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15 - Defend and Attack
15 - Defend and Attack
(Ephesians 6:17)
1. Introduction
Gulf War
In an article from the magazine Aviation History on Stealth Secrets of
the F117, “TV viewers who tuned in to CNN on the evening of 16
January 1991, were treated to a rare live preview of wars to come.
Correspondents Bernard Shaw and Peter Arnett, a Kiwi, broadcasting
live in their room from Baghdad’s Al-Rashid Hotel were covering the
state of alert of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Iraqi radar operators scoured
the moonless skies for the first indication of approaching aircraft, but
they saw nothing. “We haven’t heard any planes yet”, noted Shaw,
wondering aloud whether B-52 bombers flew so high they couldn’t be
heard.
In quick succession, three waves of stealth jets singled out their
objectives with a precision at once merciful and merciless – the Iraqi
Air Force and Ba’th Party headquarters, air defense control centres,
Rashid Air Field, and other high value targets including two of
Sadam’s presidential palaces. After the mission, the ground crews
anxiously counted the returning aircraft the last of which did not touch
down until after dawn. Miraculously, not only did every Nighthawk
return but none of them bore as much as a scratch.
Vietnam War
Carlos Hathcock, the highest scoring Marine sniper, spent 3 days
stealthily invading a North Vietnamese camp to assassinate a
Vietnamese general. He crept a distance of 800 metres in 3 days in
order to get close enough and get a clear shot of the target. It was a
successful mission and caused confusion amongst the North
Vietnamese army.
In both cases, the targets were the heads of the organisation. Without
the head, everything is thrown into haywire and confusion and it
effectively paralyses the organisation.
Ephesians 6:17 is about protecting the head which if hit causes death
or disability. Paul’s exhortation is about wearing the helmet of
salvation and the clear analogy. This is the defensive side of spiritual
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warfare. In the earlier verses, we have read about the protection and
defences for other parts of the body.
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military doctrine, command is defined as exercise of authority, based
upon knowledge, to attain an objective or goal.
Authority – Matthew 28:18 says that Jesus has authority from heaven.
He said it Himself. Therefore he has all the rights to exercise His
authority on us.
tells us about the God who know the past, present and the future. It is
through this knowledge that He commands each one of us towards the
path of righteousness.
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uncontrolled elements cannot win a battle. If each soldier will go his
own way in complete disobedience of the commander’s orders,
nothing can be accomplished; the objectives will not be reached and
will cause disarray and confusion.
Deuteronomy 26:16 ( 16 The LORD your God commands you this
day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with
all your heart and with all your soul) says that God demands
wholehearted obedience. It is logical because He gave us
wholehearted salvation through Christ. Obedience also yields
salvation. It is an act of obedience to accept Christ because it secures
obedience to God’s kingdom (Matthew 7:21)
In 1415, John Huss, one of the early reformers died a martyr’s death,
burnt at the stake, rather than renounce his faith in complete obedience
to God. He was given a chance by the Duke of Bavaria to save his
earthly life if he was to recant his faith. His obedience to the Lord is
summed up in his response, “I never preached any doctrine of evil
tendency what I preached with my lips I now seal with my blood”.
These are brave words from a man who completely submitted to the
Lord.
Communication
In war communication is very important in order to carry out
coordinated actions. Every soldier is part of an army and for that army
to be truly effective; all of its elements must work in harmony. The
destruction of Iraq’s command and control centre paralysed its
communication links with the anti-aircraft missiles and artillery
resulting in a chaotic firing of these weapons against the attacking
aircraft. They just ended up as very expensive fireworks, being lit up
without doing any damage. In spiritual warfare, communication is by
prayer. Through prayer, we get in touch with God, we let Him know
our needs, we are intimate with Him on a personal level and He
delights in them. Through prayer God gives us guidance and let us
know what He wants us to do. Proverbs 3: 5 – 6 tells us, “trust in the
Lord with all your heart and lean not on yur own understanding,
follow Him and He will direct thy paths”. The context of these verses
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describes what God will do for those who trust Him and follows His
principle for living.
Application
In Ephesians 2:2, Paul wrote that we live in a world dominated by the
Prince of the power of the air, a synonym for Satan. Paul also wrote
that you were followers of Satan and dead in sin and was only made
alive in Christ. The helmet of salvation will protect you from the
onslaught of evil and save you from eternal fires of hell. Once you
wear the helmet of salvation, you have switched sides from being dead
in sin to being alive in Christ.
Spiritual war is serious business. It is war that we cannot fight on our
own terms. It is a war where the battle rages in our hearts and mind.
The victor is already known. The only question is, whose side are you
on? Have you put on the helmet of salvation and joined the ranks of
the saved and victorious?
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3. Attack - God’s Word Destroys the Heinous and
Malevolent (v 17b)
The sharp sword of the Spirit, the Bible, is a potent weapon. Nothing
can withstand it even the evil forces of Satan. What is it in that Book
that makes it so powerful? It is powerful because it is the Word of
God to man (2 Peter 1 20 – 21, Above all, you must understand
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Sword
The Word of God is not only piercing, it also crushing as stated in
Jeremiah 23:29(Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and
like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? )
The sword of God is first mentioned in the Genesis narrative after the
fall of man. Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God’s commandment,
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received the promise of a Redeemer. They were driven away from the
garden of Eden. A flaming sword, guarded by a cherubim prevented
man from re-entering the garden of Eden. The sword points out to
God’s righteous indignation against sin.
This indignation still stands. God’s Holiness cannot tolerate the
presence of evil. The sword of God overcomes evil by exposing its
true nature.
Satan’s best weapon are lies and deception. He sows the seeds of lies
and deception to the unwary mind and nurtures with more lies and
deceptions until it becomes a murky haze where the difference
between truth and lies cannot be set apart. God’s Word cuts through
that murkiness by revealing the truth. Here are examples:
There is no God – God exists and He is all around us
There is no hell – Hell is the final destination of sinners
Gay is okay – Homosexuality is an abomination
Abortion is a choice – abortion is murder
Universe evolved - universe is created
Spirit
We have seen the sharpness of the sword, able to penetrate anything
and everything. We have examined the sword that cuts through
beyond the physical realm and pierces the soul and spirit. Now let us
study the wielder of the sword, the Holy Spirit. It is only appropriate
that a spiritual weapon is borne by a spiritual being.
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The Holy Spirit influences God’s Will.
In his book. “How to Reach your full potential for God”, Charles
Stanley wrote that the Holy Spirit will give us counsel as we
implement God’s plans for our lives. The Holy Spirit will nudge you
in your spirit. “Do this, don’t go there, Say this, Avoid that person”.
He will remind you of the words and deeds of Jesus. He will remind
you of God’s commandments and Bible stories of mighty victories. He
will remind of the sure and lasting promises of God’s Word. In
summary, He is a cheerleader.
Application
During times of peace, most soldiers spend a great deal of time
training, building up their fighting skills and confidence. They also
seek ways to increase their capability by developing new techniques
and technology to be become more effective warriors.
As spiritual warriors, we must spend a lot of time training and
studying the Sharp Sword of the Spirit. We must be involved in group
and personal study of the Word of God. It is our most potent weapon
and we must always hone our skills.
In my experience I find joy in studying or teaching God’s Word. It is
so rich and so deep that you don’t know when to stop. The Bible is so
rich such that you can study it from different perspectives. You can
study it as literature with all the prose and poetry. It can be studied
from the historical point of view and this is where it really comes to
life. The characters become so real when you think of how you would
have felt when confronted with the same situation. You can study it as
a personal devotion to find out what God has in store for you. If you
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are not into God’s Word then you are missing a lot. You are missing
the richness and wisdom imparted in that Book. You are also missing
by being vulnerable to Satanic assaults and influences as you can
easily be mislead by lacking knowledge in God’s Word.
Be the Spiritual Warrior that you are, study God’s Word
4. Conclusion –
Defend - Make sure that your heart and mind is in the Lord.
Psalm 91 (I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my
fortress, my God, in whom I trust." ) is a prayer of Divine
Protection. Verse 2 is very striking declaration about having the Lord
as refuge and fortress. This ultimate protection can be had if you have
full trust in Christ with all your heart and mind. If you have repented
your sins and accepted Christ as your Lord and Saviour then you have
the helmet of salvation, divinely protected from the onslaught of evil
and assured of eternal life. Is this you ? Are you in Divine protection
in the midst of spiritual war ? If not, it is never too late as long as you
are still living and breathing.