IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE KNOWLEDGE ESSENTIAL TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH?
Is it possible to be a spiritually mature Christian without understanding spiritual warfare? It certainly may be possible to grow spiritually and become a mature believer without understanding all about how demons work and how to have deliverance from their power and influence, but it isn’t possible without at least a basic understanding of how to have victory over the world, the flesh and Satan (1 John 2:12-14). To be spiritual we must have a working knowledge of how to “overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:13). Usually this can be done by faithfully following Jesus, confessing sin and praying for His help and allowing His Spirit to work in us to make us more like Jesus.
Unfortunately many Christians never learn how to have victory over the deceptions, lies and temptations of Satan and his demons. These all start in our mind. Spiritual warfare teaches us how to remain in control of our own minds so we are free to choose God’s will over any substitute (2 Corinthians 10:3-7). Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3-9) and Peter (Mark 8:33) allowed Satan to put ungodly thoughts in their minds which they acted on. The consequences were severe.
Spiritual maturity means learning to be alert to Satan’s tricks and deceptions (2 Corinthians 2:1). The lies and traps are different for each one of us. To mature we must learn where we are vulnerable and how to protect ourselves with the truth of His Word. Satan is characterized by lies (John 8:44). His demons are masters at deception (1 Timothy 4:1-3). How well equipped are you to overcome his tricks and traps?
1 John 2:13 “I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.”
What do you think? How essential is knowledge of spiritual warfare to your spiritual growth? Do you think you would grow faster if you knew more?
Do you tend to blame everything on demons and fail to grow in all areas of spiritual living?
A good friend has converted all my books to ebook format. If you are interested in reading any of them on an ereader you can download them from http://india.christiantrainingorganization.org/
Then click on “Download Books” Or email me at jerry@schmoyer.net and I’ll send whichever ones you want as an email attachment.
Jerry Schmoyer
Christian Training Organization