Tag Archives: Spiritual Warfare

The Tactics of Our Enemy

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by Mike Ratliff

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:10-13 (LSB) 

Before believers mature to the point where they can consistently mortify the sins that so easily ensnare them, they are not a serious threat to Satan and his subordinates in his war against God. However, when believers have matured so that they continually seek to grow in their knowledge of and obedience to the Word and to serve the Lord more faithfully they will soon discover that their walk before the face of God, serving Him, and living for His glory becomes more difficult instead of easier.

This difficulty is part of the battle against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. When believers become Spirit-filled, growing in Christ-likeness, they come under attack by our enemy because his goal is to rob God of His glory and those believers are living in such state of grace that their lives bring glory to God more and more as they obey Him in every part of their lives. Continue reading →

War? What War?

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by Mike Ratliff

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And Yahweh said to Satan, “Yahweh rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, Yahweh who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand delivered from the fire?” Zechariah 3:1-2 (LSB) 

Earlier this week I was browsing videos on Youtube from sources that I am subscribed to. One of the Pastors I follow is Jack Hibbs who is Pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, Ca.He is very solid.  So, I was surprised when I found another guy I follow post something about Jack.The post was about Jack being invited to be the guest chaplain at the U.S. Congress to open their session with prayer. I opened the video and watched it. Jack had to submit his prayer to Congress for their approval before he could actually physically stand in front of them on the podium and pray. They approved his prayer and he actually did pray it. I was utterly amazed because he held nothing back. He asked for forgiveness from God for the leadership of this country departing from following God and His ways. He asked for God to be merciful for this country as we walked in repentance. Well you get the idea. The pushback against Jack and those who “allowed” him to pray that prayer has been severe. I am not surprised about that, but I am so glad we still have good Christian leaders like Jack who are not afraid of offending those who hate what is good while loving what is evil. I have listened to many of Jack sermons and he fully understands that we are in a war. What sort of war is this? Continue reading →