161. OVERCOMING OPPRESSION – SPIRITUAL WARFARE

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 3)

Dear Christian, got enemies?

As you seek to pursue after the things of God is the enemy fighting against you, so as to oppress and suppress you? If you are not adding to the flame and you are trying to be peaceable to all men but some insist on fighting against you, fight back spiritually with the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the Word of God.

Know this: It doesn’t matter WHO it is or HOW MANY there are. If you are a child of the King, God is with you and that is enough. HE is able to deal with the situation even when you feel you can’t. So apply His Word. It is your arsenal against the enemy. For, the enemy CANNOT withstand the Word of God.

In my own experiences, I have particularly found the following verses to be excellent to meditate on and declare out loud, in my faith fight. It cripples the fear that has come because of the oppressor and silences and shames the enemy who is against your spiritual success.

WARFARE VERSES AGAINST OPPRESSORS:

“When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt…ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” (Deutoronomy 20:1-4)

“Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them: But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice…And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” (2 Kings 17:35-26, 38-39)

“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12-13)

“In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake…No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:14-17)

“The Lord is my LIGHT and my SALVATION; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the STRENGTH of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3)

“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.” (Psalm 68:1-3)

Once you meditate on the truth in these verses, believing that God will intervene to fight for you, he will show up to deal with the enemy.

It doesn’t matter whether the attacks have been blatant or subtle, in front your face or behind your back. God’s got it, he has seen it and he has said in his Word: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

Whatever form the oppression comes or who the devil chooses to use to try to frustrate, discourage and defame you, once you apply the Word, that wickedness MUST be broken. For, God’s Word says: “Is not my word like as a FIRE? saith the Lord; and like a HAMMER that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

There is no diabolical spirit that can withstand the TRUTH and POWER of God’s Word. For, whereas such a spirit which loves confusion, cunningly distorts truth, the Spirit of God powerfully UPHOLDS truth.

In Zechariah 8:16-19, God conveyed through his Prophet:

“These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the TRUTH to his neighbour; execute the judgment of TRUTH and PEACE in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: FOR ALL THESE ARE THINGS THAT I HATE…therefore love the TRUTH and PEACE..”

Once through discernment given by God, you are able to see with SPIRITUAL EYES what exactly is coming against you, may you never just sit down and take the blows of the enemy. May you rise up in the POWER of God’s might and fight back, not with natural weapons but in the Spirit with the Sword, which is the Word of God.

(Written on 18th May, 2020, adjusted thereafter)

ADDENDUM

On 26^th November, 2020, I heard a Sermon on the Harbour Light Programme by Adam Eshleman of ‘Teaching the Word Ministries’. It ties in perfectly with what I wrote on 18^th May, 2020. In speaking on the weapons of our warfare and in particular, THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the Word of God, he stated:

“…We are called to stand in the strength of our Captain, to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Our wise and omnipotent captain has given us everything we need to successfully stand in this evil day and to resist the temptations of the devil. He’s given us TRUTH, truth which must be at the very core and strength of our being. He’s given us the RIGHTEOUSNESS that we are to apply to, for defence from all of Satan’s accusations against our consciences. He’s given us the GOSPEL OF PEACE, which gives us a firm footing to stand in the evil day and to advance into enemy territory. He’s given us FAITH, and we are to take faith in God’s promises if we are to defend ourselves against any of Satan’s deceitful temptations. We are to take hope and a final salvation if we are to resist Satan’s attacks on our minds that are calculated to weaken us through discouragement in our present circumstances.

We are to take THE WORD OF GOD as our only weapon in this fight. This morning, our theme is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit…

It is clear from our text that our defence against the devil and our conquests against our foes will be obtained by fighting. Compromise will end in our disgrace. Neutrality is not an option in this warfare. We are not merely to hide behind our breastplate and our shield. No such orders are given in this passage. We are to grasp our weapon, and we are to go forth and to fight with it. We are to take the Sword of the Spirit. We cannot dream that winning the battle is going to come to us by accident. No man was ever made holy by accident. No man ever entered the Kingdom of God by being careless. If he lets things go as they please, he is bearing himself down to Hell.

As Spurgeon said, “We have no orders to be quiet. We have no orders to take matters easily. The one note that rings out from this text is, ‘Take the Sword of the Spirit.’ The Captain’s voice is as clear as a trumpet, ‘Take the Sword.’

No Christian man here will have been obedient to our text unless, with clear, sharp, and decisive firmness, courage, and resolve, he takes the Sword. We must go to heaven, Sword in hand, all the way. Take, the Sword of the Spirit.” – Rev. Adam Eshleman (Teaching The Word Ministries)