Spiritual Disciplines Are Spiritual Warfare
Every once in a while you get your mind blown. It happened to me this week. (This could be because we have had over 30 days above 110 degrees, but I don’t think so.) No, what blew my mind was housed in this quote from a Bridgetown Church study guide intro:
“For Jesus, the devil’s primary strategy to ruin the soul and society isn’t what most of us expect. It’s lies. More specifically, it’s deceptive ideas that play to disordered desires that are normalized in a sinful society. In this teaching, we explore how we are transformed by Spirit and truth, and deformed by isolation and lies. And we look to Jesus’ example of spiritual disciplines as spiritual warfare.”
That last phrase was the detonator. Spiritual disciplines are spiritual warfare.
Wow. I love it.
As you have read and heard (if you are tracking with me and Living Streams Church) Christians are being called to spiritual warfare right now. And, if you are like me, you get some “heebie-jeebies” when people start talking about spiritual warfare. But also, if you are like me, you know the Bible teaches that God is Spirit, humans are spiritual beings, and the spiritual realm has a major impact on the physical realm.
Even though I know this, in all my life and studying, teaching and learning, I have never connected spiritual disciplines and spiritual warfare. It is so simple, clear and obvious to me now. And, for me, it takes the heebie-jeebies away.
In case you don’t know what spiritual disciplines are, here is a list we taught in our Sunday mornings earlier this year:
Stillness
Prayer
Scripture
Obedience
Cooperating with Holy Spirit
Serving the poor
Worship
Community
Sharing your faith.
These not only aide our own spiritual formation, they also count as spiritual warfare.
Again, wow! I love it.
I think this is why the Bible is so serious about these practices. I think this is why Jesus was so committed to these practices. And this is why the first church was able to see so much expansion through such opposition and persecution. And this is why we need to” up our game” and focus our hearts towards these spiritual practices
God bless you and give you strength and wisdom to keep it simple in these convoluted times.
David