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Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare. Praying through emptiness, fear, hatred, lust and longing for power. Jesus in the wilderness.

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Spiritual Warfare

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  1. Spiritual Warfare Praying through emptiness, fear, hatred, lust and longing for power

  2. Jesus in the wilderness • Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

  3. Why spiritual warfare? • Know the seriousness of the battle (a lot is at stake) • Know the right enemy (and who the enemy isn’t)

  4. Why spiritual warfare on 4th advent? • A) just worked out that way • B) the ends and the means are love • C) the incarnation is exactly what spiritual warfare looks like (sneaky subversive love) • D) all of the above

  5. Manual for spiritual warfare • The beatitudes • Phil. 2 – self-emptying love (mutual submission – Eph 5) • Phil. 4 – rejoice in everything • Gal. 5 - fruit of the Spirit • Eph. 6 – whole armour of God (truth, just living, words of peace/reconciliation, etc.) • Basically the New Testament...

  6. One big bonus • We always have a common enemy

  7. Richard Beck

  8. Reviving Old Scratch • Spiritual warfare is political, economic and relational • Spiritual warfare is personal, moral and (duh!) spiritual • Spiritual warfare is the integration of the above in relation to forces internal and external that are “bigger than us”

  9. Reviving Old Scratch • For example, the power of a Zeitgeist (spirit of the times) • E.g. – Nazism, racism, consumerism, Trumpism and “political correctness” • The latter two represent how fighting an “evil spirit” in a worldly way can make one evil

  10. Political Correctness as a Zeitgeist • (Trumpism contains so much evil it needs no examples) • Implicit in many of these (past Democrat) statements is the idea that abortion is not really the right choice—but that women should be allowed to make it anyway. • Last night, on the national stage, Clinton rejected this implication....she did not promote the idea that abortions should, or even can, be avoided. • Being concerned about forced use of new neutral pronouns is “hate speech” • “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster,” – Nietzsche (unless you fight with the tools of spiritual warfare)

  11. Emptiness(tired, lonely, chronic pain, broke) • Accepting the present moment and holding our emotions (“Life is difficult”) • Turning our attention to gratitude • (Or fighting back with good, honest lament)

  12. Fears • Accept fear and seek courage and trust • Remember who is with you - Emmanuel • Recall and celebrate past victories • If you accept the present moment with gratitude there is less to be afraid of

  13. Hatred • Remember our own need to be forgiven • Remember the real enemy • Work toward forgiveness

  14. Lust (strongly wanting what is not rightly ours) • Normal desire short cuts (illicit pleasure) dependence addiction exploitation & self-destruction

  15. Lust • Remember approach to emptiness • “Resist the devil” - avoid temptation, and self – justification • Seek positive alternatives and accountability

  16. Longing for Power • Avoid power-seeking • When you have legitimate power be wary

  17. Practical Prayer Steps • 1. Remember spiritual warfare “begins at home” (start with yourself) • 2. Choose and practice gratitude (lament/forgive as necessary) • 3. Worship as choice of allegiance • 4. Use music, art, poetry, story (celebrate all that’s good) • 5. Bear honest witness – tell the truth • 6. Do “tactics of love” – be subversive in your actions

  18. Worship as allegiance“You Gotta Serve Somebody...” Idol Love of Self minus others Family minus others Community minus enemies God Love of God/self/neighbour/enemy/creation Idol = anything less than all of God “God Alone” = Everyone & Everything (nothing less than God) Other common idols = most “isms”

  19. O Day of Peace • O day of peace that dimly shinesThrough all our hopes and prayers and dreamsGuide us to justice, truth and loveDelivered from our selfish schemes • May swords of hate fall from our handsOur hearts from envy find releaseTill by God's grace our warring worldShall see Christ promised reign of peace

  20. O Day of Peace • Then shall the wolf dwell with the lambNor shall the fierce devour the smallAs beasts and cattle calmly grazeA little child shall lead them all • Then enemies shall learn to loveAll creatures find their true accordThe hope of peace shall be fulfilledFor all the earth shall know the Lord – Carl Daw Jr

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