True Spiritual Warfare
I write this article under the assumption that the reader understands the foundational truths of how God’s kingdom works as the Lord taught in His parable of the sower and the seed (Matthew 13, Mark 4, Luke 8). One of the greatest passages in the Bible describes this truth… from Joshua 1:8: This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
Creation came from God’s word. Salvation came from God’s word. Faith came from God’s word. Healing came from God’s word. Peace, joy, deliverance, and all the fruit of the Spirit came from God’s word. Everything that has ever existed has come from God’s word—words that proceeded out of the mouth of God.
Therefore, if you’re lacking in any of the promises of God, the solution isn’t to “pray about it,” but to go to God’s word and plant the seeds that will produce these things in your life. After you’ve planted seeds, then your prayer and meditation function as fertilizer to the seeds. You may want to stop here and read my teaching “Prayer in the Absence of Truth” if you haven’t read it yet.
God has designed His word to bring life and accomplish His thoughts of good to bring us an expected result as the Bible says, So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. [Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 29:11]
Therefore, the “formula” for prosperity and success in the kingdom of God is to take the incorruptible seed of God’s word and like a farmer, plant the seed in your heart, meditating on its truths day and night, so that it would not depart from your mouth, and that you would do all that is written therein. Like the farmer expects that his seeds will produce, you too must expect God’s word to produce good things in your life. This is faith.
The Word Becomes Flesh
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. [Genesis 8:22]
Because God is just and holy, and all his works are righteous (Psalm 145:17), He adheres to His own laws concerning His influence in the world. God spoke the seed of His word and the earth was created; and with Jesus, we know that He was the Word [that] was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]
All the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Jesus were seeds spoken by God (through prophets) into the earth (to people), culminating with the word spoken through the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary. The seed (sperma) for Jesus’ birth was in the world, but a person could only be conceived in the womb of a woman. Therefore, Mary’s words, Behold the handmaiden of the Lord, be it unto me according to your word, [Luke 1:38] granted consent for the conception of the Son of God in her womb. Jesus was the word made flesh, and everything in this world adheres to the same principle: it begins as a thought, then is spoken or communicated as a word and it becomes flesh or alive. This is an absolute truth and cannot be bypassed.
So then, we understand that EVERYTHING in this world comes from the seed of words. In fact, the Bible says, Death and life are in the power of tongue, and they who love it will eat the fruit thereof. [Proverbs 18:11]
Jesus said, The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. [John 6:63]
Words are spiritual in the sense that not only are they of the “invisible realm” (you cannot see words—even written words are only symbols or pictures of what words mean) but they can bring forth death and life. God’s words bring forth life to them that find them (Proverbs 4:22) and death to them who resist them through unbelief (John 3:18; Hebrews 4:2).
But have we understood that since God has established the world in this way—that our enemies must also abide by these same laws? (And I don’t say “laws” referring to standards of conduct or rules of behavior, but “laws” that are absolute truths that never change and are indestructible.) God dispatches His word into the hearts and minds of people to give them life. The Bible says, He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from all their destructions. [Psalm 107:20]
Likewise, Satan our enemy also sends words, which bring life and death, but his words are intended to bring “life” to that which causes death, and “death” to God’s life (John 10:10). For example, cancer is death, but it is a virus and is alive. Therefore, cancer is alive, but brings forth death, and the same is true with the words of our enemy.
Herein is a great truth—the truth I want to share with you because while hopefully most of us (although having yet to grasp it completely) understand the laws of seed time and harvest with respect to God’s word in order for it to be prosperous in our lives, I believe we have not been taught how these same laws apply to our enemy’s strategies against us—and that this is the reason his weapons of death are prospering against us.
The truth of spiritual warfare does not exist against principalities, demons, and devils themselves, but against the words that they form against us. While much of the church teaches that spiritual warfare is waged in the heavens, through prayer and intercession against demonic principalities and strongholds, we see from the Word of God that this is not so, which is why we are seeing so much defeat in the lives of God’s people. Most are defeated NOT because of ignorance of the war, but are defeated for lack of knowledge about the defensive and offensive weapons with which to engage in combat. Additionally, we are not meeting our enemy on the same playing field. While we are fighting somewhere in the spirit realm, the enemy ambushes us in the realm of thoughts and words. Therefore, the true battlefield is located right between our ears.
The Common Defense
People familiar with sports have probably heard this quote, “The best offense is a good defense.” While this may be occasionally true, I believe the word of God teaches that in order to be successful we must have both a good offense and defense.
Concerning our warfare as Christians, I believe that one of the most over-quoted and least understood verses of the Bible comes from Isaiah 54:17 that says, No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD.
Okay, I want you to ponder the verse from Isaiah 54:17 for a minute… think about what God is saying and compare it to the lives of many of the servants of the LORD. Isn’t it obvious that weapons like sin, sickness, untimely death, depression, fear, discouragement, unbelief, and wickedness are prospering against the servants of the LORD?
I’ve observed that most people quote the first statement No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper alone, believing this will occur if you believe it or confess it enough. Certainly exercising faith and confession is helpful, but God has given us instructions on how to cultivate this truth and make it effective in our lives.
Now hold onto your hats and stay with me because I’m about to drop a bomb on you. By itself the statement No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper is NOT TRUE. The statement is a TRUTH (because God spoke it) but it is NOT TRUE because by itself, it is not complete. There is a difference between TRUTH and what is TRUE.
For example, it’s TRUE that the Jews believed Jesus had a devil, but it wasn’t the TRUTH. Do you see what I mean? The Bible says that God is the TRUTH, but also that we must let God be true [Romans 3:4] in order for His truth to benefit us.
I’ll give you another example. The Bible says that Jesus is the Savior of all men and is not willing that any should perish [TRUTH from 1 Timothy 4:10 and 2 Peter 3:9], but are all men saved? The Bible also says that By his stripes you were healed [TRUTH from 1 Peter 2:24] but is everyone healed? We see that in spite of God’s word being truth, His word is not coming to pass to the extent He desires. Weapons ARE CERTAINLY prospering against the servants of the LORD. Why is this?
Weapons are prospering against God’s servants because we are not doing what the Word of God says. The statement No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper alone is NOT true. However, the Lord did not make this statement without elaborating how we can accomplish and be successful in protecting against the enemy’s weapons from prospering against us. Again, since God can only use His Word to benefit and prosper us, then the only weapons that Satan can use against us are WORDS. And this is what the Scripture from Isaiah 54:17 is teaching us.
I’m going to digress for a minute because I want you also to think about the nature of a seed… Jesus said, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. [John 12:24]
A seed needs a place of conception—a container in which to first activate the life in it, and then grow and be prosperous. A seed by itself, without being planted in the ground will remain a seed. However, once the seed is planted in the ground, elements in the ground activate the life in the seed to produce what the seed is intended to produce.
Let us consider the statement No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper to be a seed of God intended to bring forth (give birth to) this truth—that NO weapon of the enemy shall prosper against you. However, the life in this seed cannot be activated and grow without a womb, which is contained in the heart and mind of a person. However, we know by observation that in spite of a person’s faith and confession of this truth, that it isn’t as much a reality as it should (or could) be, and even more so for those who don’t believe this to be so.
The reason weapons are prospering against us is because we are allowing them to be conceived in us. Yes, some may believe that no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, but by itself, it’s like believing that a birth control pill or condom will prevent a woman from getting pregnant. The only way to positively assure that a woman does not get pregnant is to simply not have sexual intercourse with a man. Thus, the only way to prevent conception is to avoid the act that produces conception. While we understand this (at least we should) in the natural, we should also apply this in the spiritual. Words are to life and death, as sperm is to conceiving a child.
Before I continue teaching the rest of the passage, I would like to suggest that we see and read the verse from Isaiah 54:17 another way. If we understand that every gift from God is delivered through righteousness, I believe that by re-ordering this passage we would see how God’s statement about righteousness could come first, and then everything else would spring from this revelation. If you haven’t read my teaching on Righteousness, I would suggest that you do so. I know I may lose some of you here, but I ask you to bear with me because I believe this teaching will help you immensely. Think about the math property that says if 3 + 4 = 7, then 4 + 3 also = 7, and conversely, 7 = 4 + 3. Just because the order is different, it neither changes the meaning nor the results.
Here’s how I would order this verse: “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their righteousness is of me, says the LORD. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper (because) every tongue (or word) that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn.”
Do you see how righteousness is our foundation—our inheritance? The Bible says that Jesus was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is because we have God’s righteousness that we can be successful in this war. As you will see that much of our enemy’s attacks against us involve our conduct, accusing us of being unworthy due to our actions. This is why a revelation of God’s righteousness—that we have—is vital to being confident in using the weapons God has provided us—Words.
Our stance first is therefore upon the truth of the righteousness that we have—not because of our actions, but because of what Jesus has done. If you’re not absolutely convinced that you are righteous in the sight of God through Jesus, then the devil’s weapons will prosper against you, because you will agree with his assessment of your conduct, and submit to his accusations. The Christian is not worthy of his own accord to receive any promise of God, but when he rests and stands upon the truth of God’s righteousness, the entire kingdom of God is at his disposal.
We remember what the Lord said to Joshua about prosperity and success—that it came from taking the Word of God, and meditating therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein (Joshua 1:8). From its appearance, this passage suggests that by simply having a good “offense” of pouring the Word into your heart will result in success and prosperity. Is our defense missing from this passage?
Absolutely not—it’s not missing, but it is hidden within the passage to mean that by having the absolute truths of God’s word always in your mouth, and by pondering these truths daily, it will result in you doing all of the word of God, which results in having a good defense as well. Therefore, we can conclude that having a good offense in this case will produce a good defense. In fact, Jesus used the written word of God to defend himself against the temptations of the devil.
Let’s compare my rendering of this passage to what the Bible says concerning the weapons of our warfare (or how we fight our enemy) in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
Before this recent revelation, I never included verse 6 with this teaching on our warfare, believing that disobedience and obedience had something to do with a standard of conduct. However, when the Lord showed me that this verse parallels what He spoke through Isaiah, I got excited. The weapons that we use against the enemy’s weapons have more to do with you having a readiness to revenge or condemn ALL THINGS that are disobedient to what God’s word teaches, and this readiness will come when you have been obedient to Joshua 1:8 concerning the word of God.
If we look closely at what this passage is saying, we would discover that the expected result of our warfare is to the pulling down of strongholds, which infers that something already exists in the realm of our thinking that is keeping us in bondage or preventing us from walking in victory. Strongholds are exactly what the word implies—a strong hold upon the way you think and consequently in the way you live because the Scripture says, As he thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]
Romans 12:2 says that we may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God through renewing our minds. Therefore, the end result of pulling down strongholds is accomplished by first casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge (or word) of God.
Every word spoken begins as a thought or imagination. Jesus said, Therefore take no thought, saying… [Matthew 6:31] Our imagination is the birthplace of our words and actions—our spiritual womb. Your imagination is your “mind’s eye” or the way you perceive things. The imagination can also be seen as your “world view” or “paradigm.” So then, since words are the byproduct of thoughts, our weapons against any thoughts or words that attempt to have greater value than what the word of God says, should be cast down or shoved away.
Now let me say this as well, even though YOUR words are the byproduct of YOUR thoughts, the opposite is true as it relates to others’ words. Their words, being a byproduct of their thoughts, when communicated to you, are seeds that produce thoughts in your mind, which produce words from your mouth. Not only do thoughts produce words, but words also produce thoughts. This is a simple truth concerning the fact that every living thing has seed in itself to reproduce. Since words are seeds, they have life in them. Words, therefore, are not only seeds, but they are also fruit.
What makes the passage from Isaiah 54:17 complete is first the recognition of righteousness, and then the means by which you prevent any weapons that are formed against you to prosper. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn.
So, in order for the seed of No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper to be a reality in your life, you must cast down or shove away imaginations or any thought or word that attempts to have greater place or value than the word of God. The means by which we do this is to bring these thoughts or words into captivity to the obedience of Christ. In other words, every thought we have and every word we hear must be examined in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
For example, you may have a thought that tells you that you’re not worthy to live in God’s blessing. However, because of Jesus, you are worthy—as worthy as He is—to live in God’s blessing. With this, you have examined a thought in light of what Jesus has done for us, and shoved it away because it was not obedient to Christ. In other words, you made this thought or word null and void by the truth of the word of God.
Let’s look back at Isaiah 54:17 and compare it to verse 6 of 2 Corinthians 10.
- Every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn.
- And having a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
What does rise against you in judgment mean? Many people will automatically conclude the word judgment to refer to condemnation or accusation, and although those things are true, the context of judgment in this case refers more to “with the purpose of making an impact in your life.” As the Word of God’s sole purpose is to make an impact in your life (God’s judgments are good—Psalm 119:137-144) likewise, the weapons of the enemy are sent to you with the sole purpose of making an impact in your life.
When the media announces that “Flu Season Has Arrived!” this word is coming against you to make an impact in your life. It can either conceive thoughts of being sick that will open the door to sickness, or it can cause you to go and get a flu shot. Either way, this word can make an impact on you. The key here is what you do with this word. Do you condemn it, or let it go unchallenged either in your thoughts or words? Now, let’s compare the announcement of the flu season to what the word of God says. If this is how we wage the war, then we must use practical examples.
The world says, “It’s flu season!”
BUT GOD says, You shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked, because you have made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation. There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. [Psalm 91:5-10]
My teaching article “The BUT GOD Card” also relates how to use the Scripture to wage this war.
I frequently use this passage to condemn the bombardment of death-producing words of sickness and disease that comes from the television and other sources. Soon, I realized that the television has a mute button and better yet, an OFF button. (I’ll talk more about this in the final section about living a life separated from the world.) I used to pass a medical clinic every day on my way to work and every day I would see a large sign, “Get Your Flu Shots Here!” And because I knew it was there, I would resist looking at the sign, but my mind was already telling me what it said. I was condemning the word about sickness all the time.
In addition to sickness, the world is filled with words about divorce, terror, economic hardships, famine, etc. and all these words can be challenged and condemned by the word of God. This is how you prevent the enemy’s weapons from prospering—by not allowing them to be conceived in the first place.
This is the practice of exalting or giving glory to God as the Bible says, Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall your seed be. And not being weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. [Romans 4:18-21]
Abraham was faced with two realities: the spiritual reality of God’s promise and the natural reality of his age and of Sarah’s barrenness. Both of these things were true, but Abraham chose to place a greater weight on God’s promise, which by default nullified the fact that he and Sarah were too old to conceive a child. Just like the “flu season” and Psalm 91 are true, you have a choice to exalt or magnify one above the other.
Isaiah wrote, Who has believed our report? [Isaiah 53:1] Elijah said, How long will you be halt between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, the follow him. And the people answered him not a word. [1 Kings 18:21]
I asked earlier whether you would challenge and condemn this word, or would you let it go. This is the essence of what I’m teaching. Sadly as the people answered him not a word, we too often let words and thoughts that are against the word of God go unchallenged and uncondemned. This is like having unprotected sexual intercourse and not being concerned about getting pregnant. God has given us weapons or armor to prevent conception of evil in our lives, but we have to use them.
Let’s look at what the Scripture teaches about the armor of God:
Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins covered with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayers and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. [Ephesians 6:10-20]
Now many may read this and object to what I taught earlier about true spiritual warfare, saying that our war is against principalities, powers, etc. and that these enemies are to be dealt with through prayer and intercession. Let us look closely at what the Scripture is saying… Is this passage teaching us how to wage war, or is it identifying who our enemy is, and what God has given us to protect us from this enemy?
Ephesians 6 identifies our enemy while 2 Corinthians 10 tells us how to fight him. The final verse from the passage in Ephesians 6 concerning prayer is encouraging constant fellowship with the Lord, and guarding against the attacks of the enemy—both for you and for all people. We know what this does NOT say… that principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places are combated with intercessory prayer. We can examine the ministries of Jesus and the apostles to resolve any dispute, because the Bible does not reveal any sort of “prayer ministry” to be part of their ministries. What chases the enemy away is the word of God—the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is why Paul urged for the readers to pray that he would boldly speak the truths of the gospel.
Some of you may not like that, but I challenge you to find Scripture to support the intercessory prayer ministries. Instead of secluding yourself away in prayer for people, perhaps it would be more beneficial if you would simply be bold and trust that God would give you utterance to make known the mystery of the gospel and to tell people the truth, and when they know the truth, the truth will set them free. People are set free by the truth—not by prayer. With that said, I am not discouraging anyone from praying for others. The Bible teaches us to do so, but the “weightier” matter of your life should (as a byproduct of your relationship with God) be devoted to sharing the good news while not leaving prayer for others undone.
I’ll briefly go through each piece of armor, but I want to stress this first. The armor of God was given to you so that you would BE ABLE to stand against the wiles of the devil, and to withstand in the evil day. “Being able” doesn’t mean this will happen. It means what it means—you will have the power to stand and be victorious over the devil, as much as the fact that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. We have God’s power to resist temptation of any kind, but this power is under our control and it is up to us to use it. We’re ABLE to stand, but will we use the weapons God has given us to stand, or believe something else to be true?
Compare this with what Ephesians 3:20 says, Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Similar to Isaiah 54:17, many people will cite only the first part of this passage concerning God’s power and ability to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, but this is also an incomplete statement without including according to the power that works in us. God’s power is infinite, but this passage says that His power is according or proportionate to how His power is working in us. God has done His part—He has made us ABLE: When the Bible says, I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:13] it doesn’t mean that I will. I just means that I CAN.
Our loins are covered with truth. Our loins are the parts of us that produce offspring. If we want to be fruitful, we must wrap ourselves with the Truth, which offers protection. Consider the truth to be a chastity belt. You cannot get pregnant or be castrated while wearing this belt.
The breastplate of righteousness covers our vital organs, which includes our heart, lungs, digestive, and excretory organs (stomach, intestines, liver, bladder, colon, etc.). Righteousness keeps us alive and is the body armor a police officer wears to protect himself when all other defenses either fail or he’s taken by surprise.
We should wear shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. The words “preparation” and “peace” frequently get obscured from this phrase. We should always be preparing our hearts to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 12:14). Our walk should always be in “preparation” to proclaim and/or demonstrate the gospel or the good news that God has made peace with man through Jesus. Too many churches are not preaching the gospel of peace, but a message that God is still angry with people and is still holding sins against them. This is NOT the gospel of peace. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 to see what the gospel of peace is.
Paul writes, Above all, meaning NOT that this piece of armor is most important, but that this piece of armor is our outermost or first line of defense against the enemy’s attacks. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. Our shield of faith rests in our knowledge of God’s word, which will function when we condemn and reject the words of the enemy that intend to be weapons against us. The shield of faith prevents the fiery darts from getting to us.
The helmet of salvation protects your head, the container of your thoughts and imaginations. Your mind should always be focused on the author of your salvation and how it was accomplished. This revelation will guide your thinking.
The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God is what we hold in our hands. Its power and life is under our control. While the other pieces of armor are worn, the sword is carried and should constantly be in our hands, or in other words, not departing from our mouths, our constant meditation, and because it is a sword—sharper than any two-edged sword—it is able to be both a defensive weapon to protect and cast down thoughts or words, and also an offensive weapon to challenge, condemn, and reject any tongue that shall rise against you in judgment.
God’s Word and the Sexual Relationship
Have you ever wondered why the word of God is filled with analogies of the sexual relationship between a man and woman and our relationship with God? Very few people like to talk openly about sex, especially when studying the Bible. Talk about “squirm factor” when I say words like intercourse, sperm, or conceive in a Bible study. It’s okay to say these things around the table having some beers, but God forbid we relate God to sex! Hello… God created the sexual relationship, and because of our ignorance, we’ve screwed that up as well (no pun intended).
Let’s go over some basics so you can see clearly how the sexual relationship plays a pivotal role in our warfare. God created the world and life in the world to have seeds in it. These seeds will only produce after their own kind. However, while the seed is contained inside the created being, it must be planted somewhere in order to reproduce. We can talk birds and bees now. The bee lands on a flower’s petals and bud where the seed (spores) are located. The bee harvests the spores and they fall to the ground and because of their relationship with the ground, they reproduce. Without the seeds, the ground could produce nothing; and conversely, without the ground, the seeds would not reproduce. They need a womb of some kind.
Similarly, God has given us not only a natural womb in a woman and seed in a man, but He has given all of us a spiritual womb in which He desires to plant in us His God-life-giving sperm so that we will conceive after His own kind.
Since the devil has to adhere to the same principles of seedtime and harvest, Satan desires also to have intercourse with you so that he can plant his sperm of death to conceive after its own kind.
So, if you look at this way, the spiritual war we wage is an easy one—provided we are willing to be monogamous and not apt to be deceived into thinking the devil is our husband.
Your Mind is the Womb of Your Life
As he thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]
Your imagination is the birthplace of your words and actions—your spiritual womb. Your imagination is your “mind’s eye” or the way you perceive things. The imagination can also be seen as your “world view” or “paradigm.” While our spirit man (the Christ in us) knows all things, the Christian life on earth emphasizes the process of renewing the mind (changing the way you think) so that the life of Christ can be completely evident in the body of a person (2 Corinthians 4:6-11). God’s vision for the world is for His Son to be seen by everyone (John 6:38-40; 12:21).
The Bible says, And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. [Romans 12:2]
Without going into great detail I want to share an awesome truth: As a new creature in Christ, (the new man, the Spirit of Christ, the part of you that was born again, your spirit) you have an anointing within you that knows all things (1 John 2:20) and this unction abides in you all the time. The Bible says, For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. [1 Corinthians 2:16] In other words, when a person gets born again, God deposits not only the life of Christ, but also the power and knowledge of Christ into your spirit. The entire revelation of God lives within you! As Christ is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are in Christ and He is in you, you possess the fullness of God within you (Colossians 2:6-10, Colossians 3:10).
However, your physical mind was not changed through the new birth, and needs the word of God to be conceived in it so that your mind will be in agreement with your spirit, and consequently you may prove God’s will in your body. If you understand the truth about spirit, soul, and body, you can see that although our spirit was changed and knows all things, the soul (mind, will, emotions) functions as a filter or mediator between the spirit and the body. Therefore, your mind controls your actions.
Thus, it is necessary that the word of God be planted in a person’s mind (not in his spirit) in order that these truths become functional in the physical life of a believer. When our minds are in agreement with what is true in our spirits, then the actions in our bodies will follow accordingly.
So then, hopefully you now see your mind as the place of conception for your life, words, and actions. Using the example of the sexual relationship, we know that when a man and woman have intercourse, a child is not conceived every time. Although it may be a pleasurable experience, but unless something was conceived inside you, you will not bear fruit. There are many Christians who have emotional experiences in worship, prayer, and Christian activities, but nothing is being conceived in them. They may also be hearing and/or reading the word of God, but if no conception occurs, the person will not give birth to anything, which is why you must plant more than one seed.
Too often, while being encouraged to plant seeds of the word of God in them (have intercourse with God) many Christians don’t enjoy the experience. Similar to an abused woman, she may have sex with her husband, but it won’t be a pleasurable experience or fruitful in her life because of her relationship with him. Because God has been frequently portrayed as a “jealous husband,” a glory mongering ego maniac, apt to destroy cities with hurricanes and tsunamis in a fit of rage, or make even His own children sick or refuse to heal them, it is no wonder why His bride doesn’t want to engage in much of a relationship. In fact, some people who call themselves Christians teach that God “rapes” His children by forcing His will upon them without their consent.
I imagine if God were perceived as He truly is, which is Jesus, more people would want to have intimate relations with Him, and consequently have more conceptions and produce more fruit. I am currently teaching a series called “As He Is: God’s True Nature” which has opened the eyes of many to see the true heart of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Now back to our conception: Although better than none, a person simply cannot stand or rely upon For God so loved the word that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life by itself. This would be like having sex once and believing that you will get pregnant. And while it only takes one sperm to conceive a child, millions are deposited into the womb of a woman. The same is true with the word of God. You have to plant more than one seed.
The Bible says, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [Romans 10:17] I believe this refers to repetition, study, pondering, meditation, and consideration so that not only the word is understood, but also it can be applied in your life. Remember Joshua 1:8.
Spiritual Birth Control
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. [James 4:7]
It is a sad fact that honoring God concerning the sexual relationship has been all but eradicated in this country. Even some Christians are promoting abstinence NOT as a way of honoring God and themselves, but as a means of preventing disease and/or unwanted pregnancies. Let me ask you this… If we could discover a foolproof way of preventing pregnancy (all the time) and sexually transmitted diseases, would having sex outside of marriage then be acceptable? No, it wouldn’t, because God’s word still says that sex is for married people—between one husband (man) and one wife (woman).
Instead of rearing their children in the admonition and nurture of the Lord, teaching their children to honor God first, then honor their own bodies and the bodies of their mates, parents most often surrender to the lie that says, “they’re going to do it anyway” and give their sons condoms and put their daughters on the pill. It’s easier to have them succumb to the will of the world and be corrupted, then to take the time to teach and monitor their own children from an early age. Our school systems resist teaching the godly perspective on abstinence and instead distribute condoms and offer “health advice” and sex education to those curious teenagers who are not willing to exercise self-control.
And then there’s the most abominable method of birth control—and this is the practice of abortion, the systematic murder of unborn children disguised as a “choice of convenience” in many ways. “Planned Parenthood” means to have sex whenever you want, with whomever you want, and if you get pregnant you have the “choice” to kill the child or not. As far as we’re concerned, God is pro-choice, but He is very clear what His will is—CHOOSE LIFE! God has given us the power to choose, but He wants us to make the righteous choice and has given us the power to do so (Deuteronomy 30:19).
However, true birth control begins and ends with avoiding the act that causes conception—not trying to get around it with a condom or pill that regulates a woman’s ovulation, and certainly NOT with abortion. You can dance around the edge of the water only for so long until you trip and fall in. How about this for the best method of pregnancy and birth control: KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON!
It is really no wonder that the passage from Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper is NOT coming to pass in the lives of so many people. And some of you, after reading this rant on the sexual morals today, are wondering what this has to do with spiritual warfare. In one word: PLENTY.
The reason weapons are prospering against us is because we are allowing them to be conceived in us. Yes, we believe that no weapon that is formed against us shall prosper, but by itself, it’s like believing that a birth control pill or condom will prevent a woman from getting pregnant. The only way to positively assure that a woman does not get pregnant is to simply not have sexual intercourse with a man. Thus, the only way to prevent conception is to avoid the act that produces conception. While we understand this (at least we should) in the natural, we should also apply this in the spiritual. Words are to life and death as sperm is to conceiving a child.
Spiritual Abortion
While most Christians abhor the act of abortion in the natural, especially as a means of birth control, the sad truth is that, in their spiritual lives, they are the worst offenders of this horrific act. Jesus talked about this is His parable of the sower and the seed. He also that received seed among thorns is he who hears the word, and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches (and the lusts of other things entering in) choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. [Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19]
Because most Christians are not rooted and grounded in the word of God, the fruit that was conceived by the word is easily choked and aborted by the things of the world. This is abortion—the fruit was conceived and was choked before it could be born. The longer a plant (or weed for that matter) is in the ground, it is much more difficult to uproot because the initial stage of growth is always downward—in the roots.
In the same way Christians commit spiritual abortion to the word of God, they also seek to do it with what they have conceived from their “relations” with the world. They expose themselves to all the rottenness of this world, and conceive “evil fruit” of the world, and then they pray for God to commit spiritual abortion for them in the form of a miracle. I know this sounds harsh, but it’s true, and you need to hear it.
When you have intercourse with the prince of this world, you’re very likely to conceive Rosemary’s Baby in your womb, and then like in the movie, you’ll either want to abort the baby or kill it once you realize what you’ve given birth to. While you may not knowingly grant consent to the devil to plant his seed in your womb, he preys upon your ignorance of the truth (he may even appear as an angel of light) to gain entry into you. Again, in order for NO weapon that is formed against you to prosper or flourish, you MUST condemn (cast down, bring captive) EVERY tongue that shall come against what the word of God says. If you’re not drawing on the unction from the Holy One (meditating, considering, pondering) and you have no physical knowledge of God’s word, you have nothing to compare it to. This warfare prevents the seed of evil fruit from being conceived in your life.
Here’s another great truth: God loves you, and like any loving parent, when their child gets in a bind, they want to help them. While God has no problem giving you a miracle, I believe that He desires you to live in His blessing rather than need a miracle, because the very nature of a miracle requires a crisis. He desires that you conceive ONLY from the incorruptible seed of the word of God—and not get pregnant with a crisis and then need to have an abortion!
Now I know some of you may assert, “that without a test, there is no TESTimony.” I don’t disagree with that statement, other than I see it as a reality—not as God’s will. The bottom line is that God does not desire you to be infected with the ways and evil seeds of this world. Miracles are available, but as I said, I believe God would rather us live in such blessing that we would have no crises like sickness, divorce, addictions, tragedy, etc.
And yes, this is how God created the world and for us to live in it. The Garden of Eden was paradise—and all Adam had to do was “dress and keep” the garden (Genesis 2:15). There were no problems until they chose to allow the seed of the serpent’s word to conceive sin in their hearts and consequently to their actions. This is God’s perfect will, but we know that because of sin and the fact that we live in an imperfect world, there will be challenges, which is why God has granted us miraculous power. However, His original plan for mankind did not include crises and problems. We chose that route—not God.
Here’s another truth about abortions… we understand that in the natural, abortions can cause a woman to be sterile because they destroy the womb. It is no different in your spiritual womb. Perhaps the reason you’re not conceiving godly fruit is because your womb has been damaged from so many abortions that it has been rendered barren. Great news! This is why I’m teaching this… because your womb can be healed and renewed to bear godly fruit, and then begin exercising the tools to prevent any further evil conceptions.
Spiritual Monogamy = Separation from the world
While the Lord called us to be in the world to reveal Jesus through our lives and proclaiming the gospel, we do not have to be of the world.
Jesus said, I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil. [John 17:14-15]
In the natural, we hopefully understand the benefits of monogamy. But while we’re married to one person, we associate with other people of the opposite sex, but yet we’re not having sex with them unless we’re characters on Desperate Housewives or Two and a Half Men. In the spiritual sense, we too can interact with the world, but we have only one Husband.
Therefore, we must be monogamous—allow only God to have spiritual intercourse with you. The enemy will attempt to have intercourse with you, and when he tries to plant his seed in you, your weapons are to condemn (reject, make null and void) every word that comes against what the Word of God says—you will have as the Scripture says, a readiness to revenge all disobedience. His seeds of death will come in the form of words that are intended to form a philosophy or way of thinking in you that is contrary to God’s ways and thoughts as revealed by Jesus Christ.
The Bible says, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. [Colossians 2:8]
As soon as I got a revelation of these truths, I began separating myself from the influences of the world. It was mostly something I truly desired to do, but also it was partly because I grew weary of condemning and challenging every rotten thing that was on the TV, radio, and other sources. If you watch TV for three hours, you’ll probably hear and see more than a dozen commercials for drugs. These commercials are seeds of sickness and disease! I got tired of having to remind myself a dozen times over the course of three hours that I don’t have to be sick. I didn’t have any rest until I turned off the TV.
Because I understand the dynamics of this war, and the fact that our enemy desires to have intercourse with me and plant his seeds of death in my life, I do my utmost to avoid giving him the opportunity to do so. I keep the TV and radio off as much as possible. I don’t read the newspaper or secular magazines. When I watch TV, I hit the MUTE button when drug commercials come on, turn the channel when provocative scenes appear, or when strife, violence, and anger show themselves. In today’s entertainment, there just isn’t much to watch other than those things, so I simply don’t watch much TV—even what is considered “Christian” TV because I think incorrect religious programming and teaching are the WORST seeds of all—because you accept them happily as truth.
The Bible says, But what I do, that will I do, that I may cut off occasion from them who desire occasion, that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works. [2 Corinthians 11:12-15]
Many Christians haven’t realized that Jesus makes His greatest warning to the disciples NOT against Muslims, Hindus, gays, secularists, atheists, or any other religious group, but He said, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. [Matthew 24:4-5]
Satan is a religious fanatic, and carries a Bible around. This is one reason he has been able to have intercourse with God’s bride, because the bride believes he is her Husband. Jesus said, Take heed what you hear… [Mark 4:24] Guard your heart/mind against deception of any kind!
The apostle Paul exhorted Timothy, Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting (catastrophe) of the hearers. Study to show yourselves approved unto God. A workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. [2 Timothy 2:14-16]
I endeavor to follow and expose myself to ministries I trust, and when I watch, read, or hear someone new, I’m eager to learn, but also ready to revenge all disobedience using my Isaiah 54:17 weapons. Call me critical, but I’m simply doing what the Scripture teaches. I’m not saying that it is your calling to publicly rebuke the person or ministry that is presenting information that is disobedient to the word of God, but this is a private challenge within your own heart, and consequently can be utilized to teach others in the future.
The Bible says, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness? And what communion does light have with darkness? And what concord does Christ have with Belial? Or what part does he who believes have with an infidel? And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For you are the temple of the living God as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. [2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 7:1]
Some of you might argue about the consequences of living separate from the world, and what a person misses out on. Yes, I miss out in a lot of things… I may miss out on all the R rated movies, serial killer books, horror flicks, rock concerts, the drunken parties, the nightclubs, the “funny” television shows, but you know what I also miss out on… strife, sickness, fear, depression, worry, doubt, tragedy, pain, poverty, etc.
These are the “children” brought forth as a byproduct of the world’s seeds, and because I keep myself separated from many of the negative influences of the world, I don’t conceive and give birth to them. With respect to complete separation, I acknowledge that am not there yet. Like you, I’m a work in progress, but I’m still on course, pressing toward the mark, but when I recognize the fiery darts of the wicked, I do my best to condemn the words that come against me in judgment, and this is what I encourage you to do.
This is how I can confidently say, NO WEAPON THAT IS FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER, BECAUSE I CONDEMN EVERY TONGUE THAT RISES AGAINST ME IN JUDGMENT. THIS IS THE HERITAGE I HAVE RECEIVED FROM GOD BECAUSE I HAVE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST.
No one can fight this war for you. It’s entirely up to you.
