GOD'S MARINES

Spiritual Warfighting: The Nature of War

“Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. The difficulties accumulate and end by producing a kind of friction that is inconceivable unless one has experienced war.” —Carl von Clausewitz

“In war the chief incalculable is the human will.”—B. H. Liddell Hart

“Positions are seldom lost because they have been destroyed, but almost invariably because the leader has decided in his own mind that the position cannot be held.” —A. A. Vandegrift

Spiritual War is a complex phenomenon. This is why few Christians engage in it and fewer have victory. In the most generic sense of the word, War has been described as essentially a clash between opposed wills. In reality, each opposing force is not a single, unified will guided by a single intelligence. Instead, each force is a complex system consisting of numerous individual parts. Satan, although has his own powers and ruling authority in the kingdom of darkness, has a military structure under him consisting of 1/3 part of the fallen angels, evil spirits, demons, and imps with their own unique characteristics.  We know this based upon the fact that in the beginning God created all things including these angels with unique abilities as He has created all of us.  We also recognize the military capabilities as described in the scriptures with the Angel that fought with Israel in their conquest through the wilderness, as well as Michael the Archangel warring with Daniel, rescuing Peter from the prison in the Book of Acts, and many other scriptures.

What I am about to share with you cannot be emphasized enough.  Fighting in war is one thing, but enduring war it is something completely different.  If you do not get a firm grasp of the following truths and come to terms with them, you will never be able to endure spiritual warfare.  As in all war, the nature of spiritual war has many moving parts that must be recognized and navigated. We will talk about these in more detail in a later briefing, but for now, let’s briefly talk about the many attributes that describe the nature of war.

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh.   

Understanding the nature of spiritual war is required for us to successfully engage in war.  If we do not understand the nature of war, the following lessons of war will be unbeneficial.  All warfighting, training and special operations is built upon the foundation of the understanding of war.  In order to get a proper understanding of the Nature of War, or more specifically, the Nature of Spiritual War, we must understand the biblical terms and definitions that describe the Nature of Spiritual War.  As difficult and complex as war is in the natural, it cannot be compared to the nature of Spiritual War.  The nature of our war is so far beyond human comprehension that it can only be understood and fought successfully as revealed by the Holy Spirit. 

the Nature of Our Spiritual War

War defined – Friction – Uncertainty – Fluidity – Disorder – Complexity – The Human Dimension – Violence and Danger – Physical, moral, and Mental Forces – The Evolution of War – The Science, Art, and Dynamic of War

Conclusion

A common understanding of spiritual war is a necessary base for the development of a spiritual military doctrine because our approach to the conduct of war is built upon our understanding of the nature of war.  Although these attributes are descriptions of physical war, as we will see, they are natural elements in any war, including spiritual warfare. 

The word of God tells us in Judges 3:1-2, Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof.

God intended to teach His people war in the Old Testament.  His intention for you today is the same.