Minister: Pst. David Kilanko
In our walk with the Lord, we should always know that there is always a vacancy in God’s company. God is always seeking love-beings. When He spoke to the Samaritan woman, He said, “The Father seeketh such…” (John 4:23-24) True worshippers are love-beings. Those who can truly worship are those who truly love.
We must understand the reality of spiritual warfare. If there is anything noteworthy about a believer, it is that he is a soldier. If that leaves our minds, we have been cheated. If we forget it, we have jettisoned a great calling that is upon us.
2 Timothy 2:3 KJV
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
Everything in Scripture was intentionally written. They could have simply said, “Thou therefore endure hardness as a soldier of Christ.” Why? The reason soldiers are soldiers is because they have gone through rigour. They are noted for endurance.
It must be impressed upon us that a believer is first a soldier. In Matthew 16:18, when we hear the word prevail, it means there is a contention. One thing that is also important is that Heaven wants us to master the art of spiritual warfare.
We must learn the art of spiritual warfare. We are not just to have the wisdom of how to fight; we must also receive wisdom to challenge and overthrow the offences of Satan at every moment because the enemy is fighting at every moment.
There is a saying in the world, “If you snooze, you lose.” It is actually very close to the truth concerning spiritual warfare.
That is why Peter said:
1 Peter 5:8 KJV
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Something is noteworthy about how lions hunt, because Scripture uses the predatory nature of a lion to describe the adversary.
A lion does not simply attack a whole pack of animals. It first stalks them, identifies one that is weak or isolated, and goes after it. Lions do not have the endurance to run for very long. They only need a small burst of speed. When they catch their prey, they hold it, take it down, and devour it. They are called the king of the jungle because they are very strategic and are among the most effective hunters in the animal kingdom.
The adversary is like that. He seeks whom he may devour. He cannot come against the entire Church at once and get everyone. He looks for the one who is isolated, weak, or not well submitted. These are the things that give the enemy an advantage.
Hosea 4:6 KJV
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”
There is a difference between “My people” and simply “the people.” If Scripture had said “the people,” it would not have been as moving. God was saying, “My people.” It is an anomaly for God’s people to be destroyed, yet it happens because of a lack of knowledge.
Destruction is an indication that Satan has prospered. John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If we allow him to get to the point of destruction, something is wrong. At the point where he comes as a thief wanting to steal, we should stop him. We must not give place to the enemy.
That is why knowledge must not be lacking in us.
Our daddy, Pastor Laide, having taught this topic a long time ago, talked about the dangers an unprepared people can face in warfare. There are three major dangers.
The first is underestimating our enemy.
Some people believe there is nothing like spiritual warfare. They rely on nothing but the belief that we simply have to be good people. But being a good person does not guarantee that we will win against Satan. The fact that we are good does not mean bad things cannot happen.
We must make sure that, in addition to being good, we have what is required to ensure that the enemy does not have an advantage over us. Satan does not care that we are good. He is even angry that we are good.
Another form of underestimation is being pushed to the extreme of thinking that we can defeat Satan with flesh and blood. No, we cannot.
Another underestimation is to think that Satan’s warfare is limited to the earth. That is another blatant lie. It is an extreme that has pushed the narrative of the doctrine of demons.
There are different cadres of spirits. Demons and familiar spirits are part of Satan’s operations. We cannot simply say there are no witches because we are educated. That is also an underestimation.
Satan has other beings working with him who do not behave like ordinary touts, but warfare is still going on. God wants to deliver us from underestimation. Underestimation is believing that because we are hearing the word of righteousness, we no longer need to fight. So, when there is a demon to cast out, we say, “We are hearing revelation, so there is no need to cast it out.”
Scripture says:
“These signs shall follow them that believe…”
It does not say, “These signs shall follow them that are mature.”
We will cast out demons. We should not permit them.
If we are ignorant of spiritual warfare, we will fight as one who beats the air. Jesus does not want us to fight that way. We are supposed to fight with precision.
Psalm 45:5 speaks of arrows being sharp and striking the heart of the King’s enemies. For us to shoot an arrow with precision, we must be skilled.
Knowledge will keep us from underestimating the enemy and will help us to be adequately prepared. This is important because, if we are not careful, we will become docile believers.
Daddy Tayo Fasan, quoting Papa Adeboye, said that the enemy we do not conquer will eventually conquer us. That is the reality of spiritual warfare.
We do not just stay on the defensive. We must attack and be proactive. We should not wait until something happens before we start praying. Whatever comes should meet us praying.
Papa Hagin, while studying spiritual warfare, was led by the Lord to the book of Ephesians. He prayed the prayer in Ephesians 1:16–18 repeatedly, even a thousand times, before the Lord began to open his eyes.
Daddy Kayode said a spirit knows when our eyes are opened.
The thing about believers’ authority is that it is believers’ authority and not pastors’ authority. We must have this driven to the core of our minds. Otherwise, we will be cheated.
Overestimation of the enemy is another danger that comes from a lack of knowledge.
It is not about using our strength; it is about using the strength of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:10 KJV
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
The difference between a mature believer and a young believer is not the authority they possess. Why? Because believers’ authority is delegated authority.
Pastor Laide’s burden is that, at every level of our spiritual growth, we should be fighting warfare and fighting it well. We must stand our ground because not doing so is overrespecting a demon.
The third danger is not warring lawfully.
At every level of warfare, there is a way to fight lawfully and win.
2 Timothy 2:5 KJV
“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”
To strive is to contend. If a man is fighting to gain mastery over another, he must do it lawfully. Just as a boxer can be disqualified for kicking his opponent, lawful fighting is important if we are going to win spiritual warfare.
1 Corinthians 9:25–26 teaches us that we cannot fight Satan scatteredly. We have to fight with precision. Lawful fighting means knowing the application for each level of spirit.
We do not deal with a demon as though we are dealing with a principality, and vice versa.
2 Corinthians 12:6–7 shows us that experience made the Apostle Paul speak about these things. Even demons can be messengers, but we must know the kind of messenger that has been sent and what that messenger has come to do.
In verse 8, the first response to an intrusion of Satan is prayer. Paul was someone who was constantly praying. He was not bragging when he said he prayed in tongues more than others. When he said he prayed three times, it could not have been merely a two-minute prayer.
In verse 9, with the knowledge of the spirit behind his infirmity, he chose to glory in his infirmities. That is how he overcame that messenger of Satan.
But we will not know how to respond if we are not people who are aware of spiritual warfare.
When Scripture says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7), it does not mean that we simply say, “I have authority in Jesus,” and then keep quiet.
The enemy will keep pushing because he is lawless. He knows he is a defeated foe, but because we do not know what he knows, he will continue to push.
Our business is to resist the devil, and the devil’s business is to flee from us. We do not play with the devil; we guard our territory.
Resistance is attack.
When Satan came to tempt Jesus, Jesus did not keep quiet. He told him, “It is written…”
Ephesians 6:13–17 shows us that when we fight Satan, we are not using our own strength. We have an upper hand because we have the armour of God. Therefore, the devil must give way.
When Jesus said, “It is written,” He was attacking with the sword.
Verse 18 shows us that our mouths must be open. We do not keep quiet when Satan is at work. We use our sword.
We also need the saints. In the armour of God, what protects our backs is our brethren. We pray for ourselves in the Spirit, and we make supplication for the saints.
We also pray for spiritual authority because if those who have been given the responsibility do not make known the mystery of the Gospel, we cannot war effectively.
The sword of the Spirit is for us to be offensive.
We cannot be docile. Heaven does not want us to mix up principles.
Luke 10:17-20 KJV
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. [18] And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. [19] Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. [20] Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
When the disciples returned, they were excited that even the devils were subject to them. They thought the devils were the highest level that could be dealt with.
But Jesus told them that He saw something greater: Satan falling like lightning from heaven.
Principalities are much more sophisticated than demons. For our name to be written in heaven, it means we have displaced other names in that realm.
Paul dealt with the messenger of Satan by rejoicing in his infirmities and reproaches. If we are insensitive to spiritual warfare, we may think we have an advantage when we actually do not.
Isaiah 40:30-31 KJV
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [31] But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This teaches us about waiting upon the Lord for the renewal of strength.
Our strength will always run out when we fight Satan in our own strength because warfare can become a drag.
David was able to smite Goliath and bear the battles he faced because he had a shield. He never lost a battle because he would always inquire of the Lord.
David and his mighty men fought and won. We hear him say, “The Lord is my shield. The Lord is my fortress.” (Psalm 18:2) He was a man who understood warfare.
So, the reason we need to understand how to use this authority is that it is not our authority. It is delegated authority, and we must use it well.
Normally, when we resist Satan, he should flee from us, because we are coming against him with a name that is above every other name.
Scripture says in James that the devils believe that there is one God, and they tremble (James 2:19). A believer who does not know that demons tremble will be cheated by them.
In Acts 16:16–18, Paul knew that it was not the Spirit of God speaking through the girl. He was grieved for many days before he addressed it.
That is one of the reasons we need spiritual gifts. We need to desire spiritual gifts. We cannot war effectively without having spiritual gifts at our disposal.
Satan does not want us to know the authority that we have.
1 Peter 5:4–9 shows us that we must have heard and received the truth so that we can know how to resist the devil.
We should approach warfare with the mindset that the devil is a defeated foe.“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15 KJV). Jesus has triumphed over principalities and powers and made an open show of them. In ancient times, after an enemy was conquered, the king would make an open show of the defeated enemy. Satan is a defeated foe. Therefore, we should approach warfare with the understanding that Jesus has won, not with confidence in ourselves.
Philippians 4:12 KJV
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
This shows us that Paul had learned how to war well. He had been instructed.
Everything we are afraid of is afraid of Jesus! Hallelujah!