This week we are going to continue with wise preparations in regards to spiritual warfare

This week we are going to continue with wise preparations in regards to spiritual warfare. There are some things we can do to prepare for the battles we will have to engage in and these are some of the things you can do. Fasting, seeking direction, prayer, worship are some preparations you can do but warfare requires physical action as well. For example, when unexplained sickness hits, seek the most qualified Doctor and follow his directions. When the IRS calls, get the best accountant. If you have a house and a car, get good insurance. To obtain these things is not a lack of faith, they are shields for our protection. Many godly soldiers in the Bible had faith in God but they also had a shield so don’t let people tell you that to have insurance is a lack of faith on your part. We have to learn who or what our enemy is. Pray and plan your method of defense or counter-attack. Purify yourself spiritually before the Lord and build up your supplies, fortify your defenses and guard your gates. Do all you can do to win a battle. After you have done all you can do, then look to the Lord to be your deliverer.

 Now, you build your walls with what you understand and know about the Lord and His Word. That is your armor (protection) as described in Ephesians 6. The shield of faith is confidence in Him, it deflects untruth. The more you know about the Lord the more confident you will be. When you know what you believe you can stand. My walls cannot be your walls, you must build your own emunah (faith), da’at (knowledge), binah (understanding), chachmah (wisdom). Isaiah 33.6 says that “wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability (walls) of your times and the strength of salvation, the fear of the Lord is his treasure.” Others can help you but you must fight your own battles. What kind of “fort/city” do you want? I want a broad wall, with crenels, bastions, a glacis, moat, towers with top-notch weapons and strong gates! But, I can’t build these overnight by attending a few meetings, listening to tapes and reading a book. You must immerse yourself into the Lord and His word and learn, but gaining wisdom at the same time, with much thought in the process. I know many who learn but have no “chachmah” (wisdom) and they fall for any rumor and false teaching that comes down the road because they lack wisdom and discernment. So, we must prepare our walls but call on God also (2 Chr 14.5-11, Prov 16.1). But there is a trap to all this. If you look for only the “tavnit” or pattern you won’t get a good foundation that will allow you to build your walls. Read all the scriptures all the way through over and over again. Then you will know what’s right and wrong when a book or a message comes along. Let the Scriptures mold your mind, not the book or the message. You will find that when you center yourself in the Scriptures many of the programs, books, messages you wanted to read or hear won’t matter anymore.

When should your defenses go up? Following great victories or revelations. And another thing, don’t waste your time on stupid arguments with people who don’t know what they are talking about. They say they are “serving the Lord” when they are only serving themselves. In the next phase of spiritual warfare we are going to talk about psychological warfare. The essence of psychological warfare is to confuse the meaning of words and infiltrate the mind with conflicting concepts. So, before a battle even begins the enemy will be working on you so don’t miss this very important subject of psychological warfare and how it relates to our spiritual battles.

This week we are going to continue.....

This week we are going to continue with the subject of spiritual warfare and be dealing with the subject of wise preparations. Battles are won or lost before any fighting begins. The Lord is not going to entrust His truth to the weak and timid. There are several spiritual preparations we need to make. First, we must pray and study the Word of God. These two need to be balanced. In Gen 49.8-12 we have the blessing given to Judah by his father Jacob. In Judah’s blessing all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are present except the letter “zayin.” This letter means “weapon” and this tells us that spiritual wars are fought with the Word of God, not carnal weapons (2 Cor. 10.4). Another thing we can do is fast. In Ezra 8.21-32, Ezra fasted until God showed him what to do. Giving to others is a crucial preparation. There is also the area of praise and worship. Jacob made sacrifices before entering Egypt, the priests carried the Ark and praised God before Jericho and other battles. We must also separate from the world. The war is coming and you must learn the Scriptures. You won’t have time for hayrides and socials because you must be getting ready for a battle. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but remember this must be balanced also. Remember, you are either going into a battle, going through a battle or coming out of a battle. Preparations can only be made before it comes. Once it starts and you are coming out of one, it’s too late. There are some defensive things you can do. Don’t fight alone, make sure you have people around you. There’s a joke that says that we should have at least 6 friends because then your family doesn’t have to hire pall bearers at your funeral. Anyway, we should always have back-up protection. And speaking of protection, we must know our protection and it must not “weigh us down.” The crusaders wore so much armor that in one battle The Moslems started the brush on fire, raising the temperature. This caused the Crusaders to get hotter and this cause heat sickness and heat stroke. Eventually they just fell off their horses and were killed. Not having the right armor can limit your mobility, defense and firepower. You must know the potential of you adversary, so there must be time to assess. Until you get good equipment (weapons, intelligence, etc) you can’t fight the battle with confidence. And once you have superior weapons, you must know how to use them. Don’t get caught in a place where you can’t maneuver spiritually. Israel in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 did not make the right preparations and got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. This nearly cost them the war. So, don’t get caught in a “Yom Kippur” war. 

  When you are at peace, keep your fortifications strong. King Solomon built a huge chariot force with towns during a time of peace. It was that strength that contributed to the peace. Today, politicians want to cut the defense budget and not develop weapons and this is a serious mistake that this country will pay for. Nearsighted, ignorant people contribute greatly to war by putting their country in harm’s way by weakening the country’s defense. The same applies spiritually. We must prepare our fortifications before they are needed like King Hezekiah did. We must also know what we are talking about. The more you “build” the less you will “contend” because you won’t have time nor be interested in having battles. When building a good stronghold you will need good footing (your walk) and foundation (the Word). To move from the “stone age” to the “iron age” it’s going to take maturity and training. You must have “basic” training and this is found in Heb 6.1-2. Next week we will continue discussing what kind of preparations we can make before a battle even begins.

This week we will continue with spiritual warfare

This week we will continue with spiritual warfare and look into the most important aspect of the whole thing, and that is The Commander. We must have a balanced, biblical view of the Lord in our warfare in order to be victorious. We should never get into a battle or a confrontation unless the Lord leads. Until then, we wait and seek Him and most of all prepare (learn). This area of preparation (learning) is very neglected. Most of the people I know, especially spiritually, do not do this. I’ve known some people over 10 years and they haven’t learned anything, they still see things the same way and don’t really prepare. As a result, they get into the same battles over and over again with no resolution or victory. If God called you into a battle, then put the burden on Him, but God must direct you. He will show you how to attack, whether it’s the direct method (they can see you coming) or not. The avenue of attack is very important along with the timing and method of warfare. When you have done all that you can, then “stand firm” and don’t break ranks. We must never attack unless we have a clear word from the Lord. David waited until the mulberry tree moved. Why? The sound of the wind in the trees covered the sound of his troops moving. When there are problems, take them to the Lord, but don’t tell God what to do because He is your Commander, not the other way around. Also, we should not talk to Satan while praying, that is talking to the enemy. Talk strategy and tactics with the Lord. Hezekiah did not talk to the enemy in Isa 36.21 but went to the Lord. The only way for a lasting victory is intervention by God, your strength alone won’t do it. If God is in control, then we must ask “why am I being attacked?” It could be to challenge us, to teach us warfare (Judges 3.1-3). Also, ask “why are the attacks so hard?”. This will always be to strengthen us for the future. People who undergo tremendous battles are usually being prepared for something bigger. Another question to ask is “why do we feel defeated?” But remember, no matter the losses along the way, the Lord is always the winner.

When given a directive from God, complete the job. Don’t get to a stopping place and just quit, as so many tend to do. Your enemy will be diligent in his objectives, so should we. An Amalekite killed King Saul after he failed to wipe them out as instructed. And later, as chronicled in the Book of Esther, a descendant of the Amalekite King Agag nearly carried out a plan to exterminate the Jewish people. So, we must finish the job. There are stories in history where the victorious army stopped to loot the victims, allowing the enemy to get away. As a result, they had to continue fighting longer because the enemy had time to recover. Another thing to keep in mind, rank does not necessarily mean talent. The Lord and the disciples were not a part of the high class society of Israel, and yet look at the talent and gifting of God they had. On the other hand, just because someone has a high “rank” doesn’t mean he has talent. There’s nothing worse than inferior talent in places of leadership. And remember, God will not hit you at a level you are not prepared for unless you have not proceeded to the level you should be. If you are a “child” who is at a first grade level but you should be at a fourth grade level He will allow you to be “hit” with fourth grade “material” because you failed to learn the things you should have. Next week we will continue with the next part of spiritual warfare which will be how to make wise preparations. This will be a very important aspect of warfare because preparing wisely can be a deterrent to someone who wants to start something with you. He must stop and count the cost, and if it’s too high, then he won’t fight and there will be peace. False teachers will not be a snare to you. So, don’t miss next week and how to make wise preparations.

This week we continue Spiritual Warfare

This week we are continuing with the subject of Spiritual Warfare and we are going to look at a collection warfare truths. * We must deal with and come to grips with the fact that we going to be attacked, so there are things we can do beforehand. War is the attempt of one side to impose its will on the other side. So these thoughts will help you when thinking about spiritual warfare and what you need to do. They are written to encourage you and help you prepare for the battles that will come into your life. There is no way to completely develop every one of these concepts, but you can study these out for yourself and ask the Lord to give you the insight needed.

· Strategy is the art of war and tactics is how you wage a battle. The strategy of the enemy spiritually is to take the true meaning of the Scriptures away so that you don’t know God. The tactic is to get the Jews to look at what was done to them in the past and not see the hand of God in it, nor to see the Messiah in the Torah. To the Gentiles, it is to confuse who the Messiah is and not study the Old Testament at all. The third goal is to keep both groups apart.

· Just because we may lose a battle doesn’t mean we lost the war.

· To be forewarned is to be forearmed-the enemy will attack with no exceptions.

· Spiritual Warfare is a process of difficulty. The first enemies are simple as is the weaponry. Succeeding battles will get more difficult and the weapons more sophisticated.

· Never interrupt your opponent when they are making a mistake.

· “Battering ram” theory: as weapons against you develop, so should your defenses.

· Roman attacks: require intervention from God. The “Roman” attacker comes at you with the attitude that you will be defeated, no matter what the cost. They like to intimidate and divide you, keep you off balance and infiltrate your life in as many ways as they can.

· Hittite attacks: they are people who like to “undermine” you, they try and “dig tunnels” under your walls. The best way to defeat a Hittite attacker is to cave in his walls by confrontation and exposing them for what they are trying to do.

· Philistine attacks: they try to draw you in close. They like confrontation because they think they have better weapons than you.

· Assyrian attacks: already discussed in the previous article.

· Vanity is one’s greatest weakness, so try to avoid it (2 Sam chapters 16 and 17- the story of Achitophel, Absalom, David and Hushai).

· Spiritual and physical battles often go hand in hand so be prepared, casualties will occur. Jer. 12.5 says “If you have run with the infantry and they have worn you out, how can you contend (keep up with) the cavalry.”

· As always, the best defense is a strong offense.

· No matter how strong your defenses are today, if you stay as you are (static) an adversary will come along who can knock down your fortress.

· Don’t get stuck in the stone age (with stone age weapons) and fight a nuclear age enemy.

· Don’t rely on past victories and tactics to win future battles. The enemy will have learned and developed superior tactics.

· Know your enemy and his weaponry and tactics. You must assess and evaluate all incoming data.

· Never underestimate your enemy (Casemate walls at Masada).

· The success of a battle is determined by the abilities of the enemy.

· The attitude of the commander and the spirit of the troops will change the outcome of a battle.

· Rank does not necessarily indicate talent. Inferior talent as a leader will result in severe losses.

· Managers do things right, but a leader does the right thing. There is a difference.

These are just a few warfare truths to keep in mind. In the next article we will talk about the Commander and how we should relate to Him before, during and after a battle.

Spiritual Warfare Continued.....

This week we are going to continue with the subject of Spiritual Warfare and this will continue over the next few weeks. I am going to discuss what it is rather than what it isn’t because once you see the concepts you will be able to distinguish the false for yourself. This week, we are going to start with some definitions and basic concepts and build upon them. Jer. 9.23-24 says that our goal as a believer is to know the Lord. Our goal is not to fight battles, but we are in a war and that will never stop. The Lord is a warrior (Ex 15.3) and our battle begins by making the decision to be a warrior as well and entering into warfare. In the book of Haggai, the Jewish people were so concerned about their own lives and houses that they forgot about rebuilding the Temple. In v 7 the Lord asks them to “consider your ways.” In like manner, we are to consider our ways. Are we wasting our time in life or are we building the house of God (Ezek 13.1-5)? We are to “repair the walls” like Nehemiah did and every truth we learn is like another brick in the wall. Song of Solomon 8.9 states “ if she is a wall” which means strong, then they can build, but if she is a “door” it means she is weak. Some may say, “I don’t see the application or understand all this.” But, this is not something you just sit down and understand quickly or all at once. It takes time to learn spiritual warfare, and it takes just as much time to do it wrong so we might as well get it right, don’t you think? If I told you you could double your knowledge of the Lord, how far would you go to attain it? Ecclesiastes 9.14-16 says you will deliver your city by wisdom, and a believer is seen as a city (Jer. 1.18). Matt. 13.45-46 says that a merchant went to great lengths to attain a certain pearl, and a pearl is likened to wisdom in the Scriptures (Job 28.18). To interpret Ezekiel 16.1-63, the Song of Songs, Daniel chapters 11-12 you need to know history and eschatology (Isa 41.22). So, to begin with, there is a concept called “moreshet karav” which means “heritage of war” (Judges 3.1-2, Isa 2.4, 2sam 22.35, Isa 58.14). It teaches Israeli history and is taught to Israeli children today. It recounts all the battles Israel has fought and how the enemy was defeated. They take the children to actual battlefields and they show them where Goliath fell, where Joshua made the sun stand still, where the Maccabees defeated the Greeks. They experience the feelings, the terrain and the history and that is called the moreshet karav, the heritage of war, and that is our heritage as a believer also.

So, with that said, let’s start with some basic definitions that you will need to know. I’m going to just list them with a brief explanation next to it so we can have a the same understanding of the things that will follow later in the teaching.

*War=is the attempt of one side to impose its will on another side.

*Strategy=is how you win the war.

*tactic=is how you win battles.

*Roman attack= attacker keeps coming with the attitude you will be destroyed through intimidation, psychological warfare, division, keeping us off balance and infiltration. This requires intervention from God.

*Hittite attack=like to undermine us, non-confrontational, “dig tunnels” to get inside our walls.

*Philistine attack=try to draw us into a confrontation, close combat. They like it.

*Assyrian attack=overwhelm us, costly, nasty, dirty, able to wage war on numerous fronts, high in casualties, can’t win, domino effect problems, organized, even our friends are under attack, cut off, spiritual walk can deteriorate, won’t win on our own strength, we are outnumbered, outmaneuvered and outgunned but don’t panic and run because you will get “killed” anyway so you might as well fight and not make it easy on the enemy and buying time knowing that the only thing that can save us is God’s intervention.

*Laws of warfare =read Deut 20.1-20, Num 4.3 ( the word for service in v 3 is the word for warfare in Hebrew), Eph 6/10-17.

*Gospel=is “basar” in Hebrew and it means good news from the battlefield (1Sam 31.9, 2Kings 7.9).

*Casualties =our minds, hearts, lives and souls..

*Fort/city=is an individual, family, congregation or nation (Eccl 9.14-16, Jer. 1.18, Mt 13.45-46).

*Mobility=how far and how fast can we move our infantry, cavalry and chariots and translates into how we move, our walk with God, how we study. Do we read a few chapters a day=may be too slow, 100 chapters a day=may be too fast.

*Firepower=weapons with a purpose to hit the enemy at various ranges through prayer, scripture, books, media and speech.

*Wall foundation=the Scriptures

*Walls=that which separates and keeps the enemy away, our protection (Isa 30.13-14).

*Security=is provided by our walls and personal defenses against enemy effectiveness by obtaining and utilizing knowledge, wisdom and understanding (Isa 33.6).

*Shield=is faith/confidence and there are 2 types of shields. A “magen” is a small shield and a “zinah” is a larger, full body shield. Too little confidence or too much confidence can hurt us. We needs the right shield (confidence) for the right battle. It also deflects the missiles/arrows (untruths) of the enemy.

*Towers= the units of study we master. Towers keep the enemy away from our walls. There are 2 types. A square tower represents basic truth and a round tower is symbolic of knowing something well and takes more time and expertise to build.

*Balconies= the application of what you know in defense.

*Glacis/moat=is our attitude, a “stiff-arm” if you will. It keeps the enemy from our walls, it is what you put out front to discourage people from attacking our walls because enemy will try and break down your walls (wear you down from every direction) in order to defeat you.

*Water source= water is symbolic of teaching (Hebrew= “mayim chaim” or living water). Wells are dug which means digging for wisdom, life, truth. Water is below the ground and buried, hidden and it can only be brought forth with hard work. A water source (teaching) is essential to a city. It must be protected in a siege/battle.

*Gates=the weak point in a wall (our life and our defenses). They need attention and relate to our senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste/say and touch).

*Sword=a sharp mind in the Word, sharp words (Ps 59.7). There several types. A double edged sword is used to pierce deep and long with one blow.

*Arrows, stones=words (Psa. 120.3-4).

*Helmet=covers our head against psychological warfare, guards the mind.

*Bows/slings=that which fires the arrows, information.

*Quiver=stores the information, like memory.

*Composite bow=blends many areas of study together.

*Spear/javelin=medium range weapon, anything that keeps the enemy at a distance, not too close.

*Axe=anything that pierces or cuts or hacks, like a “cutting remark.”

*Mace=inflicts a heavy blow, can beat you down (like a death, divorce, job loss, etc).

*Battering ram=repeated, frontal pounding “right in the gut” and has to be stopped.

*Conservatism=not changing with new tactics or weapons can lead to destruction (apathy, decadence, etc). The Philistines did not continue to develop the bow, and Egypt did, resulting in a Philistine defeat.

*Firebrands, coals=thoughts, words (Psa. 120.4) trouble or troublesome people (Isa 7.4).

*Auxiliary forces=those close to us who turn against us and fight with the enemy (family, friends, etc).

*Siege=long, drawn out trial or battle (Julius Caesar at Alessia).

*Posterns=schemes, undermining, “tunnels” coming against us from another while you are on the attack from the outside (they come out of the city against you).

*Allies=those close to us who fight with us (family, friends, or other believers, etc).

*Surprise=to move your force, to engage the enemy at a time and under conditions he does not expect or has prepared for. He cannot react with his own weapons and forces effectively.

Along with these definitions, there several other concepts to include here. There 3 types of battles. A duel is one on one, a small group battle is one group against another and armies are one large movement against another (elections, etc). The basis for strategy and tactics involves surprise, maintenance of aim, economy, concentration of force, coordination of arms and security.

In other words, spiritual warfare means engaging in battle (getting involved). Even if you don’t want to do it, it is a necessity for a believer to prepare for battles because they are coming. Many wait until they are under attack to begin learning something about it, but by then it may be too late. In the next segment, we will discuss warfare truths and give some overall, practical advice which will help in future battles. After that we will discuss God as the Commander, what He will do and not do. The next thing we will talk about will be what preparations can we make for future battles. Then we will look at psychological warfare and how to recognize it and what to do about it. Then we will look at what to do when attacking followed by what to do when under attack. Lastly, we will look at what to do after a victory.

Q. I have heard talk about spiritual warfare and that we should anoint our door posts and windows with oil and pray a prayer to keep the enemy out.

Q. I have heard talk about spiritual warfare and that we should anoint our door posts and windows with oil and pray a prayer to keep the enemy out. What are your thoughts on this?

A There is no Scripture that tells us to do this, but there is no Scripture prohibiting it either. The practice of using anointing oil is ancient and God commanded the Israelites to make a special kind of oil and to us it for various reasons.. The Tabernacle, the furniture, the priests, and kings were anointed with oil, but those were one -time events. The anointing was done to set something apart for a holy purpose, not to keep evil away from or out of something. The New Testament doesn’t say much about using anointing oil. In Mark 6.13 and James 5.14 the Greek word “aleipho” is used and it means “to rub, smear and to cover.” In James 5.14 it means that the rubbing oil was the medicinal means applied prior to prayer. Aleipho is the common word used for the first century practice of rubbing oil on the body or hair for any reason, including medicinal. The word “chrio” is used when it is for a “sacred” reason (Luke 4.18, Acts 4.27, Acts 10>38, 2 Cor 1.21, Hebrews 1.9). But, the word “chrio” is never used in connection with healing and anointing oil, or anointing an object like a door or a window to keep evil away from or out of something. So, anointing a house is one of those areas that a person must be led of God about. There is no special oil to use or words to say, no particular way to do it, but this question brings up the subject of what spiritual warfare really is. Warfare is when one entity tries to impose their will on another, and warfare is made up of three elements. They are firepower, security and mobility. In spiritual warfare it is the same. Our firepower is our weapons with a purpose, to hit the enemy at various ranges through prayer, the Scriptures, books media and speech. In the area of security, any offensive action must include the ability to maintain a viable defensive position . A warrior in the physical must believe in the training they have received, their leadership and support. They know they can use and trust in their weapons, they know the terrain and have knowledge of the enemy. All these can be applied spiritually also. It is knowing that we are safe and secure in His promises, that we are truly saved and sons/daughters of God and we are doing what the Lord has commanded us to do through His Word. Mobility involves speed, quickness and the ability to move from one battle to another, to be a mobile firing platform . Spiritually, it involves our walk with the Lord and being able to move from one subject to another with speed, quickness, truth and accuracy. In spiritual warfare, you must be able to move from prophecy, in-depth knowledge of the Temple (Ezek 43.10-11), history, geography, having a working knowledge of the biblical languages, spiritual warfare, the festivals, Hebrew idioms and phrases and many, many other biblical subjects with a seconds notice, and oftentimes within the same conversation. We must be a mobile “firing” platform, able to hit the desired target with pinpoint accuracy and because a moving target is hard to hit as well. And we must be obedient to our Commander in the field, as He is called “Adonai Za’va’ot” in the Scriptures which means “Lord of the Armies”. We have confidence (faith) in Him, His abilities and command of the battlefield. We know He has the ability and “expertise” to wage war, and win. When we obey Him, then He will be our shield and protector (Psalm 91). In addition, to be an effective warrior you have to be trained. When I was in the Marines, we became familiar with live rounds, weapons, close combat, cannons and bombs going off, jet planes overhead and battlefield situations. This was done to familiarize you with what battle is like and to get you to the point where you no longer pay any attention to all that “noise.” Spiritually, you have to develop your skills and know your weapons to be appropriately prepared for battle in these current times. What won a battle yesterday may not win the next one. And remember, the enemy’s attacks and weapons against you will become more sophisticated as well. The Lord will do the same thing. He will teach you spiritual warfare and use “live rounds” to do it. In Judges 3.1-3 it says ; “Now these are the nations which the Lord left, to test Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; so that generation of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, those who did not know war before.”” You see, God will teach you about spiritual warfare by putting you into spiritual warfare. All the oil in the world is not going to keep the enemy from attacking you if the Lord’s wants to train/condition you. In a battle, communication is one of the most important elements. So, find out why something is happening and what to do about it. You must be able to communicate with the Commander and that is called prayer. The Lord doesn’t fight battles the same way every time. Strategy is how to win a war, tactics is how to win battles and situations change so you must be able to use your firepower correctly, maintain a defensive position and be mobile in case of counterattack. But, even with all this, attitude also plays an important role in warfare. We must build our walls, fortify our gates and use our weapons according to the pattern the Lord has shown us in the Scriptures. Then, when an enemy is outside our walls he must stop and count the cost it will take to defeat you. He doesn’t want to start something he can’t finish. Battles can be won or lost before any fighting has even been done. In the Israeli tank corps, they have a motto that says “the real steel is in the tank” so attitude is very important. The Lord’s warrior must be trained, prepared and have put in the work necessary to become ready, but the battle belongs to the Lord and He will ultimately do what is right in His own eyes. If the Lord tells us to put oil on the door, then do it. But, we must make sure that this, or anything He may tell us to do, is expedient and doesn’t turn into a ritual because that (the ritual) may develop into something greater than obedience and the power of prayer and faith in the name of the Lord. The subject of spiritual warfare is a very important, but neglected, subject so over the next few weeks we will look into this in more detail. We will look into definitions, how to make wise preparations, psychological warfare, who the Commander is, what to do when attacking, what to do when under attack, what to do after a victory and overall warfare truths. It would take nearly a year to go over this subject in detail in person, so what will be written over the next few months will be the “nuts and bolts” of spiritual warfare but very important and necessary to help clarify what biblical, spiritual warfare really is. Remember, you are either going into a battle, in a battle or coming out of a battle and this will be the case for the rest of your life so hopefully these truths will be of great benefit to you. 

Mystery Babylon cont..Part 2

This week I want to conclude on the theme of idolatry, pagan practices and just how does that apply to a believer today. Much has been said about practices that are seemingly “pagan” but in reality do not hold up to a closer look. We cannot make conclusions based on similarity alone. If we did, then the Lord Himself would be pagan. For instance, the woman in Rev 17 has a cup in her hand, so does the Lord in Psalm 75. Pagan gods were pictured with wings, so does the Lord in Psalm 91. Pagans built high towers, the Lord is described as a high tower. Pagan gods were described as stars, so is the Lord in Rev 22. Pagans worshipped the sun and yet the Lord is called the “Sun of righteousness in Mal 4. Pagan deities sat on thrones and had crowns, so does the Lord and the list goes on and on. Being able to quote a pagan similarity does not necessarily give evidence that something is a forbidden practice. Some practices are so general that no conclusion can be drawn at all, like the use of bricks, plaster and water. Pagan deities ride chariots, but that doesn’t make chariots pagan. If general practices are pagan, then eating Italian food would be forbidden because the Romans were pagan. Some practices today are so limited in scope that they could hardly be considered a common custom. For instance, if someone came to America and said there are people there who don’t wear make-up, it would be wrong to go back to their respective country and say “all Christians don’t wear make-up.” Most arguments about pagan practices are centered around similarities but without no real connection to paganism. This is called “superstition” and that is, in many cases, all there is to many objections to some practices of believers. Pagans lit candles, does that mean if we light a candle in a religious ceremony it is pagan? I don’t think so. The number 13 is considered an unlucky number, but where did that come from? Many times we mix fact and fable and come out with superstition. I’ll give another example that may seem silly, but it shows the absurdity of some the comparisons. Babylon had gates and Nebuchadnezzar’s image was made of gold, and many people worshipped the image and many went through the gates to worship in pagan temples. So, based on similarity alone, the Golden Gate Bridge would be pagan and should be avoided. Sweeping statements about denominations is wrong and to throw out all they teach is also wrong just because one thinks they have “pagan” practices. Again, is there a real connection to what they do to a pagan deity, or are there just similarities in practice and no connection to a pagan deity. The Lord is always against the worship of pagan deities no matter where or how it’s done. The Jewish people went to the Temple itself and worshipped other gods, but that didn’t invalidate the Temple. It would be better to find areas of agreement and to build on common ground rather than isolate and condemn. The Lord is a God of compassion and mercy, of understanding and wisdom, not condemnation over some supposed pagan practice that has no connection to the worship of another god. Paul even quotes pagan philosophers in Acts 17.28 to find common ground with the Athenians. Accusing people of pagan practices is not the best way to counter errors in anyone. The best way is to study the Bible itself and let the Lord teach through His Word, energized by the Holy Spirit. If there is a similarity between a pagan practice and something done by a believer, where does that leave the believer? There are several things to consider. Maybe the believer did the practice first, and the pagan adapted it. Where is the intent of the heart? Does the practice glorify the Lord? Does reciting our prayers just tests of our memories, like the Lord’s Prayer, or are they spontaneous expressions of the heart? Any Biblical practice can be mundane, mechanical and rote and this needs to be guarded against also. The Lord had more to say about a cold, hard heart than He did about supposed pagan practices. It would acceptable to point out error, of course, but if ones logic includes the statement that it came out of paganism, this could invalidate their contention. Discussing pagan origins does keep us in mind about such things, but if this anti-pagan attitude is carried too far, then it will stifle real growth and cause some real hurt feelings unnecessarily, which in turn can lead to fruitlessness and anger. The Lord had to admonish the Apostles once for trying to stop someone who was ministering in His name because they weren’t of their particular group, or “denomination.” The Lord told them not to reject them, because if they were not against them then they were for Him. Our focus should be on the Lord and the Bible, not dogmas. Our boast should be in the Lord, our walk should focus on His word and our hearts to what is pleasing to Him, which includes the love of our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jacob made a sacred pillar at Bethel, and Joshua did at Gilgal, a forbidden practice. Moses made images. I can’t begin to tell you what was or was not allowed by God. But, I can tell you, that which is given over to the worship of another god is forbidden and that was the deciding factor. Similarity of and the usage of objects, signs and symbols does not seem to play an aggressive role, as some may say today. The peddling of forbidden pagan practices sells a lot of books and tapes but is it accurate? The basic things to keep in mind and ask is: “Is it centered on the One, True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?”; “Does it Glorify Him? “; “Is my heart right before Him?”; “What kind of fruit does it bear?”. If you will remember these things and keep them in mind, I think you will do well… and let the Lord guide you from there.