Weapons of War

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Today we continue our series on spiritual warfare that we began three weeks ago. If you haven’t read the blogs leading up to this I encourage you to do so.They can be found below or in the archives.

Let’s begin! So… because the Scriptures tell us that spiritual warfare is real and that we have a part to play in it you might be asking, “What weapons do I have in order to fight this war?” Do not fret. God has given us all we need to overcome the enemy; we need only to go to the Bible.

First, as Believers we are warned to be alert and to resist the devil. 1 Peter 5:8-9 says,

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.

This passage, and those like it, is written for believers. Think about it… the enemy has little reason to attack those who oppose the church, either actively or through unbelief. It’s God’s work in restoring us to Him that Satan opposes. But, if you notice you aren’t alone! 1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us that, “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.”  The word “your” that the passage starts with is plural. The devil isn’t our personal enemy! He is the church’s collective enemy! He is one who ultimately wants to oppose the work of God in every church. He will harass, hinder, and bring division and persecution in attempt to hinder the expansion of God’s kingdom here on earth. We must be aware that every step that makes us closer to God or enables us to do more for the kingdom of God will be met with opposition.

When you became a follower of Christ, you made an enemy!

It has often been said that the lion roars to paralyze his prey. Because of that I find it interesting that Satan is referred to as a prowling and roaring lion in the above verses out of 1 Peter. I believe that Satan often uses the tactic of fear in order to intimidate us and make us ineffective as believers. Look at what Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7,

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self–discipline.

Timothy is probably struggling with fear about doing ministry, and Paul alerts him to the fact that, that spirit is not from God. Like Timothy we too face fear at times, look at the Parable of the Talents.

Matthew 25:24–25 says,

Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

The man in that story, whom the master had given one talent to utilize, did not do so because he was afraid! He was so afraid of failing that he didn’t even try. Does that sound familiar? How has fear kept you from doing God’s will? What “talent” have you been given that you aren’t utilizing out of fear or complacency? Satan, the “roaring lion,” works through fear. He desires to paralyze us with worries and anxieties about the present, the past, and the future. He roars to keep us from progressing in the things of God… in holiness and service. Let us remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but instead of power, love and self-discipline.

Second, we must understand the power of Christ. Christ’s position in the heavenly realms is at God’s right hand and he has all things in this world under his authority. Ephesians 1:16-22 describes this position of Christ… but also our position in Christ. It says,

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.

To be effective in spiritual warfare we must see and recognize our position in Christ. We must recognize that once we are saved we become seated with and united with Christ. Ephesians 2:1-10 says,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Third, we must read and know the instructions we are given for standing against the evil one, his minions, and his schemes. Of course we all are familiar with Ephesians 6:10-18. It says,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Now that we understand those foundations we must take note that spiritual warfare comes in two ways: offensive and defensive. Offensive warfare is tearing down the strongholds the enemy has already formed in your mind (or others minds) through deception, temptations, and accusations, and defensive warfare is guarding yourself against those strongholds, tactics, and schemes of the devil to begin with.

Let’s put it out there and make it clear that the difference between deliverance and spiritual warfare is that deliverance is dealing with demonic bondages, and getting a person set free, whereas spiritual warfare is resisting, overcoming, and defeating the enemy’s lies that he sends our way. Deliverance is offensive. Personal spiritual warfare is primarily defensive.

God was, is, and will forever be victorious over the evil one and He takes care of any obstacles in our lives as we abide in him. Our weapons of spiritual warfare are “weapons of righteousness.”

In 2 Corinthians 6:2b-9 Paul mentions these,

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

In the spiritual realm there is God almighty and his entire government of angels in their various roles and ranks, on the other spiritual realm side is the devil and his entire alliance of fallen angels in their various roles and ranks. It is important to note is that we have the entire heavenly government on our side including our Lord Jesus, who stands as our intercessor as Romans 8:34 says,

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

He is also our advocate in heaven’s highest court. 1 John 2:1 says,

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Job 16: 19 says,

Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high.

Our main concern here is the part we, as God’s servants, play in this war. The Scriptures have laid this out quite clearly. Most of what we see from the scripture is that the battle is Gods and our concern is to focus on Him rather than on Satan. The Bible tells us that we’re more than conquerors in any battle we may encounter. Romans 8:37-39 says,

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So we are in this fight, and if we remain on Christ’s side until the end we will be victorious. But… as soldiers what weapons do we have to fight with?

  • Truth

The Word of God is also known as the sword of the Spirit and the belt of truth. A sword as we know can be used as both an offensive weapon and a defensive aid and blocking tool. I find it necessary to begin our discussion about what weapons we hold and have in our arsenal with the Word, because all other weapons come from it and their instructions for use are inside.

Truth is our most effective weapon in battle against Satan.

In fact, Jesus stood on the Truth when he was confronted in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-11 says,

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan He overcame the devil using the weapon of the Word of God rather than his own opinions, thoughts, desires, or excuses. Jesus knew and applied Scripture in his time of “need.” The direct use of God’s Word silenced the enemy and ended the discussion. Jesus used the Word of God once for each of the three temptations He faced.

The apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:14,

I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.

Like Jesus, we should do the same in our temptations. Take time and find Bible verses that are particularly meaningful to you… allow the Holy Spirit to help! Lock those verses away in your mind and heart, repeat them often, and use them when fighting in spiritual warfare.

Satan is a master deceiver. Imagine a salesman who has been selling the same product for 40 years… they would probably be pretty good at it. Their skills would be honed, they would know what to say and what not to say, and they would know the right approach to take when dealing with people. Now apply that to Satan. He has been “selling” the same lies and deceptions for his whole existence. He does well at taking the baggage and wounds we all carry and planting seeds of lies and distortions in the fertile and vulnerable soil. In the absence of God’s truth, those seeds can take root and grow, spawning more lies, more deception, and ultimately more seeds. Interestingly enough, Satan’s deceptions and distortions of the truth work in the same way that many cancer cells do in the human body. Within the last few years a team of Swedish researchers have discovered how many cancer cells spread throughout the body: by masquerading as immune cells! They disguise themselves as healthy cells until often it is too late. Satan’s deceptions often mimic Biblical truths somewhat closely. Close enough that many Christians accept them as truth without thinking otherwise… then the vicious cycle continues. False teachings and truths can devastate a Believer and set them up for failure.

Biblical truth shines light into the darkness that is spiritual warfare.

  • Prayer

There is evil that we fight in our spiritual warfare. Jesus told us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. He told us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the work that God has purposed for us to accomplish, as His will is being worked out in our lives. But we do hit opposition. We need to understand that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers in the heavenly places.

The enemy hates intercession because we exercise our authority in Christ when we pray! It is one of the greatest things he will attack. The enemy is on an all out attack to stop prayer, because he knows that there is power in intercession. There is power in even one intercessor that knows his or her authority in prayer.

James 5:16 says,

The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

In John 14:12-14 Jesus says,

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Let’s make one thing clear right from the start. Prayer is not a one-time thing… we can’t do it once and check it off the list. Although Satan is a defeated foe, it doesn’t mean that he has accepted that defeat and stopped fighting. At the conclusion of World War II pockets of Japanese soldiers kept fighting unable to accept the defeat or surrender of their homeland. They engaged others in guerilla style warfare for up to 30 years after the conclusion of the war. In 1974, Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese army intelligence officer, finally was persuaded to come out of hiding by a former comrade on the Philippine island of Lubang. Mr. Onoda, then 83, wept uncontrollably as he agreed to lay down his rifle, unaware that Japanese forces had surrendered 29 years earlier. In 1972, Shoichi Yokoi was found on the island of Guam and returned to Japan. Like Mr. Onoda, he had no idea that the war had ended. These are just a couple examples of the large isolated pockets of fighters that held out after defeat. Like those pockets of isolated Japanese soldiers on remote islands in the Pacific at the end of World War II, Satan and his demons continue to fight on, oblivious to or in denial of God’s ultimate victory. You must fight through prayer for the entirety of your Christian life here in earth.

God has promised to help His people. But sometimes that help isn’t immediate. Read Daniel 10. Specifically in Daniel 10:10-14 we see this account,

And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

In Daniel we see that help was sent but delayed. We have to remember the different fronts that this battle is being waged on, and stay aware that we aren’t always seeing the realm in which the fight is taking place. Remember, we exist in a battle zone of multiple levels and realms. Another possible explanation to what we might see as a “delay” to our answered prayers is that God could standing to one side, watching, allowing the fight we’re in to strengthen us.

God has promised to be there when we NEED Him, not when we THINK we need Him.

Do not look at your prayer life as a small ministry of no importance. The enemy knows fully how mighty you are in pulling down his strongholds, and he will try to intimidate, discourage, divide, or defeat you. We must not accept his lies. We must continue to pray from a position of authority! Do not pray from a position of fear, understand and take to heart the truth that you have eternal life with Jesus. He is your strength, and with Him there is nothing to fear.

I also believe that it is important to state that effective prayer for spiritual warfare starts with prayer in general. We have to begin from the baseline of an active prayer life. All of us would agree that before we stepped into the cage for an MMA fight we would want to fight and maybe take a punch. The fight itself would definitely not be the best time to learn! In the same way we must be praying before engaging the enemy in prayer.

Like the military, we train in times of peace to be prepared for times of war.

Our prayer nurtures our relationship, and it’s especially important to draw on that intimate personal relationship with God when engaged in spiritual warfare. A prayer life filled with regular prayers of praise, thanksgiving, confession, supplication, and meditation are what nurtures and grows that close relationship.

We must not only pray for ourselves… but we must pray for others! We see an example of this in Luke 22:31-32 where it says,

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul urges us to pray for others! It says,

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quite and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men be saved and come to the knowledge and truth.

Take note, sometimes we may need to revisit the same prayer over and over… we may need to pray against the same sort of attack more than once! There are many demons, operating at many levels, using many different tactics.

As a child did you ever ask one of your parents for a piece of candy over and over after being told no? If you are like me you probably did in hopes of wearing them down with your nagging, and ultimately getting the candy. Like that pesky child nagging for candy after being told no sometimes we pray and deny the enemy only to have them return, often with their accomplices, and to try to wear you down.

It’s only through the strength of Christ Jesus that we can withstand. Romans 8:26-27 says,

The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Imagine a trashed house full of garbage. What else is sure to be there? Flies. Sometimes of lives look a lot like that house. We get frustrated at the flies buzzing around and work against them. Sometimes we are successful and manage to shoo them all away, but as long as the garbage remains we are fighting a losing battle and those flies are inevitably going to return and multiply. So, in our spiritual warfare we need to be concerned with the flies (demons), but we also must work to remove the garbage. This might look like a lot allowing past wounds to heal, seeking to restore broken relationships, or terminating relationships that are unhealthy for us. It might mean stepping out of our comfort zone, getting connected with other believers, and renouncing sin in our lives. Every trashcan may be different… but we certainly all have one. Prayer is a good place to start, but it almost always invokes action on our part.

  • Fasting

The literal meaning of the Hebrew word for “fast” is “to cover the mouth.” Fasting humbles the flesh, and that is where we can draw power. Fasting puts us in harmony with an all-powerful God who demands humility from those who wish to be close to Him. When it is done for that purpose, it pleases the Spirit of God.

During a fast, you deliberately let go of that which binds you to this physical world (food) in order to receive all your sustenance from the spiritual world. You determine that for a period of time you will deny your physical cravings to focus on your spiritual cravings. You allow your spiritual hunger to become stronger and more focused. You feed your spirit with the same enthusiasm with which you feed your body. Spiritual hunger takes priority over physical hunger.

If you are like me then you enjoy food! For foodies fasting can be a real downer or struggle… but that is the idea. Food for your physical body sustains it and nourishes it. When we eat food, we literally take the earth and make it part of us. I am fully convinced that God intentionally designed our bodies to be nourished and fueled in this way so that we would have a picture of true nourishment that He speaks of in Scripture. Jesus made this clear when He told the devil in the wilderness in Matthew 4:4,

It is written, man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

God has represented His Word as food that nourishes our spiritual life in the same way that physical food nourishes our physical life.

Psalm 119:103 says,

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Jeremiah 15:16 says,

Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.

Ezekiel 3:1-3 says,

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

Just as food strengthens and maintains our bodies, the Word of God is designed to nourish, fuel, and strengthen us. You can go a certain distance in God, and experience many things, without fasting much, but the highest, richest and most powerful blessings always go to those who, together with other disciplines, fast. The most significant Biblical characters were all men of fasting and prayer. Jesus, the Son of God, was a man of fasting. Matthew 4:2 says,

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

The apostle Paul fasted. 2 Corinthians 11:27 says,

In toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

Moses fasted 80 days. Elijah fasted 40 days. The early church fasted before starting any major work. Luther, Wesley, Finney, Booth were all men of fasting.

Now… don’t get me wrong, fasting is not magic, nor does it twist the arm of God. A Fast doesn’t punch your ticket into the will of God. God wants to do many amazing things, but He looks for those willing to urgently make the corrections needed to come into line with him. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Psalm 138:6 tells us that,

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

Proverbs 3:34 says,

Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.

Matthew 23:12 says,

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Proverbs 29:23 says,

One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Fasting is not a way to influence, impress or manipulate God. It doesn’t prove anything to Him. It doesn’t show Him whether you are serious. In fact, He knows your heart better than you do. Hebrew 4:13 says,

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

A fast is not a hunger strike, like the ones abolished in India in 1861, designed to convince God for “more” or to release what He has “held back.” Also… Fasting is not a last-ditch effort to get through to God. Instead, fasting is an effort we make to allow God to get through to us! It is a means of sharpening our spiritual senses so that we can hear and discern the voice, leading, purposes, and direction of God. Fasting gives us Spiritual eyes to see God’s focus for our lives, and it can be a major key to hearing God’s voice. We need focus from God more than anything. The world we live in is working overtime to distract us, to entice us, to win our hearts and minds, our focus, and to determine our vision. Fasting cuts out the world so we can tune into God. In 2 Chronicles 20, we read the account of a fast King Jehoshaphat called for this very reason. He had received a report that his enemies were allied against him and were nearly at his borders, intent on destroying him and the nation of Israel. The earthly perspective was pretty grim… but Jehoshaphat was not willing to limit himself to Earth’s point of view. He knew there was more to the picture that what he could see.

Fasting has a way of revealing the bigger picture… the perspective of heaven.

In Ezra 8:21-23 we see Ezra the priest fasting for God’s protection while carrying valuable items for the temple. It says,

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Like Ezra, we too can fast for God’s protection.

Matthew 6:17-18 says,

When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

We are commanded to fast for God and God alone and that our fasting will be rewarded. Notice that verse 17 says, “when” we fast… not “if” we fast. Fasting can actually break barriers and strongholds that sometimes prayer can’t handle by itself. We see evidence of this in Mark 9:28-29 where it says,

His disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven  out by anything but prayer and fasting.”

If we desire to be successful and victorious in spiritual warfare then we must add the discipline of fasting to our arsenal.

  • Praise

I believe praise plays a huge part in our response to the attacks of Satan and his aids. In fact, did you know that there are more verses in the Bible that refer to praising God in some way, than there are that refer to praying! Therefore, I believe that praise is essential to success in spiritual warfare.

Praise takes our focus off our problems and places it where it should be: the Lord. Praise has a way of lifting our spirits and our confidence. Praise reminds us of what God has done for His people, and what He has promised to do for us in the future. And guess what? When you praise the Lord, you’re also reminding Satan and his workers of how many times they’ve been beaten before. Think about it! When I was a kid and I would wrestle with my friend, who was much bigger than me, I would get so frustrated at the lack of effort it looked like he was putting forth, and when he would laugh at my feeble attempts to take him down. In the same way Satan hates hearing about his defeats. How would you like it if, when you were about to attack someone, they started singing songs that reminded you of how many times you’ve lost similar fights? You wouldn’t, and neither does the devil! So make a joyful noise! Praise the Lord and His holy name!

My personal favorite reason that we sing is to silence the enemy. Singing throughout the centuries was used as a battle tactic or a way to prepare soldiers for battle. We see in the Bible that singers and musicians were just as big of a part of the army as the soldiers themselves. They led the fighters into battle! Tribes in Africa will often sing and shout before heading into war as a way of intimidating their enemies with the size of the army and the volume of their voices. In Korean and Vietnamese history soldiers would rush into a battle with loud shouts and songs to intimidate and overwhelm their enemies. In American history music played a large role in both the Revolutionary and Civil wars as both a moral booster and communication technique.

We can apply this strategy to our own lives. We enter into spiritual warfare each and every day. When we accepted Jesus as our Savior we basically put a target on our back for Satan and the world to shoot at. But, when the enemy tries to attack your life or church, the raised voice of faith in the promises of God will drive him away. Psalm 68:1-6 says:

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God! But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him! Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Sing truths to yourself and to the face of the enemy. A simple reminder is often all it takes! 1 Samuel 16:23 says:

And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Refresh yourself and others. Sing to yourself and with others. Prepare yourself to fight and let the devil know who the victor will be!

My favorite song to sing in times of spiritual warfare in my own life is “Always” it goes like this:

My foes are many, they rise against me, but I will hold my ground. I will not fear the war; I will not fear the storm. My help is on the way; my help is on the way.

Oh, my God, He will not delay, my refuge and strength always. I will not fear His promise is true. My God will come through always, always.

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding, my soul will rest in You. I will not fear the war; I will not fear the storm. My help is on the way; my help is on the way.

Oh, my God, He will not delay, my refuge and strength always. I will not fear His promise is true. My God will come through always, always.

I lift my eyes up; my help comes from the Lord. I lift my eyes up; my help comes from the Lord. I lift my eyes up; my help comes from the Lord. I lift my eyes up; my help comes from the Lord.

Oh, my God, He will not delay, my refuge and strength always. I will not fear His promise is true. My God will come through always, always. Oh, my God, He will not delay, my refuge and strength always, always.

Our song can be used as a sword as well! In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, we see the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the people of Mount Seir coming against Judah to destroy them. Jehoshaphat knew that his people could not defeat the combined armies of his enemies, so he went to the Lord for aid. Through Jahaziel, the Lord said, “Be not afraid or dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” So when the morning of the battle came, what did the children of Judah do? They went to the field of battle and began to sing and praise the Lord.

2 Chronicles 20:22-23 says,

And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

The people of Judah never lifted a weapon! As they were praising the LORD, He turned their enemies against each other, and finally against themselves!

Psalm 8:2 says,

Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Another example is found in Acts chapter 16. Paul and Silas have been beaten and thrown into prison because they cast out a spirit of divination from a young girl who was following them, thus angering her masters. In the middle of the night, in prison, this happened to Paul and Silas, Acts 16:25-26 says,

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.

If we go on in this story though we can see the power of praise in the spiritual realm and in breaking down strongholds and throwing off bondages and chains. We see the lives and attitudes of inmates changed when Paul and Silas are in captivity singing and praying. When the doors swung wide open and the bonds fell off nobody ran away. Nobody even tried to escape! What changed their hearts? God did. Through what avenue? Most likely the truths being expressed through Paul and Silas. We see change not only in their testimonies… but also in the response of the prison guard ready to take his own life to avoid punishment and the disgrace to his family’s name.

Acts 16:27-34 continues,

When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Praise can change lives. We must strive to sing truths that will infiltrate hardened hearts, and sing challenges to those of us who already know Christ. We can worship, teach, and evangelize through the songs that sing on a daily and weekly basis to others and ourselves.

Philippians 4: 4-7 says,

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance.  The Lord is at hand.  Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:1 says,

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men.

Psalm 95:1-2 says,

O come let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation: Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving.

God centered praise silences the enemy. How many of our problems would be solved if we could only drown out Satan and his demons.

So what weapons are you employing? God has provided and empowered us through His Son, call yourself equipped and wage war against the enemy!

The Enemy and his Schemes

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Last week we began our conversation on Spiritual Warfare by establishing the conflict that we are in and the battles that make up the “war.” This week we will talk about our enemy and his tactics.

In every war or fight there is more than one side. In our case there are two sides in this “spiritual” war, the side of good (God) and the side of evil (the devil and world). The Bible tells us that we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces.

Ephesians 6:12 says,

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.

For thousands of years generals and soldiers alike have known that in order to defeat their enemy they must know your enemy. If you go into a battle blind, with no knowledge of the army against you, you can expect to be defeated. But the better you know your enemy—the way he moves, the way he attacks, the kinds of weaponry he uses—the more you can be prepared to defeat him. The ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu taught his men to “know your enemy” before going into battle. He wrote,

You know your enemy and know yourself… you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

He also warned,

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

It is good to know your enemy so you can know his tactics and be prepared to defeat his schemes. Like any good football coach studies the film and plays of the other team, we must too study and recognize the “plays” of the evil one. Satan is the ultimate enemy; he is a spiritual enemy and he has enlisted all kinds of spiritual allies and tactics. All of these are out to destroy you.

So… who is the enemy?

Now obviously we know and understand by now that the enemy is Satan. Paul tells us that we need to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” The first thing he does is name the enemy.

Ever since he fell into sin, Satan has been the enemy of God and God’s people. He is not the only enemy, but the arch-enemy, the leader of all the others. Paul also says that our battle is “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” So… through that we can determine that the enemy has many allies. Satan is not alone, but instead he has a vast army with him. These beings, whatever they are, vary in their rank and their power and their authority and their capability. We just need to know that the enemy is there, he is spiritual, he is many, and he is out to get us. Satan fights his battle through a myriad of soldiers.

I do think it is important for us to understand though that Satan is unlike God in that he is not omnipresent… he is not present everywhere. He is a created being who can be in only one place at one time, but like any general, he has soldiers to do his work for him. Satan is limited and restrained by God. He is neither all-powerful nor all-knowing. He can do nothing apart from Gods sovereign authority. While Satan can entice a person to sin, he cannot force him to do it. Unlike the omniscient God, Satan cannot know everything about the future or a persons thoughts.

Beelzebub (or the Greek form Beel’zebul) is the name given to Satan, and is found in the New Testament.

Matthew 10:25 says,

It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Matthew 12:27 says,

And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

Mark 3:22 says,

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

That name given to Satan in the New Testament translates to mean “the lord of flies,” or, as others think, “the lord of dung,” or “the dung-god.” I personally find the name “the lord of flies” interesting for several reasons.

  • Flies are carriers of various diseases, some of which are deadly: Demons can cause various diseases or infirmities.
  • Flies show up right before a rain or change in the weather: Demons appear to attack right at the point God is making a change.
  • Flies distract us and harass us: Demons do the same.
  • Flies infect open wounds: Demons look for weaknesses.
  • Flies are attracted to that which is spoiled: Demons are attracted to the unclean spirit.
  • Flies find the smallest of openings and enter into our houses: Demons also find the small opening to compromise us.

So, now that we have been acquainted to the enemy we must get to know his schemes. There are three things that we can expect from the devil, those things are: deception, temptation, and accusation.

Let’s think together below!

  • Deception

We have all been deceived before. In fact, just think about the last time you opened a bag of Funyuns only to discover that it is two thirds full of air! We’ve all been there! To deceive somebody means to make another person believe a lie or something that is not true. We can see that this is a scheme of the enemy from the very beginning. In the Garden of Eden Satan deceived Eve into believing that God’s Word was not true. In Genesis 3:1-6, the devil told her that she will not surely die. That verse says,

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

But… we know what God said in Geneses 2:17,

But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.

When the enemy sends deception your way, it is an attempt to deceive you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error. Satan knew Eve’s weakness and took advantage of her causing her to throw away all the perfection she had for a lie!

  • Temptation

Temptation often follows deception. First the enemy told Eve, “You won’t surely die” then what did he do?

Genesis 3:4-6 says,

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

The enemy deceived and then tempted by making the fruit on the forbidden tree look good to Eve. Often times we allow ourselves to be tempted by first opening the door for ourselves to be deceived. The biggest deception is that God is holding something back from us… that leads us to succumb to the flesh and the desires of the world that are contradictory to the purposes of God.

Temptation is when we are enticed or encouraged to sin in one way or another. What tempts you may not tempt me… but it is temptation all the same.

In Matthew 4, Jesus was led out in the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus saw through Satan’s deception, and resisted the temptation by speaking God’s Word.

Psalm 119:11 says,

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Think about baiting a hook. To a fish the bait (or worm) looks good… but what happens when they bite? They get the hook that leads to being devoured. When Satan tempts us he is offering us the bait that leads to the hook.

1 Peter 5:8 says,

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

John 10:10 says,

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

  • Accusations

We see in Revelation 12:10 that the devil is known as the accuser of the brethren.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

Do you ever feel like you can’t outrun your past?

The mistakes of our past have a way of becoming like ghosts that roam graveyards in scary movies… we may escape for a period of time but they always return to haunt us.

The Devil or accuser wants to be sure that our past is like our shadow… no matter how hard we try, it will always come back and will always be nearby. We all have certain experiences that trigger emotional responses that will bring us back to our past and we have no choice but to relive those memories. The things in our past while remembered do not have to determine our vision for the present and future… but Satan wants them to.

Author and Pastor Rick Warren wrote in his book “The Purpose Driven Life that,

We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.

1 Peter 1:6-7 says,

In this you greatly rejoice, though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proven genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Bil Keane once said,

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.

Our enemy is known to take a believer who has a past, and continue to rub it in their faces and beat them down with guilt and condemnation.

We must strive to know the enemy and his tactics in order that we may more effectively wage war against his armies. We need to know our enemy, but we have know our Savior far better.

Next week we will talk about our “Weapons of War.”

How to Fight Spectator Worship

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

Lights. Camera. Action.

We have all experienced the hair on the backs of our necks stand up from a good show or experience. Maybe the atmosphere was just right or the speaker or musicians were well rehearsed and the performance nearly moved us to tears. We have all also probably been in a scenario where all we could do was grimace and mumble (in our best southern voice) “bless his/her heart.”

When thinking back to either of these experiences did either take place at church?

As ministers we must think about what types of experiences, memories, moments, and performances we putting on each and every week within our houses of worship? Let me ask you: What is memorable? The atmosphere? The quality of performance? That soloist who had the voice of an angel? Or the congregational worship in response to the Spirit of God?

I hope it is the latter. If it’s called a worship service, should there not be more worship going on? This week we are going to discuss maintaining well-balanced worship, and fighting the talent show spectator sport mentality that we often unintentionally instill within or people. Sure, the spectator mentality may not be created intentionally, but it is happening, nonetheless.

Let’s start at the beginning… the diagnosis of the problem.

In “worship,” are we supposed to be participants or spectators?

We all know the answer… participants.

So if we all know the correct answer how does spectator worship still happen? We all can be guilty at times. No style of music or church setting is exempt. Often, contemporary churches create a concert atmosphere. From the style of the music and the way it is presented, to the layout of the “worship center,” there is a feel that is remarkably similar to a concert or a theater experience. For obvious reasons that can get confusing for our congregations, because in theaters and concerts, the audience is not required to participate in way, form, or fashion. Their sole responsibility is to set back, stay awake, and enjoy the show in a consumer-like fashion. But… the “trendy” contemporary churches aren’t the only ones to blame! In fact, many traditional services have beloved hymns that have been sung in the same way for years that take absolutely no thought or “worship engagement” to get through. We have created zombies that can sing melodies! Many traditional services also incorporate choirs that sing songs while the attendees listen or put on special shows that are “concert-like.” Other times, there is “special music” by a soloist or ensemble. The best part, of course, is the “offertory” where a talented musician plays his or her instrument during the passing of the plate and everyone listens to the performance.

So, what’s the problem with “spectator” worship?

Worship is not the same thing as entertainment. Groundbreaking thought I know… unfortunately, the whole approach of much of our “worship services” is nothing more than entertainment with a Christian title. Does a “better” atmosphere mean “better” worship? Does the skill of the soloist, or the intonation of a choir really constitute a better worship experience? Does it truly bring more honor and glory to God if you “jaw-drop” the audience with your guitar solo or piano finesse? But… by breeding a spectator mentality we tend to also breed an entertainment mentality.

Spectators also tend to be prone to the consumer mentality that plagues our American culture. In an age of American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and America’s Next Top Model our culture is filled with “expert” judges and consumers with little knowledge or experience in whatever area they are judging. How many times have we attended a movie or show and immediately walked out giving our thoughts on what was well done and what wasn’t. I have… but the fact is I know absolutely nothing about making a movie. I can give my opinion… but that is all it really is: an opinion. Sometimes we unintentionally drag this consumer or critiquing mindset into church. We leave right after a service and judge the worship based off the quality of the music or even better… the musical selection, and the preaching based off of whether or not we liked the message or the Pastor kept us engaged enough.

These problems undermine true worship, and what we have done by breeding these issues (spectator worship) and not teaching against them has now come to bite us in the rear! You know, recently I was shown an interesting statistic. It is well believed that the average goldfish has a 9 second attention span, and we often joke around with people and say, “You have the attention span of a goldfish.” But… actually a recent study says that an average human attention span is now 8 seconds! You heard me right… 1 second less than that of a goldfish. So the question is… if we allow spectator worship to shape and form our church’s worship can we entertain the people enough? Absolutely not.

So… how do we engage people in authentic God-honoring worship? Let’s think together.

  • Sing songs that people can sing.

It may seem obvious… but we have to start by singing songs that people are capable of singing. As a member of the congregation if I have to watch the “show” more than half the time then we as leaders have missed the point!

The fact of the matter is that too often we are singing songs not suitable for congregational singing. There are lots of great, new worship songs today, but in the vast pool of new songs, many are not suitable for congregational singing because of a multitude of reasons like key, rhythm, melody, etc. But, the truth is though, there are many hymns that aren’t great for our current singing as well because of rhythm, melody, and a language barrier between “old-time” speech and how we talk today.

What I try to keep in mind when selecting songs is that in order for people to sing the songs in any given worship service, the songs have to have a sing-able melody (that doesn’t take a master’s degree in music or 8 hours of practice) and be placed in keys that the common person can sing. You see, we as leaders might think a song is easy, but the reality is that we have been listening and practicing it all week and our congregations only have once on Sunday to sing along. Also, if songs are placed in keys that are too high, many people just stop singing because it hurts to sing high, or they are embarrassed to hear their voice at a raised level when they are trying to reach out and strain to get that note you have asked them to sing.

What we seem to have forgotten is that the average singer has a medium range, and many worship leaders, myself included, have high voices and want to pitch the songs in keys in which they sound the best for us to lead them in. But, we must remember that worship is not about impressing the congregation with our awesome vocal skills. Instead it is about enabling the people to worship, and facilitating that response through our direction (guided by the Spirit of course).

  • Sing songs that people can follow.

Nobody likes going to a concert where you don’t know a single song and have no clue what is going on. Have you ever been to a church service like that? I have… and to be honest my worship through song really suffered.

Many of us Worship Leaders and Pastors love singing new music and are completely wrapped up in that world all week. But to be honest most of our congregation isn’t. They might not be in tune with the newest song or the latest and greatest group. Often the only Christian music they hear is at church! So… sometimes when we don’t balance out our set lists that allow for easy following a congregation ceases its participatory worship in order to learn the new songs or turn totally to spectator mode and treat the song as a “special music” portion of the service.

So… first of all, should we sing new songs in worship? I believe the Bible is clear in that regard. Psalm 33:3 says,

Sing unto Him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.

Psalm 40:3 says,

He put a new song in my mouth.

Psalm 96:1 says,

Sing to the LORD a new song.

Psalm 144:9 says,

I will sing a new song to you, O God.

Psalm 149: 1 says,

Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song.

I could go on and on. Singing new songs is beneficial because they keep us out of a rut, bring us a new sense of freshness and enthusiasm, force us to think about what we are singing, expand our worship vocabulary, and help us capture what God is saying to the body at the time. Newer, contemporary songs generally will connect to today’s culture in a language they understand better than songs several decades or centuries old. Our songs are a vital part of our worship vocabulary. As long as we are singing songs we know, we are able to worship without the hindrance of learning new melodies and rhythms. But, when we place a new song in our times of corporate worship, we can interrupt the flow of worship. When new songs are first introduced, the people have to take their eyes off the Lord and concentrate on the task of learning the new tune. With this in mind, I believe new songs can kill our worship or they can greatly enhance our worship depending on how we balance them and utilize them in our services.

So how do we balance the problem of creating spectators with all the great reasons to include new songs in our worship? The key is how we introduce the songs and the frequency of new song introduction. We must make sure the songs are first sing-able and then gauge our church based off of their ability to pick up on newer songs. The results will vary depending on the average age of your congregation, what types of songs you are playing, and the context you are in.

One thing I would like to clarify is that we don’t need to mistake “unwilling” to learn new songs for “unable.” Sometimes we have a tendency as humans to like things they way they are, and always have been, and we are content in our comfort. We must fulfill the Biblical mandate to sing new songs… so we have to do our job to facilitate that as painlessly as possible.

  • Be ready to teach.

As worship leaders, we often get so involved in our professional production and understanding of worship that we fail to be authentic, invite the congregation into the experience and act of worship, and then do all we can to facilitate that response. Sometimes it is far too easy to lose sight of our purpose of helping the congregation to voice their worship, and letting them know that they have a reason to sing.

Sometimes the “spectator worshipper” mentality just comes from a lack of understanding or education on the subject. We need to take a step back a realize that not everyone is as deeply immersed in worship as we are (I mean it is our job). We must be willing and ready to teach words, teach songs, and most importantly teach each methods, reasons, and purposes of worship.

A functioning understanding often goes a long way.

So how are you fighting the fight against “spectator worship?”

Why do we Create?

Posted on by Tanner Royalty

We sing songs. We draw, paint, and sculpt. Have you ever asked yourself why?

There are many ways in which a person can be creative… but where does it come from and why is it important to God and the church?

Below we will discuss “why” we create.

  • God created.

The first reason we as Believers should be striving to create marvelous things for the Lord takes us all the way back to the beginning.

Genesis 1:1 says,

In the beginning, God created…

The creation story that we are all familiar with found in Genesis continues in 1:27 to say,

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

We ourselves were created! God was, and is, the first ever creator and being made in His image we also should be striving to create! When I think about God as the first Creator and myself attempting to be more like Him then I am automatically pushed to constantly be striving to create with Biblical excellence that reflects the attributes and likeness of God. It is amazing to me that we can often fall into the trap of creating very mediocre things within the church and slapping the “Christian” label on them and calling them done.

As Believers our handiwork should be more than mediocre! In fact, we should be the BEST creators because we serve the best creator!

Psalm 104:24 says,

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Psalm 19:1 says,

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

The vast expanse of the universe was created by a God who loves to create. The cells in our bodies that we can’t even see were created by a God who loves to create. God went above and beyond as a Creator and because of that so should we.

  • It is part of our mandate.

Genesis 1:26-27 says,

Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them.

Are you aware of the fact that you have been given dominion over the rest of creation? As creators that should overwhelm us with excitement because “the sky is the limit!” We have dominion over the things we create!

We know that for each person the way we create is different. Some of us may be musicians, writers, painters, chefs, inventors, skilled in design, etc. Some of us also are creative in the way we accomplish jobs, communicate with people of all ages, or view situations and scenarios. Regardless of our method and creative medium the call is still the same. Romans 12:6 says,

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…

Ultimately we aren’t using our God-given creativity for ourselves. It is for Him alone.

Colossians 3:23 says,

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…

  • It is part of what we were made to do.

Let’s think about it… from the time we are born, there is a part of us that longs to create. A child loves to scribble, paint, and mold playdoh. When music is turned on it is natural for us to want to tap our feet, wiggle a little, and sing along.

A friend of mine named Will Croushorn has said,

While not every one of us will be the next Picasso or Vincent Van Gogh, every one of us has been given a gift to create and to imagine which can be used to share the greatest story ever told.

In fact, the first “paid” artisans worked for the church! Do you think it is a mere coincidence that some of the first people paid to create served God and His people? I say that to point out the fact that ultimately our God-given natural creativity was given to us for the glory of God, and the enjoyment of His people.

When a child paints a picture the first thing a parent does is hang it on the fridge. It doesn’t matter if the painting is realistic, technically precise, or if it is nothing but a splatter! A parent still delights in their child’s work. I personally like to imagine our Father in Heaven delighting in our “paintings.”

I love the idea that: God provided us with creativity for Himself.

God enjoys creating and creation. That is evident in the majestic and over-the-top way in which He created all that we see, and even the things that we aren’t aware of. In the beginning we see God enjoying creation when He walks through the Garden.

Genesis 3:8 tells us exactly that,

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

God walked through the Garden and enjoyed it! We know that because He is God… He could appear right where He wanted to, but instead He took a stroll through His handiwork and enjoyed what He had done. It even says that God came to the Garden in the cool of the day. AS someone who loves being outside hiking or exploring I like to think of God just strolling down a path through the Garden listening to the birds chirping and touching the plants along the way. God enjoyed creating and enjoyed His creation.

In the same way that God created and enjoyed His creation we can create… and all of our projects and efforts ultimately speak to who He made us to be!

  • To communicate the Gospel, and the greatness of our God.

If someone has ever questioned the authenticity of visual art as a crucial part of Christian worship, all they need to do is consider the priority our Lord placed on beauty when He made this world. Aesthetically there is nothing that can top God’s original creation! Clearly, God’s creative handiwork is intentional, God purposefully made what we see around and above us to be more than just functional. He designed all of nature so that it would point us back to Him.

Psalm 104:24 says,

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Psalm 139:14 says,

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

David as a shepherd spent many nights outside tending his flock and he probably wrote Psalm 19 as he lay on his back staring up at the stars. Psalm 19:1 says,

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

As creative people our creation ultimately displays and communicates God’s greatness and power. Every work of art, each scribble on a page, and every theatrical production that is staged is in some way telling the story of God and the gospel.

We all recognize that art has a way of communicating feelings and emotions that cannot be verbalized. Paul tells us in Romans 1:19-20 that,

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Think about this amazing truth – what we can know about God is already made known to us through His creation! Through the work of Christ, we can know God, truly and intimately, here and now. When we spend our time studying science, creating art, understanding how the universe works, we have an opportunity to learn little by little about the God who created each of those things. Through His creation, God reveals His attributes, His personality, His characteristics, His greatness, and His power. When we in turn create we can display this story for others as well.

  • To serve.

Last… but definitely not least, we each have roles to play in this family of believers. The “creative” folk among us need to feel a freedom to create and inspire because in that, they are serving the body of Christ with the gift they have been given.

Our creativity isn’t just for ourselves, and our enjoyment, but it is meant to be shared with others.

There are many creative opportunities within the local body and when there aren’t then we should “create” some! Every church should have creative people inside it purposefully creating and “telling the story” of the first Creator through their handiwork. Those who don’t understand the need or importance of creativity obviously don’t understand whom it comes from and the value creativity holds.

Let’s challenge ourselves to create for a higher purpose! Let’s allow our handiwork to reflect the handiwork of the ultimate and best Creator.