We are looking at the spiritual battlefields in this modern age. You remember last week we looked at spiritual battlefields, and we saw that beyond what we can see and feel there is a battlefield that is ferocious, in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV Strong's)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
As we saw w...
We are looking at the spiritual battlefields in this modern age. You remember last week we looked at spiritual battlefields, and we saw that beyond what we can see and feel there is a battlefield that is ferocious, in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 6:12 (ESV Strong's)
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
As we saw with the federal election last week, there is a spiritual battle happening over our nation, and our people, and this week I want to develop that as we look at the battlefield of society.
Ezekiel 22:30 (ESV Strong's)
And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
God is looking throughout the earth for those who will stand in the gap for our nation, for our people. Are you that person? If God asks you, and I believe He is asking you, will you say , “Here am I Lord, send me!” At this pivotal time in history for our nation, I believe God is raising up men and women of faith, and you and I have the chance to fight in this battle… and win!
THE BATTLEFIELD STRATEGY… LINES ARE DRAWN
The battle lines are drawn, and the two opposing armies are in position. What we have seen over the last year or so are the opening skirmishes, but they are not the true battle, they are probes, reconnaissance missions by the enemy to find our weakest point so they can attack in force.
What we saw in this election was the people of God finally uniting in prayer and starting to push back against a previously largely unchallenged enemy. It was a victory for righteousness of sorts, but it is just the first of many battles to come in this war.
Peter offers a promise that could have been written to our people in our generation…
1 Peter 5:8-10 (ESV Strong's)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
Christ will indeed restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us, but there will also be suffering and fighting before then. The most persecuted people in Australia today are not the gays, or transgenders, the Muslims or sex workers. No, our society bends over backwards to accommodate these and not offend them. The most persecuted part of Australian society today is Christians!
So where is this battle taking place? Let’s get a bird’s eye view of the battlefield we face, and recognise where the key strategic areas we must defend and fight for.
1. MORALITY
Morality is clearly the primary battlefront. The moral corruption and degradation in our society has certainly been ramped up, and this is clearly a front line, where the enemy has taken real ground over the last few years. Paul describes it like this…
Romans 1:28-32 (ESV Strong's)
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness (etc.). …foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
That’s what we are seeing… even those not practicing these behaviours approve of it! The rise of militant gay and lesbian action is unprecedented in history. Transgenderism is heavily promoted in schools and colleges, and abortion has become legal up until birth in this state. It’s not advance Australia fair but advance Australia wherever vocal minorities want.
And the crazy thing is that our society is tying themselves in knots over this! The logic simply makes no sense! After 2 or 3 centuries of being told that science is king, that it is the ultimate authority, after elevating the views of science in areas like climate change and evolution, none of which can actually be proven, we are now told that emotions and feelings trump science.
So despite scientifically having an X and a Y chromosome, if you feel like you want to be a woman, well forget science and facts and stuff, just change to what you feel! So we have situations like Hannah Mouncey, a 6 ‘4” muscle bound transgender whom society will let change into a woman, but whom the AFL won’t let play women’s football because he/she is destroying others.
Make no mistake… the lines are drawn, the battle is on and to the eyes of these lobby groups Christians are the enemy. Muslim leaders whose countries preach death to homosexuals are welcomed by politicians, but footballers who post an opinion on Instagram are sacked and viciously attacked. Other footballers are not fired for domestic abuse, gang raping girls or drunken rampages, but one is fired for having an opinion! It’s an utter disgrace!
2. MINDS
The second battlefield is in the minds of Australians. And the enemy is not targeting the old, the devil is targeting the minds of the young, using school, social media and peer pressure. In the minds of Australians, especially young Australians, the Church represents old fashioned, antiquated, prejudicial and offensive morality, preventing people from exercising the right to express their true selves.
I cannot remember a time in history where people are so easily offended. For all of our intelligence and scientific minds, we are currently so fragile and easily offended. A sign of maturity is the ability to not be easily offended, and to respond in a measured way, but look at the explosions, accusations and rants on social media. Not only do people’s opinions change every 5 minutes, but they will defend said opinions to the death, even if it doesn’t affect them! How strange the modern Australian mind is, but remember our fight is not against these people we differ with, it is against the spirit of the age behind it.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV Strong's)
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
We will look in a separate message at the battlefield of the mind, but with record levels of mental health problems, constantly changing opinions and infinite offences being taken, the minds of Australians represent a massive area in the battle between good and evil in our society.
3. ME-ISM
This could be the most selfish, self absorbed generation in history. This is the age of the selfie, and never before have so many photos been taken of so many people doing so little!
2 Timothy 3:1-4 (ESV Strong's)
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
Why do we have family breakdowns? Why do we have abuse? Why do we have broken lives? Because at the heart of it, people are selfish. They want what they want over and above anyone else. And what’s more, they believe their opinion is superior to anyone else’s, so they fight and claw to destroy anyone whose opinion is different… look at Israel Folau.
4. MISSION
The forces for evil in our society clearly have an agenda, a strategy that they are working to destroy the church. Australians were told that same sex marriage was the end in itself for that lobby group, but clearly it was only the opening salvo… trangenderism, abortion, euthanasia, and who knows what follows hot on its heels.
Proverbs 28:12 (ESV Strong's)
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
The overall strategy and agenda for these lobby groups is moral anarchy, not just in one area but across the board, where in the name of freedom everyone is allowed to do whatever they want and God’s rule, the laws upon which our society stands, is relegated to a bygone era.
Judges 21:25 (ESV Strong's)
In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
If you read the book of Judges you will see the result of this… moral and social destruction on a scale rarely seen. Edmund Burke, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
5. MEDIA
A great strategic battlefield where the enemy is triumphing right now is the media. While social media has become a cesspool of human emotions, opinions and aggressive attacks on anyone who differs in any way on any subject, especially morality, main stream media is totally dominated by evil agenda and anti Christian sentiment.
Last year I was crowned Qld Father of the Year, and rushed out to a waiting media contingent. I was interviewed by all TV stations, radio and print, and I spoke about how being a father is loving your children unconditionally, just like God loves us. The early edition on channel 7 went straight to air with my comments in tack, but the later editions sliced all references to God out of the coverage. Channel 9 heard what I said, and decided on the fly that instead of interviewing me their reporter will speak and I will just be in the background. Clearly anti Christian bias, that is evidenced everywhere!
This should not surprise us…
2 Timothy 3:12-13 (ESV Strong's)
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Sure, the media and polls got it wrong on Election Day, but interestingly in the aftermath they are all scratching their heads wondering if it was economics or climate change where Labor policies came undone. I know, and you know, that the silent majority of people who love righteousness was the force behind their defeat, but in their minds they simply cannot see it.
The media is very powerful, but after last Saturday we can see it is not all powerful.. God is!
But they keep plugging away, and this is a battle of attrition… they are trying to wear us down. Don’t you wonder why according to statistics
