Jesus: Man of Warfare

Jesus is a man of warfare, spiritual warfare that is. This past week we saw how Jesus' ministry was centered around the idea that there are two kingdoms in conflict. It is God's kingdom verses the kingdom of the prince of darkness. From the beginning the enemy has fought to keep man from experiencing an authentic relationship with God.

Jesus has won the war, but there are spiritual battles that will continue until Jesus returns. So how does this affect you and me?

Once we discover the reality of the warfare that goes on in the heavenly realm we begin to pray differently and with more intensity. We call on God and his angels to intervene in this battle for lost souls and the advancement of his kingdom.

In Daniel 10 we have a perfect example of spiritual warfare and how prayer can make a difference.

Daniel is confronted with a heavenly being. He had been fasting for twenty-one days when this being came to him. The heavenly being came to let him know his prayer had been heard and he had come in response to Daniels prayer and fasting.

He told Daniel that his prayers had been heard from the first day but he had been detained by the prince of the Persian kingdom. Our first insticnt is to think that the prince of the Persian kingdom is a physical ruler. But the heavenly being said he was detained until Michael, "one of the chief princes, came to help him."

Michael, on of the arch angels intervened in the heavenly realm. The heavenly being tells Daniel, "Do not be afraid . . . Peace! Be strong now; be strong." The heavenly being said that he was going to return to fight the prince of Persia and when he leave, the prince of Greece will come.

This is a perfect description of what goes on in the heavenly realm. So what can we learn from this story in the Bible?

First, spiritual warfare is real. There really is a battle that goes on in the heavenly realm.

Second, our prayer affects the battles that go on in the spiritual realm. This means we need to be persistant, calling on God to fight for us against the spiritual forces of evil. We can not fight this battle on our own, we have to trust God's power because the enemy will do everything he can so that we lose that trust.

Finally, we have to realize there is a battle. As follwers of God we do not need to be passive, we need to be aggrssive with our prayers. And when it gets tough, we need to find peace in God and stand strong.

The encouragement this week is to pray as a warrior fighting against the principalities of this dark world. Pray for people to be healed. Pray for God to intervene. Pray for lost souls. Stop being passive with your prayers.

Pary hard, trust God's word, the kingdom of heaven is at hand and the gates of hell will not prevail!