveil insights into the spiritual realm. And he tells the story.
“21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder. 23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.””
He says it so matter of fact-ly. He explains it in simple language. As if he assumes all of us have seen this truth and know it.
Jesus says, “There is a strong man. There is a Satan. He has followers, evil spirits. They do take possession of people. These spirits are after people. From the very beginning Satan knows he cannot harm God, so he will attack us because we are made in the image of God. And if He cannot attack our Father, he will attack his kids. And for all of us, we are in a battle.
But… if a stronger man comes around. Takes the guy, wraps him up and throws him out of the house, guess who is in charge now?
But if the house is just left clean, then the Spirit is going to come back. Because every Spirit wants a tool. And if you try to clean up your life and put it in order but leave it empty, without Jesus, they are going to come back with a vengeance. And you are worse off.
I realized as I was reading this, this pattern is familiar; I’ve seen it unfold before. When someone cleans up their life and says, “I’ve got God! I got sober! I got cleaned up in prison!” Only to find that 7 months later, they’re not just where they were, but even deeper. Have you seen it? And Jesus says, that is the Spiritual realm at work in all of our lives.
Jesus is driving home the message. “My presence in your life is what saves you! It’s not you cleaning up your life. It’s not a self help book! It won’t work! You cannot stand against the evil of this world without me.”
I know. I’ve tried.
Jesus says “I am the strong man!” Without me, you can try to clean your life up, but you are open to subtle destruction.
The crowd's excitement is palpable at this point, and amidst the fervor, some woman in the crowd just wants to cry out a blessing to Jesus! And she does. God bless Spiritual women.
“27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who birthed and nursed you.””
Essentially she yells out, “Hail Mary full of Grace!”
But Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Jesus gently but purposefully separates praising Mary from the equation. “No, blessed is the person who hears who I am and follows me, and is obedient to the Word of God!”
What does that have to do with Spiritual warfare? Because obedience is key. (Get it? Locking the doors… key?) Without obedience, Satan can find a way back into your life.
Jesus says “I am the strong man now! But you can’t try to clean up your life and leave me out of it!” We need obedience to Jesus. Why? Because there is an enemy that knows the weaknesses and vulnerabilities. And he’s looking for a way back in the house.
If you think, I got this on my own, no you don’t. The enemy is watching and waiting to exploit any opening. So, lock your doors.
Consider which areas of your life have been left unguarded. Which doors are unlocked? Where have you heard the word of God and NOT obeyed?
Ephesians 4:27 warns “Do not give the devil a foothold.” Don’t give him anything in your life that he can grab onto. The rest of the chapter will tell us how to do that. It will say if you are lying, speak truthfully. If you have a problem with Anger, don’t let it lead you down the road to sin. If you are stealing or greedy, find a way to give generously. If you are gossiping or cursing, use your words to build others up. What other areas of your life are unguarded? What doors are not locked that Satan will go for? Identify those weak spots and fortify them!
Ephesians 4 goes on to say, “31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
And that is how you secure the house of your life. You can’t do it on your alone, you can’t just try to clean up your life and put it in order. You have to bring Strong-Man-Jesus in and secure your life with obedience.
Where are the door unlocked in your life? Because that sin has got to go.
