PASTOR OLUWASEYI OSANYINBI
[biblegateway passage=”Ephesians 6:11″ display=”Ephesians 6:11″]
The christian warfare is not one against flesh and blood, instead, it is one against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places and each of these aforementioned represent terrible beings. We should note that in scriptures, Satan was never referred to as a king. This is because he does not have a kingdom, instead he is referred to as a prince or ruler of the darkness.
These aforementioned are entities that Apostle Paul said we are constantly at war against and he could say this because he himself had interfaced with all these different categories of fallen beings and he for one understands better where we are going.
[biblegateway passage=”Judges 3:1-4″ display=”Judges 3:1-4″]
However, there is a principle of this Christian warfare that we need to understand from the Old Testament in the way and types of enemies the children of Israel faced on their way to their promised land.
There are certain things that God does and if we don’t understand properly we would walk against God’s interest. We sometimes think that God does not want us to wage war. That is untrue as we could see that God deliberately left wars in the lands of the children of Israel. Fighting is not optional.
We naturally believe all our problems comes from the Devil, but some actually comes from the Lord. God allows it, that we may learn war as there is still a final battle coming at the end of age. Nobody likes war, but it is in the wisdom of God to permit it. For instance, you may wonder why God did not just tell Moses to stand at the border of the promised land and declare the Canaanites dead and it was done.
There was a certain generation of Israel that did not know war, so God left some nations to war against them so that they would learn warfare and also to prove Israel and see if they would hearken to His commandments, which he commanded their Fathers through Moses.
At some point in the scriptures, Jehoshaphat was described as one who did the will of God and then a few chapters later, it was recorded that war broke out in his nation. Conclusively, we would see that doing the will of God is not an escape from warfare. Serving God itself even brings war. Looking at the life of Job, was he not faithful and did he not please God?
Some of us got born again and we were told that old things passed away and all things have become new. But, we still discover that lust sometimes still governs our lives. God did not take it away in his sovereignty so that we can learn to fight. It is painful to know that many of us don’t even know how to fight. A lot of us have not participated in a competition before, we don’t know how it feels to lose.
The same spirits that Paul listed in ([biblegateway passage=”Ephesians 6:11-12″ display=”Ephesians 6:11-12″]) were the same spirits that warred against Israel. In those days of Israel, these above spirits had territorial rights with some nations and those seven nations were the nations that God left in the promised land to war against the children of Israel and the Spirits behind each of those nations is still fighting against Christians.
1. Canaanites ([biblegateway passage=”Matthew 13:22″ display=”Matthew 13:22″])
The word canaanites means “merchants that humiliates”. We can call it the Spirit of mammon, the cares of this world. It works in a way to make sure that our attention is diverted and thereby we are subdued. It promotes greed and the accumulation of worldly properties. We need to know that riches are deceitful. God should not just give some people money because it would wreck their soul.
How do we fight it? ([biblegateway passage=”1 Timothy 6:3-12″ display=”1 Timothy 6:3-12″])
2. Hittites ([biblegateway passage=”Numbers 14:9″ display=”Numbers 14:9″])
Their name means “terror”, bringing fear, confusion and discouragements. Each time we experience any of these, we should know that this is a Spirit waging war against us. We need to keep our gaze on the promises of God and be confident in it.
3. Hivittes ([biblegateway passage=”2 Timothy 3:1-4″ display=”2 Timothy 3:1-4″])
This represents the Spirit of pleasure, luxury and convenience. The interesting fact about them is that they lived in cities without walls, live carelessly as if tomorrow would not come. Christianity is meant to be a life of sacrifice.
4. Girggashites
This is a Spirit that takes men back from their journey as pilgrims. It wants to push men back to carnality and the government of the flesh. It is the Spirit of compromise wanting men to abandon their quest for eternal life.
5. Amorites ([biblegateway passage=”Proverbs 8:13″ display=”Proverbs 8:13″])
This nation had five kings. They are arrogant and boastful people, arrogant and proud, fault finders, looking down on others.
6. Perrizites ([biblegateway passage=”Proverbs 25:8″ display=”Proverbs 25:8″])
They are Spirits that promote no self-control, Christianity without restrictions. One that thinks all is acceptable and adoptable. Christianity is a gospel of do’s and dont’s. Did Jesus not call the way narrow? It is so narrow that you cannot carry extra luggages on it.
7. Jebusites ([biblegateway passage=”1 Corinthians 15:23″ display=”1 Corinthians 15:23″])
These are people who exploited and polluted others through immorality. This enemy attacks us because our bodies are the temple of God and can only be destroyed by God. The truth is that we cannot be cursed, we have immunity, but God does not protect against defilements. God says that any one that defiles his temple would be destroyed by God. This Spirit comes through associations, so we need to be careful about what company we keep.
Finally brethren, ([biblegateway passage=”1 Corinthians 15:23″ display=”1 Corinthians 15:23″]) Avoid evil communications; Don’t let ambitions push you out against God’s will.