Kingdomstrate

There are a lot of books out there on spiritual warfare and how to engage, discern, etc. Some of it is good, a lot of it is fear based. Those who talk a lot about spiritual warfare sometimes have a tendency to glorify what the devil is doing instead of what God is doing. They make the devil seem much larger than he actually is. I don’t care what the devil is doing and have no desire to find him. I want to ignore what he is doing and focus on what the Father is doing and saying. When we intersect with what the Father is doing and saying, the enemy will find us. There’s no need to go on a hell-immersed safari hunt.

It’s important to understand the difference between victory and triumph. Victory is when the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship a few weeks ago. They achieved victory because they won 4 out of 7 games.Triumph is what takes place after the victory. It’s the celebration in the streets, pubs, and workplace where people are screaming, jumping, and acting wildly to display their joy. This all occurs in the face of the losing opponent.

We are not still fighting a battle with Satan, nor are we looking for victory. We are enforcing the victory that has already been established and reveling in the triumph that is ours because we are IN Jesus. Satan wants to convince followers of Jesus that he hasn’t been defeated so he loves all the books about trying to discover where he is working and powerfully is working in the world. It’s amazing how many well meaning Christians are driven by fear in the spiritual warfare theology.

We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20, Eph. 6:19-20) who enforce and apply Jesus’ triumph over darkness.

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death HE MIGHT RENDER POWERLESS HIM WHO HAD THE POWER OF DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL, and might free those through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14-15)

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, TRIUMPHING over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15)

Paul wrote a lot on spiritual warfare in the New Testament, yet we lose some of what he says because of cultural differences. Paul uses the word disarmed in Colossians 2:15 and he is making a 1st Century cultural metaphor. Paul is saying that Jesus utterly stripped Satan of all power and authority. When a Roman general had a significant victory, he was allowed to march his victorious armies through the streets of Rome. Behind his chariot were chained all the kings and leaders that he had defeated. They were all stripped naked, chained, and pulled behind the conquering general through the streets. They were publicly humiliated.

Paul writes of Jesus the same way. Jesus in His triumphal procession has all the powers of hell, beaten forever, for all to see behind the chariot of Jesus. We are IN Jesus, which means we are IN His chariot. The devil and all his minions have been stripped naked, chained, and are powerless and they have been made a total humiliating spectacle for all to see. We have NOTHING to fear with the enemy. All of hell fears a Christ-follower who knows WHOSE they are and what they have been given because they are IN Jesus.

The foundation of our theology of spiritual warfare needs to be: TRIUMPH. So, let’s celebrate in the streets because our King has triumphed over every inch of hell.