Bible Studies

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Are You Combat Ready?

In the military, a unit, or individual member of a unit, is considered combat-ready when the unit or member has been prepared to engage and succeed in a military operation. Such preparedness would include familiarity, maintenance, and functional ability to make use of the weaponry, and a clear understanding of the rules of engagement.

Making an accurate assessment concerning the identity, plans, location, strengths, weaknesses, and method of operation of oneself and of the enemy is what contributes to developing a victorious defensive and offensive strategy.

In the spiritual realm, Man was created to glorify God in the midst of an ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil.

Among the issued Eph. 6: 13-17 equipment is the spiritual warrior’s primary weapon, the Word of God. His or her familiarity and functional ability to use this sword effectively is what will usually determine victory or defeat.

Most spiritual combat is not the type of activity documented in such Biblical passages as Mark 9:20 and Luke 8: 27-29. Nor is it the type of activity portrayed in modern day horror movies where possessed human beings or animals display, are subjected to, or engage in, bizarre and or overtly destructive behavior.

Most spiritual warfare takes place daily in the unseen realm in the human mind (1), as the forces of good and evil contend for the immediate influence over our thought processes and the accompanying behaviors that our thoughts produce.

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is (Proverbs 23:7a NASB2020).”

By exercising our free will, we choose to go along with one source of influence or the other, granting victory to one and defeat to the other, evidenced by our attitude, motivation, speech, and behavior.

When we choose to listen to and comply with the voice of God, He is glorified, and the devil is defeated.

God’s indwelling (2), inaudible voice can be heard through the intangible ears of the soul. His voice can be heard through accurate Bible Doctrine circulating in an edified soul structure (3). His voice can be heard through human beings who do His bidding.

When we choose to listen to and comply with the voice of the devil, his forces of evil, or our own fallen nature, we are defeated in our walk with the Lord.

The devil does not have the divine attribute of omnipresence (the ability to be everywhere and anywhere at the same time). Therefore, he must rely on third parties to do much of his bidding. Only when the potential outcome is so great does he personally get involved (4).

The voice of the devil can be heard in demons; in wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing; false teaching; evil media and entertainment, and perhaps most effectively in human beings that he has deceived (5).

The human race lives in a (spiritual) war zone.

Jesus made it perfectly clear that at the First Advent (Christmas) He did NOT come to bring interpersonal or international peace.

In fact, He taught that what He brought would cause divisions within the closest of human relationships (6), and that wars and rumors of wars (7) would continue to be a part of the human experience until the Second Advent takes place.

The type of peace on Earth that the Christmas angel announced (8) has to do with peace between God and those who would be born again.

Being on friendly terms with the world’s way of thinking makes one an enemy of God (9).

The spiritual combat here on Earth is primarily a war of words.

It is by hearing and believing the WORDS of the unadulterated Gospel Message that one becomes the recipient of eternal life (10), arranging for permanent (11) residency in Heaven. It is by hearing and disbelieving the WORDS of the unadulterated Gospel Message that one is self-condemned (12), arranging for permanent residency in the lake of fire (13). It is by learning (14) and applying (15) the WORDS of accurate Bible Doctrine that a born-again believer can worship God the way He desires (16). It is by learning and applying the WORDS of accurate Bible Doctrine that a born-again believer builds an edified soul structure (17) and advances in the post (after being saved) salvation spiritual life of discipleship.

Understanding the plan of God uncovers the plan and strategy of the devil. The devil’s objective is to do all that he and his Eph.6: 12 forces of evil can do to prevent, or at least impede, God’s plan from taking place in the lives of the souls that God created for His glory.

 It is by hearing and believing the WORDS that promote false gods and accompanying religious activity (18) that souls are deceived, setting the stage for the rejection of the unadulterated Gospel Message. It is by hearing and believing the WORDS of all the alternative (false) means of securing salvation (by works or religious traditions of Man) that souls are deceived into thinking all is well. It is by hearing and entertaining the blasphemous WORDS, teaching that one can lose his0 salvation, that raises doubts and confusion in the minds of God’s people.

Until one understands that his or her is salvation is eternally secure (19), his or her focus of attention will be divided and not focused on the post salvation spiritual life. It’s like a baseball runner that will not run full speed around the bases if he thinks that he failed to step on all the bases along the way.

It is by hearing and entertaining WORDS that would deceive us into thinking that because salvation can not be lost that we can live any way we want without fear of any consequences.

While it IS true that the GIFT of salvation will not be recalled, there are still OTHER consequences (20) for the negative choices we make.

In closing, keep in mind that 1Pet. 3: 15 commands us to be prepared to give answers, when asked or otherwise given the opportunity to do so, in this war of words.Taking in and applying the Word of God on a daily basis is thr only way that a born-again believer can be combat ready and prevail in the midst of the daily spiritual combat in the Church Age (21).

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(1) Romans 7: 21-23 (2) 1Cor.3: 16 (3) Matt. 7: 24-25 (4) Luke 4: 2/Luke 22: 3 (5) Gen. 3: 13, 17/Matt.15: 14 (6) Luke 12: 53/Luke 14: 26 (7) Matt. 24: 6 (8) Luke 2: 14/1Peter 5: 14 (9) James 4: 4 (10) John 3: 16 (11) Romans 8: 1 (12) John 3: 18 (13) Rev. 20: 15 (14) 2Pet. 3: 18 (15) James 1: 22 (16 ) John 4: 23 (17) Matt. 7: 24-25 (18) Psalms 96: 5 (19) Romans 8: 1 (20) Heb. 12: 6/1Cor. 3: 15 (21) Matt. 7: 24-25/James 1:22

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