The Maturity of Both Good and Evil
The battle is intensifying around the world. Natural and spiritual violence is on the increase. Wickedness is more and more obvious. Yet there is also a concurrent growth of the Kingdom of God globally. This should not surprise us. In the parable of the wheat and tares (a plant that looks like wheat) Jesus warned that the nearer we get to the close of the age, the more the wheat (people of God and righteousness) and the tares (people under Satan’s control and wickedness) would grow to maturity simultaneously (see Matthew 13:30). As one leader said recently, “this maturity of both good and evil is why we will have the greatest conflict at the end [of the age].”
While God is doing incredible things among his people, spiritual attack is becoming more severe. Marital breakdowns, financial pressures, sickness, oppression, persecution and so on are striking many Christians and it is important that we know how to engage in spiritual warfare properly. If we don’t, there will be many needless casualties. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” But how do we resist? Too often we equate resistance with rebuking the devil. But note that Jude 9 warns us, “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” Careless rebukes can open us to more oppression.
1 Peter 5:8-9 explains how we are to resist: “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.” We are to resist the attacks of the devil by standing firm in our faith. This involves using God’s word to declare the truth as Jesus did when he was assaulted by Satan (see Matthew 4). There is a time to rebuke, but mostly we are to put on God’s armour (see Ephesians 6:10-18) and stand firm with the shield of faith (declaring God’s word defensively) and the sword of the Spirit (declaring God’s word offensively).
After James tells us to resist the devil in James 4:7, he then says in verse 8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” The greatest form of spiritual warfare is to draw near to God. Stay in intimacy in the midst of the battle. The devil loves to entice us into a fire-fight where we unwittingly take our eyes off the Lord and focus them more on the enemy and what he is doing. Keep our eyes on the Lord and trust in him. He is our protector and shield. Also get rid of any besetting sin and doubt which would give the devil a foothold to oppress us. Consider these great Biblical promises:
Psalm 112 (NLT): “When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.”
Psalm 37:28: “For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever.”
Psalm 34:19: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 60:12: “With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.”
If you have been under intense pressure, have suffered loss, relational breakdown and felt generally oppressed, then there is hope. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. When he turns up the devil flees. God intends for you to prevail.