#4 Their Roles in Binding and Loosening
That we are in an on-going, hot war,
Christ-followers need to be well aware,
And skilled to perform our designated roles.
There’s never been a war like it, by far.
It involves no military hardware,
Nor are there troops couched in trenches and fox holes.
To our eyes, our enemies are unseen,
But to all, their operations are in clear view,
Though to them, most folks might never associate results!
Only with a renewed heart and eyes keen,
Can we accurately discern works of this crew.
Lack of spirit discernment is one of folks’ many faults.
If the first tenet of war is …to know your enemy well,
And a key principle of war is …to prevent friendly fire,
Imagine how these apply in …a hot war, spiritual.
Then imagine how devils trick us, these two points …to dispel,
As we trade unseen enemies, for ‘people ones’ we desire.
Enemies then unchallenged, with people we’re irritable. 1
How might this impact our coalition angelic,
Who to us are assigned, and in battles with us are aligned?
Jesus said, what we bind on Earth, would in heaven be bound,
And what we loosed, would in heaven be loosed, not static.
Angels stand ready to restrain evil spirits whom we bind,
Then, with our angels, in victory we both will abound.
Angels minister to us, as we minister to Jesus. 2
Spiritual warfare is a BIG part of our ministry.
But if we, our angels’ coalition partners,
Refuse to equip and prepare for the fight assigned to us,
We both suffer loss, and Heaven may question our loyalty,
And our enemies pursue their evil pleasures. 3
Jesus knew there would be so much confusion,
About the concept and our roles in spiritual warfare.
Thus, He gave Paul insights, and Grace to share them with us.
With these insights, we should broaden our vision.
And not view this concept with trepidation and despair.
That would gladden our enemies …and sadden Jesus. 4
I get it…
Spiritual warfare is something we prefer to avert,
But binding evil and loosening righteous spirits,
Are not ‘just for Christian-heavyweights’, as some folks adjudge.
Nor are they ‘just for Peter and popes’, as other folks assert!
Ponder this if my lesson you’re prone to discredit:
Devils we’re now to bind, are they whom we will …one day judge! 5
Angels fought and won their war in Heaven so long ago.
Jesus fought and won His war and gave us His victory,
To occupy both heaven and Earth until He returns. 6
On this, both devils and Christians find dispersions to throw,
And thus, flip and annul The Lord’s …strategic mystery!
Lord Jesus, please help us, all errant teachings …to un-learn!
Connecting Bible puzzle-pieces, this is what I see:
From before creation-to the Great White Throne Judgment,
There is warfare in the realm of spirit.
Being freed from sin’s power, doesn’t mean from war we are free!!!
Yet of this, many folks may not be in agreement.
How and why are some of us …missing it??
To be strong in God’s whole armor, with no deficits,
To love and forgive folks who don’t deserve it,
And to pray fervently with all manner of prayers,
Equip us to perceive, and then bind wicked spirits,
And to perceive, and then loose righteous spirits,
Leaving results to The Lord -- in this war, that’s our share.
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1 It’s a considerable challenge to keep our focus on resisting unseen evil spirits when dealing with people whom these spirits influence and catalyze to do wicked deeds. This can only be done successfully as we walk continuously in The Spirit of God.
2 Hebrews 1:14 affirms angels minister to/serve Christ’s born-again saints. It is unfortunate that most versions of The Bible apparently misinterpret Psalm 8:6 to position mankind ‘a little lower than angels’, rather than ‘a little lower than The God-Elohim, Himself’. To confirm, in Biblegateway.com, compare the Amplified, Orthodox Jewish, and Young’s Literal Bible versions of this verse, with several other versions. Man was created in God’s image. Angels were not. How would an accurate understanding of this pivotal verse likely impact your Christian faith and walk??
3 See: Laodicean Lackadaisicalness (Series)
4 The entirety of Paul’s writings is essentially on how Heaven intends us to achieve and maintain victory in Christ, as we renew our soul (mind, will, emotions, intellect, imagination), and walk in (with in, in-dwelling) The Holy Spirit. Within this broad context, Paul frequently elaborates on aspects of our warfare. For example, see Romans 7:23, 2 Corinthians 10:1-6, Ephesians 6:10-20, 1 Timothy 1:18-19, 6:11-16, 2 Timothy 2:4, 4:7. See also: 1 Peter 2:11.
5 See: 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6. The latter verses indicate devils who became humans and corrupted the human race (pre-flood), have been taken out of commission, and are being reserved for judgment. See: Humans’ DNA Hacked (Poem) It would be ‘poetic justice’ if The Lord would turn their judgment over to His resurrected saints, just before He implements Revelation 20:10! Agree??
6 This refers to the second heaven – beyond Earth’s atmosphere. See: Ephesians 6:12, 2 Corinthians 12:2, The Three Heavens