He Trains My Hands for War
It was a Sunday I’ll never forget.
As a staff pastor, I had just finished leading worship in our morning service. As I did every Sunday, I exited the platform through a door to the right, descending the steps into our office suite. Closing the door behind me, I turned to my right, entering a narrow hallway that circled behind the platform and led to the prayer room. The hallway was dark. I walked the first ten feet before turning ninety degrees to the right, now walking at the extreme back of our main building, only a wall separating me from the sanctuary platform. It was a path I had followed every Sunday for more than two years. Nothing had ever happened on this walk. I thought nothing could ever happen on this walk.
Until this Sunday morning.
As I made my way through the tunnel-like passage, I was only vaguely aware of the sunlit prayer room ahead of me. Mulling over my ministry duties for the day, I wasn’t mentally focused on the passage or the prayer room. I was simply taking my usual route from the platform, down the hallway, and through the prayer room on my way to the back of the sanctuary.
But as I walked through the passage this morning, an image in the prayer room tore my thoughts out of the rest of the day and thrust me immediately into the moment. Framed like a photograph, I could see the lower half of someone standing on a guitar amplifier. Alarmed and confused by what I was seeing, I moved quickly toward the prayer room. As I did, I realized this person was not using the amplifier as a ladder or support but, on her toes, was trying to kick the amplifier away.
When I exited the darkness of the passage, I was able to take in what was happening fully. Mary (not her real name), an older teen new to our church, was attempting suicide. She had tied a rope to a stair railing, fashioned a noose, and placed it around her neck. Mary was trying to knock over the amplifier and hang herself.
Seeing me, Mary kicked harder, even furiously. Shouting “No!” I jumped on the amplifier to free her. The energy she had been using to kick away her support, she now turned on me. Like a wildcat, she came at me, screaming, kicking, clawing, hitting, and even trying to bite me as the amplifier rocked under our feet.
All the while, on the other side of the wall, our congregation was listening to the opening minutes of our lead pastor’s sermon, utterly unaware of the battle taking place in the prayer room.
Mary and I fought for what seemed an eternity. Somehow, I was able to free her from the rope, the two of us falling to the ground with a crash. Covered in sweat from our wrestling match, I pinned her to the ground as she continued to fight and scream.
Two people came running up the stairs to investigate. I sent one to find Mary’s foster parents while the second stayed with me to help control and calm her. By the time her foster parents arrived, we had Mary seated, still agitated and crying but no longer able to fight on. I explained to her family what had happened before assisting them in exiting Mary from the building and into their car.
Mission accomplished today. But sadly, it would not be Mary’s last suicide attempt.
REPORT FROM THE WARFRONT
Pastor, you may never face a situation like this but know with certainty that you will face spiritual warfare, just as dangerous and deadly, attacks on you and your ministry. The encounter I describe above illustrates several truths about spiritual warfare and its impact on you and me:
1. We often live unaware of the spiritual warfare around us.
As I wrestled with this young woman intent on taking her life, the people of the church were completely unaware of the life-and-death battle taking place on the other side of the wall.
In the same way, the forces of hell are daily making war on God and His saints. Especially on those who lead God’s saints, pastors. Sadly, in their sophistication and church-as-business model, far too many pastors “wrestle not.” Pastor, whether you wrestle or not, the war is on.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6.11-12
2. Satan comes not to negotiate a détente, but to steal, kill, & destroy.
At no point in our battle did Mary say to me, “Stop! Let’s talk about this!” Her only intention was to complete her mission of destroying herself and me, if necessary. And she would have done so if I had not fought her and prevailed.
Unknowingly, many pastors have accepted a truce with the enemy. They wouldn’t call it that, but given that spiritual warfare is a present reality, to not fight is to live in a truce; it is to “leave well enough alone.” But in leaving well enough alone, we settle for who, where, and what we are rather than pressing toward the mark for the prize of God’s high calling for us and the people we lead. Let me be clear: we’re not looking for a fight; the fight is already on, so fight we must – we must wrestle against rulers, principalities, and powers.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10.10
3. Satan’s first weapon is deception: “Has God really said?”
Mary had come to this place of despair because, in her pain, she had fallen prey to the Great Deceiver: she believed lies about God and herself. Satan had robbed her of the truth. His lies were designed not to give her life but to take her physical life and destroy her soul.
From the Garden of Eden to your life and mine, Satan works through deception, falsehoods, and half-truths, first about the character of God and then about who we are in Him and who we are to Him. Whenever we see truth challenged, we must understand the design behind that action and the destruction that follows if we believe Satan’s lies about God, ourselves, or who are in Jesus Christ.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6.10
4. The ultimate objective of Satan’s attack is God Himself.
Believing Satan’s lies, Mary chose not only to take her own life but, for maximum effect, where and when to do it: a church during a worship service. Satan had convinced her not only to take her life but to do it as an attack on God and His church, one intended to inflict pain on people who knew and loved her and so on God.
In God’s perfect new world, Satan deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, his ultimate objective to harm God. As God’s dearly loved, Eve was just the means to an evil end. Today, Satan’s global strategy is not focused on you, Pastor, but on God. Yes, his is a lost cause, but history says those who fight for lost causes are most dangerous. Having nothing to lose, they go nuclear, using every dirty trick possible to harm their enemy. But fear not Pastor: God has your back (and your front and sides).
“How you have fallen from heaven,
You star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who defeated the nations!
But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.” Isaiah 14.12-15
5. Spiritual warfare requires training and preparation.
Though she was only in her late teens, Mary was amazingly strong, a wildcat of ferocity. Saving her and then subduing her required all my energy, an energy that was the result of years of athletic exercise. My battle with her called for strength, endurance, agility, and quick thinking. All of these tools were at my disposal because of years of athletic training, physical and mental.
The New Testament is filled with admonitions to all believers to live in discipline and training, essentials in winning the warfare against the enemy of our souls. I’ll share more about this below.
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.” Hebrews 5.14
6. Warfare requires that we walk differently.
The following Sunday, when I made the right turn down that dark passage, I stared intently toward the prayer room. I couldn’t help but wonder what might be waiting there. No, I didn’t live in fear, but it did serve as a reminder to be always in training, ready at all times to respond to whatever battle presented itself. I lived and walked differently after my struggle with Mary in the prayer room.
Pastor, are you walking differently today than you did ten years ago? One year ago? Has the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged brought a change, a depth, a discerning, a faith, a wisdom to your walk, or are you still ambling through the warfare of this age like a man taking a Sunday walk?
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” I Peter 5.8
7. Spiritual warfare is ahead of you. Whether you want it or not.
As I finished leading worship that Sunday morning, I had no idea what was happening in the prayer room or what would be required of me. My life path led me inevitably into battle. And the wrestling wasn’t over after the episode. It continued as we worked to see redemption in Mary. Just so, Pastor, you and I must fight the good fight daily, not only when the warfare is evident but when it is not.
Pastor, as we have seen:
. . . Satan is even now waging war;
. . . Satan will never negotiate a détente but will continue to steal, kill, and destroy;
. . . Satan’s first weapon is deception, repeatedly asking you, “Has God really said?”;
. . . Satan’s ultimate (albeit foolish) objective is to attack the Lord of Glory;
. . . Satan’s warfare against you requires your constant training and preparation;
. . . Satan’s warfare requires that you take a battle rather than barracks position and posture.
Why? Because Satan’s war against God, and so you, will not diminish in the days ahead. It will intensify.
TRAINING FOR WAR
In Psalm 144.1-2, David writes:
“Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
My faithfulness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my savior,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge, . . .”
The context of David’s praise may be earthly rather than spiritual warfare, but his praise offers us two important truths:
1. God is working to train us for war;
2. God is our refuge in war.
How do we co-operate with Him in our training and how do we make Him our refuge? Not in ink-on-paper, theoretical Growth Track lessons, but in real, life-giving ways?
In much of today’s teaching on spiritual warfare, the emphasis is on confession and command: confess the Word of God and command Satan. This is like teaching a driver what to do after a car accident. Teaching that same driver how to drive safely is the wiser place to begin. Ephesians 4.27 gives us a more biblical confession and command, one that will neutralize the attacks of Satan and his forces before they can inflict losses on our lives and ministries:
“…do not give the devil a foothold.”
The believer obeys and profits from this command through strength training – strength of soul training.
In pastoral coaching, we often talk about “adding muscle” to our souls, developing strength of soul that is sensitive to God’s leading and insensitive to Satan’s misleading, i.e., his warfare tactics.
The difference between a strong soul and a weak soul is evident in the Acts 19 story of the Seven Sons of Sceva and their attempt to deliver a demoniac. The demon responded to their confession and command, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” before beating them, embarrassing them, and chasing them away.
The Sons of Sceva had confessed the name of Jesus and issued commands, but their souls were not “muscled” – they knew the right words, but the written Word did not dwell richly in their hearts, and the Living Word did not rule their lives. Wielding their weapons like children pointing toy guns, they were easily defeated.
However, Paul was a man of a muscled soul: he was completely submitted to Jesus Christ, evidenced in his life conformed to the teaching of the Word of God. He lived daily, adding muscle to his soul through spiritual training.
What does this training look like?
Being immersed in the Word of God and prayer are of primary importance. But let me focus on an aspect of training for war that often goes unmentioned, training that is essential if we are to prevent Satan from gaining a foothold in our lives and ministries.
We prevent the devil from establishing a foothold as we daily follow this training regimen:
WE ARE QUICK AND CONSTANT IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4.7
WE SUBMIT TO GOD AS WE DAILY RESIST PRIDE AND EMBRACE HUMILITY
“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God and He will come close to you.” James 4.6-8
WE MAKE ONGOING MATURITY IN CHRIST A LIFE AMBITION
“Not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.” 1 Timothy 3:6
WE LIVE 24/7 IN UNIFORM
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11
WE DEVELOP A SOBER SPIRIT
“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
WE DEVELOP A SOUL FREE OF ANGER, RICH IN FORGIVENESS
“Be angry but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. Do not give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27
WE DEVELOP A BATTLE MENTALITY
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
WE CONFORM OUR THINKING NOT TO THE CULTURE, BUT TO THE WORD OF GOD
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12.2
NOTE: This is a major weak point in many pastors’ training, and so, in their defenses.
WE LEARN THE WAY OF SUBMISSION AND MEEKNESS
“Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” I Samuel 15.23
WE GUARD OUR EYES
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23
WE DESIRE WHAT GOD DESIRES
“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” James 1.14
WE REFUSE FRIENDSHIP WITH THE CULTURE
“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, ‘He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us?’ But He gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4.4-7
WE PUT AWAY THE PHONE AND STUDY, STUDY, STUDY THE WORD OF GOD
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.” 1 Timothy 4:1–2
WE SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM THOSE WHO OPPOSE THE WORD OF GOD
“And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:4–11
WE LIVE IN SIMPLE AND PURE DEVOTION TO CHRIST
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3
FINAL WORD
Thinking of earthly military wars, Thomas Aquinas wrote:
“In order for a war to be just, three things are necessary. First, the authority of the sovereign…. Secondly, a just cause…. Thirdly … a rightful intention.” Thomas Aquinas
Our Sovereign, the God of Heaven and Earth, holds all authority. We fight in His name.
Our cause is just: The glory of God, the well-being of His Church, and the salvation of those yet separated from Him.
Our intention is rightful. We intend not destruction, but eternal justice.
In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain greatly misunderstood the times in which he lived and led. He vastly underestimated his adversary, Adolf Hitler, and his evil empire. Chamberlain did not see that refusing to fight did not make war disappear. His lack of understanding and inaction put Britain, the West, and the world in what many have called the most significant predicament ever faced on earth. As the Nazi war machine mercilessly bombed England night after night in The Battle of Britain, Chamberlain’s successor, Winston Churchill, warned,
“Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization.”
Churchill marshaled everything in himself and his nation to fight and win the war. His leadership convinced a war weary nation to reach down deep in itself and discover who it really was, every man, woman, and child members of a mighty nation – not desperate defenders, but overcoming conquerors. His call to arms has been repeated and honored countless times by lovers of freedom since:
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
Pastor, if valid in the natural realm, it is more valid in the spiritual. We will never give in. Never, never, never. Allow me to adapt Churchill’s great “On the Beaches” speech to the British House of Commons on June 4, 1940 (four years almost to the day before the Normandy invasion):
We, the church, shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight the good fight. And we shall never surrender. We will carry on the struggle until, in God’s good time, God and His New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.
Shepherds to the front. The war is raging for God’s glory and the souls of people everywhere.
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