By Pastor Toyin Oluwibe
The world is a war zone and as believers, we are in the front line of the battle. Based on this visible reality, there is a dire need for Bible teachings on spiritual warfare in the Church.
There are many teachings on Spiritual Warfare in the Church, but most of these teachings are causing more confusion in the body of Christ.
The widespread teachings on Spiritual Warfare in our days focus more on the Ekballistic Model of Spiritual Warfare(EMSW). They believe that Christian warfare is against human beings, while the teachings of the Bible focus on resisting the devil(James 4:7)and waging war against forces of darkness.
According to Ephesians 6:12, the first statement in the text says “We wrestle not against flesh and blood” which stands for humans.
Although, there are many human enemies in the world that are working for Satan. These people are in captivity and need our help.
The Bible reveals to us how to relate to such people. In Mathew 10:16, Jesus said “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be you therefore wise as serpents and harmless as a dove”
This is what we call discerning love. You will love them by praying for their salvation and providing necessary assistance to them but do not play into their hands.
I would like you to take this as further instruction in your spiritual journey, “Your job as a Christian is to love everybody(friends and foes), the duty of the Holy Spirit is to convict those enemies you show love to, while God’s duty is to judge your stubborn enemies.
Remember Bible says ” The battle is the Lord’s”(1 Samuel 17:47).
Most of the crusaders of the Ekballistic Model of Christian Warfare promote teachings that emphasize killing people (sinners) that Christ died for in prayer, they also engage in bizarre practices(syncretism) that are alien to the scriptures.
Their teachings maximize Satan, demons, and human enemies but minimize human responsibilities in terms of the consequences of sins.
There is a dire need to introduce Christ’s Model of Spiritual Warfare to the body of Christ. This is the Bible model that affirms that Christians fight warfare by repentance, faith, and obedience, recognizing the influence of Satan and sin within the human heart.
This model revolves around evangelism, discipleship, and personal growth as the major anchor for Christian warfare.
I believe that the Holy Spirit will give us the needed illumination from the scripture, on how to overcome the battles of life as we go deeper in this teaching.
