Think Like Jesus:
Make the Right Decision Every Time
Part 2: Developing a Biblical Worldview
Chapter 9: Questions 6: What Spiritual Authorities Exist?
Barna introduces this chapter by pointing out how oblivious he is on most days to what is really happening in, around and through him. He points out that while he prays, thinks about spiritual things and throws in some “God talk” in his conversation, he is “for the most part totally distracted and even naïve about the spiritual battle that rages in my midst.” He then states “Most of the believers I know fare no better at being sensitive to the sever spiritual combat in progress.” (Pg. 133)
How aware are you in the day-to-day living of life of the spiritual battles going on around you?
INVISIBLE BATTLES
Contrary to my perceptions, the true purpose of my day is not related to making money, loving my family, caring for my body, achieving happiness, or growing intellectually. My life—and yours—is all about engagement in the eternal struggle between good and evil, the no-holds-barred confrontation between holiness and sin. Every event in my day is merely the context within which the next battle in that war occurs.
Astonishingly, my role in the war matters to my Deity in Chief although my personal contribution to the war will not change the final outcome one iota. It is only because of my commander’s inexhaustible love for me that my choices n the war have any meaning whatsoever. [Barna then goes on to show how the seemingly mundane activities of life: interacting with colleagues at work, analyzing survey data, going into a store to make a purchase and “channel surfing” are all “battle zones” where the forces of good and evil are at work. Barna points out that these immortal enemies will find us wherever we are, and whatever our last response may have been. He concludes by stating.} “Every moment of every day we are at war." (Pps. 134-135)
Does Barna overstate the case here, or is this an accurate portrayal of the spiritual war in which all of us are engaged? Why?
THE ULTIMATE STEALTH WAR
Those who possess competing worldviews would like you to believe that this is just a fantasy conflict conjured up by people with creative imaginations or adhered to by weaklings who fear their own shadow. Seductive as such naysaying may be, it is a recipe for personal destruction because we are warriors in the most inclusive, longest-running, continuous battle of all time: the battle for people’s spiritual affections.
This is the ultimate stealth war. The combatants are invisible, the weapons are powerful, and there is an inexhaustible supply of ammunition. It pits the two most powerful forces in existence in a fight to the finish: the army of God versus the legions of Satan. Oddly, you and are I are the final contestants drawn to the battlefield. The prize to the victor: dominion over human souls and unfettered authority over all creation.
One of the strangest elements of this war however, is that we will fight until the end yet with full knowledge of the outcome. There is no dispute about the end result: God wins! WE know that there will be casualties along the way, but God and His ways will emerge victorious, and His purposes will be accomplished….. We have been given the freedom to choose our side: God’s victory-bound army or Satan’s Hell-bound band of live-for-the-moment losers….We sign on to God’s army by embracing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and following His guidance to live in accordance with His will…. We serve a Leader who never forgets those who have been fully loyal—and One whose nature makes it impossible for Him to forgive those who have rejected His offer of salvation. (Pps. 135-136)
If we lived according to the worldview presented above concerning the “Ultimate Stealth War”, and chose Jesus’ side, what difference would it make in our daily lives?
Victory Despite Setbacks
He assures us that we will emerge victorious if we trust fully in Christ, demonstrate our complete faith in and allegiance to Him by living a holy life, and use the resources He provides to fend off the attacks of the enemy. This is a war we cannot win on our own power; it requires the strength of God’s Holy Spirit residing within and working through us to overcome the destructive efforts of God’s eternal foe.
No matter how committed we are to fighting the good fight of faith, we will suffer minor setbacks along the way. This is to be expected, but it ought not derail us from our plan; we must stay focused on God’s will, fight for what we believe to be significant and true, and retain assurance that God will prevail….. Truth be told, you and I are in way over our heads. We do not have the intelligence, the resources, or the natural ability to win the war, so we must choose a side and fight for that cause. Because we have been given a sensitive conscious as part of our makeup, we innately know which side is just and appropriate—but we have the freedom to choose either side, for whatever reasons. Either way, we will receive reinforcements. If you declare yourself for the forces of evil, Satan becomes your master and his demons will direct your paths. If you choose God’s side, you will be guided by His Holy Spirit and assisted by His angels……the authority [we have through Jesus] is real and accessible and can be wielded effectively. (Pps. 136-137)
Have you ever considered that whichever side we choose to serve we will receive “reinforcements”? What are the implications for this in fighting the battle each day?
A ROSTER OF COMBAT PERSONNEL
The Holy Spirit
Mention the Holy Spirit, and people nod in knowing affirmation; ask them to describe the nature and being of God, and the “third person” is suddenly the mystery man, the odd man out….It is through this form that God is present with us, fulfills His new covenant with us, and continues to influence the world to draw closer to Him. Scripture confirms that the Holy Spirit possesses all the character qualities we identify with God…If you understand the nature and purposes of God, then you understand the nature and purposes of the Holy Spirit. (Pg. 137)
God wants every person on earth to have His Spirit in his or her heart, but He can only take up residence in those who have confessed their sinfulness and inadequacy and asked for the forgiveness, acceptance, and empowerment available through Jesus. One of the Spirit’s primary functions then, is revealing God’s standards, bringing our sins to our attention, and calling us to change our ways and seek His forgiveness. The Spirit is then awarded as God’s gift to those loved ones as the confirmation of His approval, protection and provision. The gifts provided by the Holy Spirit are plentiful. The Bible liberally identifies those blessings as new life, power, joy, truth, inspiration, protection, comfort, love, direction, peace, goodness, wisdom, help, strength, and supernatural abilities….. The Spirit also reveals God’s plans to us so that we may be obedient and sufficiently equipped to serve Him…..Amazingly, many people resist the Holy Spirit. Some do so through persistent sin, some through the denial of the Spirit’s existence, others via dogged disinterest in God and His purposes. The Spirit never forces Himself upon anyone, but neither will He suffer the insults of fools. (Pg. 138)
How do you know the Holy Spirit is in your life? What role is he playing in establishing victory in your life right now?
Angels
Americans love angels, or the humanized caricatures they think are angels. The angels spoken of in the Bible are vastly different. Although we have something in common with them—both angels and humans are created by God and exist to love, obey and serve Him-the similarities end there.
Angels preceded us in the creation saga and clearly surpass human ability in many areas. However, because they were created expressly for the purpose of worshiping God, it seems that their praise is not entirely satisfying to God; He desires the awe and respect of being who have a broader range of choices and freely decide to worship and glorify Him. Their worship does please Him, though, and they remain at His beck and call, doing His will in the heavenly realm or here on our planet…..Angels affect our lives in significant but undetectable ways. For instance, God sends them to convey messages, protect us, equip us for success and endurance, and to encourage and comfort us….The Bible notes that angels are used by God to divert evil activity, destroy those who would hinder God’s plan or block His purposes, and to punish those who persist in doing evil…. We are always better off because of their intervention in our lives. (Pps. 139-140)
How does Barna’s portrayal of angels coincide or differ with that typically presented in American culture?
Satan
Unfortunately, the counterpart to God’s purity and holiness thrives in this created world through the leadership of a fallen angel we know as Satan. … Satan was one of the angels created by God to praise Him for eternity. However, it appears that angels have enough freedom and character to go bad. … the prideful angel thought he was more deserving of angelic praise than God and would be able to outmaneuver the Creator. Obviously, Satan overestimated himself and underestimated God, resulting in banishment from Heaven (giving special meaning to the phrase “pride comes before a fall”). … God has granted Satan the right to rule the earth for a period of time…God retains control and authority over Satan at all times, simply allowing the banished angel to test and perfect the faith of people. ….. Satan’s strategies for undermining people are well known yet so brilliantly executed that they remain effective thousands of years after their unveiling….Some unfortunate individuals fall pray to satanic possession…When Satan chooses to possess someone, he may cause unbelievable pain, suffering, and loss of control. Usually, however, Satan’s means are much less dramatic than possession Seduction is one of his favorite ploys….Americans minimize the evil nature of Satan because we tend to be a relatively passionless culture—the results of Satan’s lulling us to comfort and complacency about virtually everything in life. Most Americans do not understand the intensity of Satan’s evil nature. (Pps. 141-143)
What does Barna’s summary of who Satan is and what he does tell us about our need for watchfulness and God’s protection in the battle?
As you wrap you mind around the nature of the spiritual battle and the central combatants, remember this battle is not about you. You are caught in the crossfire of good and evil. Satan does not care about you at all; you are just a means to his impossible ends. Only God cares enough about you to ensure that you have the avenues and authority available to escape the clutches of this despicable creature. (Pg. 143)
Why is important for us to realize that the battle is not about us, and that Satan doesn’t care about us at all?
Satan’s Demons
Because he is limited in power and ability, Satan relies upon demons—other fallen angels who joined in rebelling against God—to help him accomplish his goals. …Life has been torturous for them ever since their unceremonious exit form the heavenly realm….Just as there are some angels that are stronger or more powerful than others, so it seems that demons are a formidable but less powerful version of their former peer and current leader (Satan.) they also are able to inhabit people, and when they do so they can inflict torture and pain. … Believers have been given the power to dominate demons if they appropriate the power of God and bind or cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ. Like Satan, demons have no independent source of power or authority…Demons cannot separate us from God’s love or plan; only we can make the choice to disobey or depart from His will….. Just as we have tarnished the image of angels by turning them into cartoon characters, so have we minimized the threat of demons by caricaturing them. (Pg. 144)
Barna’s descriptions of demons is quite biblical. Is it how you have pictured them or understood them? If not, what are the differences?
IMAGES OF THE WAR
Have you developed a mental image of the invisible war that defines and encompasses your life? In some ways the war is a joke---pitting the almighty God against an already defeated, fallen angel… But the history of war teaches an important lesson: When the vanquished foe feels they have nothing to lose, they either surrender immediately to salvage some vestige of their miserable existence, or they dig in for a bitter resolution to their plight, seeking to take down as many innocent people as they can before they meet their demise. – WE are the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.—Satan knows he can’t defeat God, but knows he can break God’s heart by snatching us away for a minute, a day, a year, or even for eternity by causing us to sin.
How does this “image of the war” help us to understand how vital it is for us to be vigilant in serving Jesus?
CHOOSE CAREFULLY IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
Grasping the nature of God and the other players in this eternal drama highlights the fact that this is not just a religious game or a Sunday sport: living the faith in the midst of this war is a twenty-four/seven challenge to us and a timeless tussle for the spirits involved….Comprehending this eternal battle is also incredibly humbling for us as Americans, for we are not the centerpiece of the war! …. We need to know our place in the grand scheme and dutifully and thankfully play our minor role—“sinner seeking grace, holiness, and servanthood” – to the hilt.
How do you respond to Barn’s point that we are not the centerpiece in the war as Americans?
An Eternal Perspective
…The level of comfort we achieve may seem like a big deal as we drive through the neighborhood checking out other people’s homes and cars, but one second after we die that information is forever lost and more important matters assume their rightful place of priority….If our purpose is to love, obey and serve, and if we recognize our place in the eternal battle for souls and allegiance, then many of the self-imposed crises fade into oblivion as fast as we can fabricate them. Perspective is everything as we construct our worldview. In that process, do not fail to realize just how dreadful a nemesis Satan is. …You should be scared—very scared—unless you have completely abandoned yourself to the Lord of creation. Even then, God warns you to be alert and ready to fend off Satan’s inevitable advances. (Pg. 145-146)
How does having an eternal perspective about the battle we’re in make a difference?
AN APPRECIATION OF WHAT JESUS DID
Studying Satan’s history, nature and purposes has renewed my deep appreciation for what Jesus did by taking away my sins and eradicating the power of Stan over sinners who repent. What hope would there be otherwise? …. I shudder when I think about where I’d be without that escape mechanism. And I continue to shudder when I think about the lives of family and friends who habitually turn away, not cognizant of the abominable option they have thereby accepted by default….Every choice you make matters. You can enhance your choices by allowing the Holy Spirit..to do the heavy lifting for you. (Pps. 146-147)
How does recognizing Satan’s efforts increase our need to reach out to the lost?
FOR NEXT WEEK: Read Chapter 10: Pages 149-162 in Think Like Jesus