Spiritual Warfare: God's Word, Power and Authority

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not 

live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Luke 4:4

THE WORD OF GOD

One direct confrontation between Jesus and Satan came during a special period of temptation by the enemy. The accounts of this period of temptation are recorded in: 

• Matthew 4:1-11, 
• Mark 1:12-13, and 
• Luke 4:1-13.

Understand that test and trials will come to prove us and strengthen us in Christ.  God wills it or He allows it.  An excellent example of this is Jesus.  Jesus was led by the spirit to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  First Satan tried to get Jesus to turn stones into bread. The power of Jesus, which soon was to turn water into wine, surely could have turned stones into bread. But to do so in this situation would have been acting independently of God and using His power for personal benefit.

Next Satan tried to get Jesus to cast Himself down from the top of the temple. Note that Satan said "Cast thyself down." Satan could not cast Him down, because the power of Satan is a limited power.  He can suggest and influence but ultimately the decision is ours to do or not to do. 

Satan can persuade you to act but he cannot cast you down. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust.  Jesus, like us, was not forced, but enticed. 

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.  James 1:14-15

In this next temptation, Satan used God's Word to back up his appeal, but he misapplied it:

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.   Matthew 4:6

Misapplication of God's Word is a major strategy of Satan.

In both of the first two temptations Satan said "IF you are the Son of God," do these things. For Jesus to have complied would have been an admission that the verification of His sonship by God was inadequate. God had already spoken from Heaven confirming this relationship:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying , This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17

Satan always centers his attacks on our relationship with God. The final temptation was an appeal by Satan for worship. In return, Satan said he would deliver to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.

In these three situations of temptation you can see the evil forces of the world, the flesh, and the Devil warring against Jesus. Jesus met the temptations of Satan with the Word of God. 

The Bible is a very important spiritual weapon and part of the armor of God. It is called "the sword of the Spirit."   The Word of God is the only divinely inspired manual of spiritual warfare. Other books are useful only as they are in harmony with God's Word.

In meeting the temptations of Satan, Jesus used the Word of God. Jesus quoted specific Scriptures applicable to the immediate battle. He did not quote passages of chronology or history from the Old Testament. Jesus said, "It is written AGAIN..." When you use specific Scriptures, be sure they are in balance with the remainder of the Word of God. They must be viewed in their context and applied in harmony with the total revealed Word of God.

In order to use the Word of God effectively in spiritual warfare, you must know the Word of God. You must study, meditate on, and memorize it. Many defeats in life come because we do not know God's Word:

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.   Matthew 22:29

The Word of God is our manual for warfare and 

reveals God's spiritual battle plan.

DELEGATED POWER AND AUTHORITY

The second part of our spiritual warfare is based upon the power and authority over Satan which Jesus delegated to His followers:

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.  Luke 9:1

Authority and power are two different things. Consider the example of a policeman. He has a badge and a uniform which are symbols of his authority. His authority comes because of the position he holds with the government. But because all people do not respect that authority, the policeman also carries a weapon. The weapon is his power.

Our authority over the enemy comes through Jesus Christ and our position in Him as believers. Our power over the enemy comes through the Holy Spirit:

And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.  Luke 24:49

Like the policeman, we must have both authority and power to be effective. Some believers receive authority through the new birth experience and their position in Christ but they never go on to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, which is to be combined with the authority for effective spiritual warfare.

The power Jesus gave is directed power for specific purposes. These include:

→  POWER OVER THE ENEMY:

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.  Luke 9:1

→  POWER OVER SIN:

And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.  John 20:22-23

→  POWER TO EXTEND THE GOSPEL:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  Acts 1:8

We cannot fight Satan on our own; namely because it is not a physical battle.  The arsenal we are given is spiritual for it is in the spirit world that we are fighting against the wiles of the enemy and the ungodly influences that surround us everyday.

Be blessed and encouraged in God!

(Biblical Studies)

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