There is an unseen battle raging around us. Every person is involved in this war, but not everyone recognizes it. The effects are very visible everywhere, but most people only have eyes to see this natural world in which we live and are blind to the supernatural forces all around. This blindness might be understandable for secular people, but Christians have no excuse.

Christians believe God’s Word, which talks of such supernatural events such as Jesus being born of a virgin, walking on water, healing leprosy and much more. The things of Christ are good and beneficial, but don’t be willfully blind to the fact that there is supernatural evil around us too. God has provided us with weapons to fight this unseen battle, but it’s up to us to learn to use them.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

People have ignored the enemy—Satan, for thousands of years and he is just about to unleash the full brunt of his evil on the unsuspecting and foolishly ignorant of this world. By ignoring him, Christians are aiding and abetting the enemy.

On occasion we can observe this battle through the actions of others and the manifestation of supernatural forces. Demon possession is becoming more prevalent, but is labeled mental illness or drug induced problems (though drugs usually aren’t present when a person is tested).

It only takes a little research to find reports of people wandering naked and growling, exhibiting supernatural strength, and attacking others. To the Christian these reports should cause us to remember the demon possessed man in Gadera. Jesus traveled there by boat:

“And when he went forth to land, there met him a out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs” (Luke 8:27).

This unfortunate man was naked, had super-human strength, cut himself, and was a danger to anybody passing by. Jesus recognized the problem for what it was and sent the demons out of the man and into a herd of swine. There was no fancy ritual involving so-called holy water, or chanting, or any other hocus pocus that “exorcists” do today. The weapon Jesus used was His authority over demons, and He empowers us with the same weaponry.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

The serpents and scorpions Jesus refers to here are Satan and demons. Christians have authority, but don’t think you can just say, “I’m a Christian, so get out of here Satan.”

Satan is subject to authority through Jesus, but if you are just pretending to be a Christian don’t play with fire. Demons seek embodiment, and just as those demons in Gadera entered into the herd of swine, you could easily be overcome if you’re not walking close to Jesus.

Christians must take the blame for allowing our enemy to erect strongholds within our lives. Our silence and a “so what” attitude have allowed his presence in our nation. Every time we don’t stand strong for biblical truth we weaken our defense. This is a worldwide happening and Christians everywhere are being silenced. Every time a law is enacted that legalizes things which God abhors, shame on Christians who remain silent and side with Satan by condoning evil!

Jesus told us to spread the gospel, and some Christians are doing just that, which is a very good thing. Oddly enough, it seems as if we think we are only to go to foreign countries to spread God’s truth. No matter where you live, you live on a mission field. Be sure you are armed for the battle taking place right in your own neighborhood.

The supernatural battle rages in every land. God has not become weak, but Christians have. If we don’t stay sharp and study God’s Word we become blind to the wiles of the enemy. Instead of standing strong against the evil around us, we fight amongst ourselves. Instead of understanding the importance of salvation through Christ alone, we argue about petty things, like, “Is music acceptable in a worship service?” Or “Are the kids having fun when they come here?”

Instead of fighting against demonic evil, many Christians practice yoga which invites the demons in. Instead of arming themselves with the weapons of warfare found in God’s Word, how many rely on secular TV to interpret the Bible? The enemy is using all of this as his weapons to defeat us. Shame on us for giving him the ammunition.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Start learning right now to use the weapons of God. Recognize the enemy and fight the battle with God’s power.

Are you allowing the enemy to build strong holds in your life? What does an enemy strong hold look like? Anything that is not of God is of the enemy. Pride, anger, lust, hate, envy, strife, despair, loss of joy, loving money, lying, alcohol abuse, drugs, yoga, and pornography are just a few of the strong holds that the enemy uses. If these are allowed to fester they will grow and take over your life. Temptation comes to everyone, but God always gives us a way out.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren” (James 1:14-16).

One of the weapons of war that God has given us is “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17b). If you study God’s Word you will be equipped to recognize Satan’s attacks and fight against them. Turn off the television and study God’s Word.

A battlefront that Christians have given to Satan is our public schools. Instead of requiring our schools to teach truth according to God’s Word, humanistic secularism is the religion taught. We allow perverse lifestyles to be condoned and taught as normal. God’s truth is laughed at and mocked, yet many Christians send their children to public schools to learn lies. Then they wonder why our children are rebels and turn against God. God will not withhold His anger much longer.

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

It’s understandable for heathens to be blind to God’s truth, but it’s inexcusable for Christians. Arm yourself to recognize the enemy attacks and teach your children God’s truth.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

If you’re a Christian parent you have a responsibility to God and to your children. Our very young are easily swayed so Satan makes sure they are taught lies. And the battle rages.

Only God can remove the enemy’s strong holds but He will not act without our willing participation. Only through God’s intervention will any country survive and only through the ardent prayers of God’s children will He act. Prayer is another weapon God gives us to fight the spiritual battle.

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:18-19).

We are the voices God wants to hear; His own children—voicing our concerns through prayer and speaking the gospel boldly.

Peter understood the battle. He, like the other Apostles, suffered many satanic attacks that were meant to stop the Gospel of Jesus Christ from reaching lost sinners. On one occasion he was arrested and warned to keep silent. That wasn’t Peter’s style. Peter knew the truth and knew that others needed to hear it. When brought before the High Priest and questioned as to why he was still preaching about Jesus, Peter had a perfect answer.

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

The battle raged in the first century and it rages still. Whether it’s individual believers being attacked or the Body of Christ as a whole, we are all equally capable of being proactive participants in a battle that rages 24/7. You need to use the weapons of warfare that God provides.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

A good warrior knows each weapon and how to use it. It’s our responsibility as believers in Christ to know our weapons and to seek God’s help. If we stay silent we’ll reap what that silence has sown. The silence of Christians allows enemy strong holds to grow.

The enemy is putting up a fight and it’s up to us to mount a counterattack against those “…principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Satan is no match for God. The apostle Paul was well aware of the unseen battle and he urged us in his letter to the Ephesians to fit ourselves for battle:

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).

When he came to the end of his life, Paul could look back and say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Can you say that you’ve fought the spiritual battles that rage all around, or have you given in to the enemy? Learn to use the weapons of war skillfully in order to fight a good fight … a fight for God and against Satan. God wins in the end, so you might as well join the winning side now.

The unseen battle rages. Will you take the challenge to make yourself fit for battle? Or will you defect to the enemy camp? Put on your armor and fight a good fight.

God bless you all,

Ron & Nathele Graham

When you hear the phrase “A way of life” what do you think about? Most of us would think about our habits in life, what we believe, and how we act. As Christians we need to make following Jesus our way of life. Understanding who Jesus was and what He did should make a difference in the way you approach life. Yet many Christians only give Him lip service.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Jesus wasn’t just a nice man who did nice things. Jesus Christ is God, yet He loves you and me enough that He took on a human form and died on the cross. He conquered death. No mere man could accomplish that—only God. His shed blood is the only way that we, as sinners are made worthy to stand before the Father. Only through Jesus Christ can we find salvation.

In the early days, Christianity was called “the Way” (Acts 9:2). This indicates that following Christ is more than a religion; it is a way of life. When Saul was on his mission of hatred toward a group of people who seemed to be turning away from the Jewish life, he asked for orders to persecute the followers of Jesus.

“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).

It was on the road to Damascus that Saul met Jesus and from that point on, Saul’s life was changed. Even his name changed from Saul, meaning “desired” to Paul, meaning “small or little.” Saul’s anger and hatred had controlled his life but Paul’s life was filled with humble obedience after he met Christ. His way of life was drastically changed and that’s how meeting Jesus should change each of us. The sin we took pleasure in prior to accepting Jesus for salvation should not have a hold on us after we meet Him.

Jesus gave us the example to follow. He was God in the flesh, but humbly and obediently entered His creation as one of us. When He shared the Last Supper with His disciples, He knew that in a very short time He would be arrested, illegally tried, and crucified. He knew that His shed blood on the cross would be the only way to restore mankind to fellowship with God. Before He allowed Himself to be arrested, He had a lesson of humbleness to teach those men who followed him.

“So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?” (John 13:12).

Washing feet was common in those days, but it was done by a servant not by a master. Jesus was teaching them, and us—humility. A proud spirit is not the way of Jesus. I often wonder what was going through the minds of those men who followed Him, especially Judas. Proud men all, but Jesus showed them a better way.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him” (John 13:16).

Jesus Christ, God Himself, could have demanded to be served, but He showed humility. Can we do any less? Jesus even washed the feet of the one who would betray Him. After Judas left, Jesus had more to say to those men He knew were His true followers.

“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” ( 13:33-35).

Love. That’s the way Jesus showed us and the way we need to follow.

Too often we make the way of the world the way we follow. Even something as common as anger can be sin and puts us out of fellowship with God.

[Jesus said,] “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22).

God sees things in a different light than we do, and we need to strive to make His way our way. The word “Raca” is an interesting word that means empty headed,, and carries a lot of malice when spoken, and our thoughts will show in our actions. When we accept Christ as our Savior, our attitude needs to change to match His.

Our thoughts need to reflect the way He showed us. Jesus’ way is love, not hatred, anger, or any other attitude that comes from Satan. Jesus did get angry, but His anger was not over petty things. His anger was always toward the religious hypocrites who misrepresented God.

Brothers and sisters, we need to make our faith real … make it a way of life that shows a fallen world that Christ is real. How do we do that? We follow His example. We love one another, we humble ourselves, and serve others. Christ showed us by example and one lesson He taught was that God’s house is to be respected.

“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves…And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves” (Mark 11:15, 17).

Is He shown respect in His house today? Seeker-friendly congregations, watered down truth, yoga, and more are turning our places of worship into places that welcome Satan rather than Christ. Does the disrespect to God’s house stop with a building? No.o:p>

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

Do we honor God when we use our bodies for sin? The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and when we do not honor God with our way of life then we defile the temple of God just as the moneychangers defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus must be “the way” of our life.

Another attitude a Christian needs to have is one of forgiveness. Jesus had just told a parable regarding forgiveness and maybe Peter was convicted of some lack of forgiveness on his part. Or maybe he just wanted to get the rules straight, but he wanted to know more.

“Then came Peter to him, and said Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times” (Matthew 18:21).

I like Peter because he always asked questions. To Peter seven times seemed like a lot of times to forgive a person who has done wrong. I’m sure Peter thought he was being generous, but Jesus saw it differently.

“Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but Until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22).

Jesus, being our example of the way we should live, says to keep on forgiving. Is there someone in your life that has wronged you? Forgiveness can heal rifts, but if you do not forgive then the wrong will fester inside of you and can turn to hatred. That is not the way Jesus taught us.

Jesus’ example of forgiving sinners is seen throughout the Gospels, but the ultimate example was when He was hanging on that cross. He had shown obedience by going to the cross. He had been tortured and now was hanging between two men who were also being crucified. As our Lord and hung there bloodied and giving His life so we can gain eternal life, He looked down at the crowd.

His mother was there along with John and a few others who had followed Him. The Roman soldiers who had pounded the nails into his hands and feet were there and Jesus watched as they divided his clothes among themselves. The two men beside Him were angry and in their final hours of life they joined in with those in the crowd who mocked Jesus. How did He react to these people?

“Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots” (Luke 23:34).

Jesus showed perfect love. His forgiveness did not get Him a reprieve, but His example led one more dying soul to salvation. One of those men beside Him continued to mock,

“But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:40-41).

Had this thief heard of Jesus before this day but just didn’t follow Him? Or was there something about Jesus forgiving those who tortured and mocked Him that showed this criminal a better way?

“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

When people do us wrong we need to forgive them. Perhaps our conduct will be an example to someone and bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ. Forgiveness needs to be a way of life with every Christian.

Many Christians separate their Christian way of life from their working lives, going to school lives or hobbies. Our Christian walk needs to be an every day around the clock way of life. Our Christian faith needs to be so evident in our way of life that others see Christ in us. They may hate you because of it, but always follow Christ—not the world.

[Jesus said,] “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18-19).

If someone hates you because they see Christ in you, then your way of life may be convicting them of the sin in their own life. Don’t deviate from the way of life that Christ showed.

Do you love Him?

If you do, then follow Him. Follow Him every step of your path because He is “… the way, the truth, and the life.”

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham