The danger of being spiritually passive

The other day I was thinking about how unsettling it’s been over the past couple of years to watch the news, AND in spite of Sean Hannity reminding me of what Jesus said in John 14 at the close of every program, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” -  I still find my heart weighed down by so much of what I see happening in our nation and world.

I mean here is just a spattering of recent headlines from the last week or so…

• Woman accused of shoving 3-year-old nephew off Chicago’s Navy Pier charged with murder.
• Putin ally recommends Russia use low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
• We’d struggle to find any aspect of American life unaffected by border crisis.
• NYC violent crime is out of control – man stabbed in broad daylight.
• Drug traffickers arrested in California with 150,000 fentanyl pills released after just days in jail.

Clearly, we are living in a world that is encumbered with deep problems, and as a Christian, I find myself thinking about how to respond to these things in prayer – knowing that the at the root, the problems that we are facing are ultimately the result of the spiritual battle that raging all around us.

Remember, that the enemy has one mission and that is to steal, kill and destroy – and to be honest, he is extremely effective at it.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us that, “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

And I think that there is a danger of simply glossing over what the Holy Spirit is saying though the Apostle Paul. He is trying to tell us how the enemy has aligned himself against this world and is painting a picture of demonic military ranks. Let me show you what I’m talking about…

First – Paul uses the word “principality” which in the Greek means “ancient times” but is also used to describe those who hold incredibly high positions of rank and authority – SO by using this word, the Apostle is telling us that at the very top of Satan’s demonic army are fallen angels that are so powerful that they have held their high positions since ancient times.

Second – Paul uses the word “powers” which actually means “delegated authority” if you study out the Greek word, and it describes a class of demons that operate under the authority of the principalities that we just talked about - AND these "powers" likely have authority over regions, like we see in Daniel 10, when the Prince of Persia withstood the angel of the Lord, that was sent to Daniel with the answer to his prayers – and it was only when the angel Michael showed up that Daniel’s messenger angel was able to break through the satanic stronghold in that region.

Third – Paul then lists the “rulers of this dark age” which is an interesting phrase in the Greek, that describes an organized and trained demonic army, that are being given tasks and assignments to carry out.

AND fourth – Paul describes the “spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places” and this phrase describes a plurality of malevolent, evil, vicious, and vile entities that have set themselves against this world and everyone who lives in it.

I know that this is a bit sobering, and even difficult to wrap your head around depending on how you were raised. I mean the thought of a very real war in the spirit realm, that is driving force behind every form of evil and wickedness in this fallen world, just isn’t rational… is it?

Well, let me answer that with another question – Is it rational for a Christian to believe God’s Word?

Of course, it is.

That’s why the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:13 that we are to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

He further tells us to: center our life in God’s truth – that we are to boldly stand in the righteousness that was given to us through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross – that we are to be people of great faith as we encounter the enemy – that salvation is meant to guard our mind and heart – and that we are to be people who are on the offensive spiritually, and use our prayers to destroy the work of the enemy!

BUT living in this type of authority requires us to take God at His Word and come into agreement with Him.

Why?

Because spiritual authority operates in conjunction with the Law of Agreement, that God established when He created Adam and Eve.

The Law of Agreement is this: the more we come into agreement with God and His Word, the more of His goodness He is able to release into this world – BUT when we sit by and do nothing or come into agreement with the lies of the enemy, then darkness increases.

The problem is that many Christians are way too spiritually passive – Oh, they pray and ask God to do something about the devil – BUT then absolutely nothing happens, because God has already done something about the devil – and He is waiting for us to use the authority that was won by Christ on the cross.

One of the most common mistakes that I see, is that many Christians mentally acknowledge that Satan is defeated, and that his authority has been stripped from Him – AND that’s where it stops.

BUT the news headlines aren’t going to change unless these wicked, vile and malevolent demonic forces are challenged by people who are willing to stand in agreement with God's Word and pray in great spiritual boldness. That's why, I want to challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to specifically put things on your heart for prayer, as you watch the news - and I challenge you to be bold, to be courageous, and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit - because your prayers truly matter.  
 
Scriptures for further study:
Matthew 16:15-19
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
James 5:16
1 John 5:14-15