Principalities & Spiritual Warfare: Part 7 (Spiritual Warfare: Seeing The Unseen)

The basics on spiritual warfare

Many Christians do not have a true understanding and grasp of what spiritual warfare actually is. When we talk about spiritual warfare, many have the understanding that ‘oh we’re going into a battle- oh we’re going into a fight’- ‘oh we’re going after the enemy’- in the name of Jesus…in the name of Jesus…but hours later they still do not know what’s going on- God may be saying “I didn’t tell you to go do all that”.

We need to understand that there are parameters for spiritual warfare and that you don’t just go blindly running into battle, you don’t just run into the demonic world or attack the enemy, you don’t do this- most of the time, people are destroyed for lack of knowledge- see Hosea 4:6. It’s very dangerous to just charge into spiritual warfare without the right knowledge and understanding, and without the right heart posture- it will destroy you as you will open yourself up to attack. We must have an understanding and a clarity of what spiritual warfare is and how it works. I want to give you some keys that you can apply to your lives and that you can use effectively. I want to start with how sometimes we try to jump in before we know enough- and there’s a deep need for humility and there’s a deep need for wisdom, when you are approaching spiritual warfare.  

 John 16: 7-12: 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.8 When he comes, he will reprove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

Jesus is telling them, I want to tell you a whole lot more about this when the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of you, then you’ll get more details but I’m going to give you the framework of how this whole process works right here. He’s going away so that the comforter can come, Jesus in physical form was the embodiment of God manifest in the flesh. So Holy Spirit cannot come and dwell within mankind while Jesus is physically here-while He was still physically here on earth. After He pays the price for us at calvary, He purchases the right for us to not just have the Spirit come upon us, but to remain (John 1). Now the difference between Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and Holy Spirit in the New Testament- is that in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon them for a season or for a work and then it would lift, but after Jesus came, He was the Holy Spirit baptizer which means He will rest upon you and REMAIN- this is where we see the identification of Holy Spirit dwelling within us in Acts Chapter 2 by speaking in other tongues- that had not happened before- it was prophesied that it would come but it had not happened before. So He’s telling them that the Holy Spirit is going to come. He said when He comes, He’s going to reprove the world and so He’s telling us 3 stages of reproof and they are sin, righteousness, and judgement (the verses above). So a lot of times, we want to get right to the judgement- the prince of this world is judged-we want to go straight there- that’s what many people think spiritual warfare is- but He’s telling us here, that there are 3 stages of reproof- before you get to judgement, you have to go through conviction of sin and conviction for righteousness (holy living and consecration).

It’s important for us to SEE all these foundations because they build on one another.  If you try to go into the battle and you’re not right with God, you’re not doing what the word requires of you, or if there’s sin standing in the way, or if there’s pride, or if there’s consecration issues, then you’re going to lose the battle. If you try to go into battle and try to fight the devil and you’re not really living a righteous life, and you’re still flirting with the things of the world, you’ll have a big struggle. And so it’s important for the Spirit of God to work- the Spirit of truth when He comes, this portion of Scripture says, He reproofs the world of sin, righteousness and then comes judgement-the enemy is judged. That is a first principle I think that’s important for us to lay down-you can’t go to step 3 straight away and judge the enemy- you can’t just take your sword and say “Satan I’ve come for you” without going through steps 1 and 2.

The Privilege of Serving the Lord

Another key to spiritual warfare is in Philippians 1:29: 29 For you have been given the privilege of serving Christ, not only by believing in him, but also by suffering for him. 30 Now you can take part with me in the battle. It is the same battle you saw me fighting in the past, and as you hear, the one I am fighting still.

Serving the Lord is a privilege- don’t ever take it for granted. The bible says God gives and He also takes away. If I take my calling for granted, and am not responsibly stewarding it, God will send someone else- I am not irreplaceable you see. It is a PRIVELEGE to be able to serve the Lord- to be able to serve in the house of the Lord- to be able to serve God by also serving your leader and the people. We do not just believe in Him, we also SUFFER for him. Many want it easy, we want to stay in our comfort zones, we do not want to be inconvenienced, we do not want to put in the work, we do not want to serve in the house of the Lord and do it well, we do not want to come to church because we are tired or it’s too far to drive- we can have all the reasons and excuses in the world but it’s nothing compared to what Christ did for us at calvary- remember that.

And if we are not willing to be like Christ, and to be inconvenienced for Him- oh I cannot give of my time, my energy, my finances but we are looking for Him to bless us- we are in great deception. And then what does it say in verse 30- NOW you can take part with me in the battle- so if you’re willing to suffer for Christ (SACRIFICE), and count it a privilege to serve Him, THEN you can take part with Him in the battle-meaning go through battles like He did and WIN them!

God is reminding us here that He is with us in the battle if we are willing to suffer for Him and serve Him-and by suffer I mean SACRIFICE- to be willing to also GO THROUGH- then we can take part with him in the battle and not only that- we will win spiritual battles! Don’t expect to win spiritual battles if you’re not willing to do this. Many will say “oh but I’m called to be a prophet- why should I clean the toilets.” Understand that that is where your training is- learn to become the servant of all first as the bible says. God will put you in places and positions and roles where you need to be sharpened- you do not automatically become that prophet- you have the pass the tests first. Observe this model of Elijah- Elisha dynamic in the bible- how Elisha left everything to serve and look after Elijah and went everywhere with him- and obtained as a result, a double portion anointing from Elijah. Some people don’t want to even lift a finger but they expect a double portion. I’m going to teach on this soon- the biblical model of fatherhood and sonship through the example of the Elijah-Elisha dynamic.

The importance of being able to ‘see’ the warfare

You and I can be seeing but not really see- do you know this? You need to be able to see the unseen in spiritual warfare. Now what does the bible mean by ‘see’? By "see," Jesus means more than simply perceiving with one's eyes. He means to witness, understand, and accept (Matthew 13:15). More definitions of ‘see’ in the bible:

1. To perceive: The ordinary sense of seeing. It is the heart that perceives. Proverbs 24:12 If you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? If there are heart issues, inner healing and deliverance issues, is there are contaminants in your filets, you will not be able to perceive correctly and there will be no clarity- I’ve taught this many times.

2. To see God's glory: To understand and discern the beauty of God after being blind to it

3. To see God face to face: To see God through Christ

4. To see in prophetic vision: To see through the inward eye

5. To take heed: To heed to what is said- this is also what seeing means biblically

6. To know or note with the mind: To understand or note something with the mind

7. To view or have knowledge or experience of: To have knowledge or experience of something

Sometimes, if you know what to look for, you can “see” something that is invisible; you can see the unseen. It’s not a parlor trick, but a valuable spiritual skill. And it’s not that difficult if you know what clues to look for- but all this is only cultivated in the secret place- in your prayer closet. I’d like to show you what those clues are.

First, though, a foundational matter. I am convinced that a lot of Christians do not understand spiritual warfare. Either they are unaware of the unseen battle or, if they do recognize its importance, they do not focus on the central issue but instead are distracted by a secondary concern. In military terms, they have been taken in by a feint. Here is the feint.

Some Christians think of spiritual battle in terms of power encounters with the devil (or demons) where prayer of a certain sort is the principal weapon employed to defeat. Curiously, Jesus never taught this approach. He never told us to pray to devils. Instead, He taught us to ask the Father to “deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13).1

I certainly do not mean to minimize the importance of prayer in any area of our Christian lives, especially this one, but to invite you to see something you might not have noticed. When it comes to spiritual warfare, the New Testament emphasis is not on prayer-infused power encounters, but on something completely different, and if we miss that, then I think we miss the heart of it.

The Invisible Battlefield

We live in a world made by an invisible Being and this world is thick with invisible things- the spirit world. They are all “around us,” in a sense, but not immediately obvious to many since the visible realm is so much more imposing.

In 2 Kings 6:15–17, the prophet Elisha’s attendant saw something in the visible realm that overwhelmed him—the Syrian army encircling their city with horses and chariots. “Alas, my master!” he said. “What shall we do?”

Elisha, though, was not shaken. He saw a deeper reality in the unseen realm.

 “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Elisha then prayed and said, ‘O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Elisha saw something his servant did not see: the enemies of God surrounding the city were themselves surrounded by a massive invisible force arrayed behind the scenes for Elisha’s protection. The prophet was able to see the unseen. The strategy then is to be able to SEE- and this is why the enemy blocks spiritual sight and there are scales. If we can see, then we will know how to pray the right prayers and exercise the right strategies. But spiritual blindness will prevent you from being able to see.

Spiritual Blindness: When we Can’t Perceive the Warfare in the Right Understanding

Those of you who were at our mid-week prayer meet will remember how the Lord spoke to me about spiritual blindness as we were praying right? Spiritual blindness is the opposite of being able to see and perceive in the Spirit- to see means to also perceive in the Spirit. Some people, no matter how much you teach and preach- they just can’t ‘see’- they just can’t make the connections- they just cannot grasp. For instance last week we learnt that certain things we cannot deal with through prayer right? That prayer alone is not enough or that prayer will not work because they need to take the necessary action- or in some instances they need to rest- to let go and let God- but they’re still praying and praying or they’re still meddling- or sometimes God is conveying some important messages through their dreams but they’re still not getting it-still not taking the necessary measures and making the necessary changes- why can’t they understand what’s being taught? Scales that are blinding them. And there are reasons as to why spiritual blindness occurs.

Satan’s Main Strategy is to Block Revelation

Those of us who are called to teach and preach, the bible says are anointed for this and God gives us revelation- some say “Oh I can read the bible for myself”- yes you can and yes you should, but your understanding may not be intact and this is why you have been given a leader that’s called to teach and preach the word and if you know God has assigned you to that leader, you will have to trust that God will use them to teach you and add to your understanding- you can’t keep questioning their wisdom and their God-given revelation- you either receive it or you don’t Amen? This is why The New Testament anointing of leadership is described in Ephesians 4:11-12 - He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, and for the building up of the body of Christ. God has anointed certain people to be leaders in the Church and has provided the anointing of power to equip them to fulfill their callings and carry out His purpose. To teach the people His word- to impart revelation to the people- this is what He has anointed your leader for- but this doesn’t exempt you from reading the word of God for yourselves. And you will also have to pray for understanding.

What causes spiritual blindness?

1. Idols. Be careful of idols- your job, career, money, worldliness, even marriage (our spouse), even our children, our family members can become idols in our lives. Look at what Matthew 10:34-39 says: 34 Do not think I came to bring peace to earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword (a sword cuts and divides). 35 For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[a] 37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

   
   

   Here, we observe that Christ actually brings division and it says “Do not think I came to bring peace to earth. I did not come to bring peace”. God is peace and He is peace on earth- but you need to take that in the right context and have the right understanding of what God is peace means. Luke 2:14: God announced that "peace on earth to those who please God" would come. But that’s not what I want to look at today- let’s go back to Matthew 10- here God says that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword. God is talking about idols in our lives. Anything or anyone that you put before God- it can even be your own spouse- you cannot even allow your own spouse to come between you and God- to come between what God is asking you to do in obedience. Many say “oh God does not divide families- but this portion of Scripture tells us that yes, He does divide IF it becomes an idol in our lives. Don’t get me wrong- God loves families, but he hates IDOLS. God is jealous for us! That thing or person that is causing you not to come to church, to not serve in the house of the Lord like you should, to not responsibly execute your God-given responsibilities and priorities- that’s an idol. Your phone, social media, money or the pursuit of money and success- whatever it may be that causes you to not put God first. Even my business cannot come between me and my God- cannot come in between me and my service to God. Even with my finances I have to give Him the first fruits of that- that’s putting God first and that’s also obeying His word.

   
   

   And again, as we learnt earlier on, this portion of Scripture too talks about suffering for Christ-  38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. So, those who refuse this kind of disciplines, to be disciples that will even suffer for Christ, those who refuse this, the bible says here will experience what? great loss.

   
   

   Success is not about our car, house, career and marriage (understand that even your marriage is for kingdom- this is what we call kingdom marriage but how many of these do we actually see today?)- success is ultimately when Jesus Christ writes your name in His book of life- it’s about eternity. The things of the world you cannot take to your grave. Proverbs 22. You need to understand why God gives wealth- that too is for kingdom and for us to be good stewards of it- it’s not for selfish motives. I know that it is a privilege to have been chosen by God for such a work-I don’t take it for granted because the bible says God gives and he takes away- it can be taken from me at any point if I’m not careful- and I know how to be responsible and accountable although I am a leader and founder myself- there needs to be GOOD STEWARDSHIP of everything God has put in our hands.

   
   

   I understand that God is still watching me at all times- this is where God can trust you. These are the keys and ingredients to Godly success- not worldly success. You need to be kingdom and eternity minded- not worldly and temporal minded. Check your motives today- God will not give you that which will only destroy you in the end- that which your character is not ready for and cannot sustain- that which will cause you to lose your salvation in the end. Throughout my ministry, the ones that I see do well in the Lord and as a result do well in life are the ones who have grasped these keys- if not, it’s just not sustainable- you will be good for a season and then fall the next and you’re stuck in this unhealthy cycle- pattern- where it’s just up and down. I want to challenge you today- give more of yourself to God, to prayer, to studying His word, to the church than you do to your career and see what happens in your life- you will not even have to struggle at work- God will give you strategies and enable you to work smart.

   
   

2. Sin

3. Pride. Spiritual blindness is also an arrogance.

4. Rebellion

5. A Hardened Heart (Mark 8:14-21). The Pharisees are unwilling to change, whereas the disciples are teachable, willing to allow their hearts and minds to change. The fact that they continue to follow Jesus proves their willingness to release stubbornness of heart and allow change.

6. Human reasoning. Arguing, debating theology, using human knowledge and reasoning, using the intellect etc.

7. Doubt

8. Discouragement

9. Fear

10. Unforgiveness

11. Bitterness

12. SELF (the human will)

13. Lack of understanding of the word of God

14. No proper spiritual covering- church hopping- all over the place.

The dangers of spiritual blindness

We can’t move forward; we will be stagnant and stuck; can’t reach our God given destiny. It will lead to more sin in our lives. We will make bad decisions. We won’t be able to walk in freedom. We cannot be in relationship with God the way we ought to. And as we learnt just now, if we can’t see, we can’t win the battles- we can’t live a victorious life

The importance of keeping our spiritual vision clear

Good physical eyesight is a blessing. However, as amazing and beneficial as our eyes are, they have a significant limitation: they can only see physical realities, like chalkboards, leaves on trees, and a mother’s face. Spiritual vision is far more valuable because it enables us to see eternal realities—things that are not visible to our physical eyes. The Psalmist was aware of the incomparable value of spiritual eyesight. In Psalm 119:18 he prayed, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” Contemporary songwriter Paul Baloche captured the same thought in his song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” Its words say,

“Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see You

I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up

Shinin' in the light of Your glory . . .”

Why is spiritual eyesight so valuable? While many reasons may come to mind, here are three that stand out to me:

1. Spiritual eyesight denotes a death-to-life change. Until a person has repented of sin and become a Christian, he or she is spiritually dead and cannot discern the things of God. In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul asserted, “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not. . .” When God redeems us, He opens our spiritual eyes to the “light of the glorious gospel of Christ.” The Apostle knew what he was talking about when he wrote these words. He had been completely blind to the truth until God broke through the darkness. After Paul encountered Jesus on the Road to Damascus, his eyes both physically and spiritually were opened to see Jesus Christ (see Acts 9:1-19).

   
   

2. Spiritual eyesight gives a new perspective of present circumstances. In 2 Kings 6, we read that Elisha’s servant was afraid when he saw a great army surrounding their city. Elisha had a different view. “And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). Elisha did not pray that God would change the situation itself, but that his servant could see the spiritual aspect of it. When the servant’s spiritual eyes were opened, he saw that there really were more with him and Elisha than the vast company assembled against them. In the same way, spiritual eyesight will enable us to see our challenges from a completely different point of view, because we will grasp that God is always with us as a “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

   
   

3. Spiritual eyesight offers hope for the future. Paul prayed for the saints in Ephesus, requesting that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened, that they might know “what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). It is with our spiritual eyes that we discern the glorious future ahead of us: the Rapture of the Church, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and the privilege of living with Christ for all of eternity.

   
   

How to cure spiritual blindness

I like to give practical kingdom strategies and keys for us to apply as that’s God’s heart- He never leaves us without answers. When people come to me for counselling sessions- after I’ve pointed out the roots (causes), God gives me words of wisdom, keys, strategies, solutions for the issue- and most of this you will find in the word of God- spiritual laws and kingdom principals- you want protection for eg- what does the word say? Malachi says to not withhold your tithes and the devourer will be kept away from you- that’s the key to protection right there. And I thank God that I always had good leaders who helped break things down for me, who taught me the word in sound doctrine, and pointed out my blind spots (the things I couldn’t see for myself-we all have blind spots)- I am very thankful for this but I had to receive them in humility you see and I had to be teachable.

While physical eyesight may decline over time, we do not need to assume that spiritual eyesight will diminish as we age. In fact, the reverse can be true! As we mature spiritually and continue to draw close to God, we will find ourselves more and more able to perceive eternal realities. When we understand the value of our spiritual vision, we will want to do all we can to protect it. Here are some steps we can take.

1. Avoid things that could cloud our spiritual eyesight. Generally, this happens little by little- Satan is cunning and subtle. Social media, what we view online, worldly music, or secular news sources, magazines, and books can desensitize or we start by drinking a little bit- just socially but that becomes more and more especially during times of stress and struggle and before you know it, it has turned into a full-blown addiction. If we are not on guard, we can end up absorbing some of the world’s perspectives without even realizing it. We want to cultivate an awareness of how culture can influence us, and guard against oblivious absorption- we need to have a bible culture- not adopt and adhere to any other culture.

   
   

2. Ask God to search our hearts. David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts” (Psalm 139:23). That is a good prayer to pray when we are intent upon preserving our spiritual vision. When God brings a problem to our attention, we should acknowledge it and ask for His help. He will be there to instruct, encourage, and offer strength when we come to Him.

   
   

3. Spend time reading God's Word. Once our spiritual eyes have been opened through salvation, we can strengthen our “spiritual vision” through a deeper understanding of, trust in, and obedience to core truths in the Bible. This is a lifelong process! We never get to the point where we no longer need regular nourishment from God’s Word, any more than we ever outgrow our need for physical sustenance.

   
   

4. Keep prayed up. We should daily ask God to guard our spiritual eyesight, to help us learn from correction, to endure hardness, to resist the devil, and to keep our focus on things that are honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (see Philippians 4:8).

   
   

5. Don’t use your reasoning, trust God! As the writer in Proverbs states, learn to: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 NKJV). Human reasoning apart from God’s understanding is illegitimate. Understand that to the natural mind, five loaves and two fish or seven loaves and a few fish never feed multitudes with leftovers but with God, all things are possible! Human reasoning calculates by seeing, then attempts to believe. But this is not true faith! Our natural tendency is to have “faith” in what we can see and touch. This is called sense knowledge faith versus real faith through the revelation of God’s truth.

   
   

6. Cultivate intimate relationship with the Lord- there are no short cuts.

   
   

7. Repent and humble yourselves and be teachable- do not be set in your ways- do not be stubborn- do not be resistant to learning new things- do not be resistant to change like the Pharisees were.

Conclusion

I truly believe that many of you are having and going to have a Damascus Road encounter just like Saul did in the bible, where the scales are going to be removed- where there will be a dramatic transformation in your lives. Even though Saul received his commission from Jesus on the road, he still had to go into Damascus and be told what to do—meet with Ananias who laid hands on him, receive the Holy Spirit, be baptized, and be received by the disciples there (Acts 9:15–16, 19; 22:12–16). At Damascus, he also went for three days without eating or drinking, and then received his sight, which had been taken from him on the road- so there was still instructions he had to take, obey and execute- and what? HE received his sight!

The phrase “Damascus Road experience” is used to describe a conversion which is dramatic and startling. Many people receive Christ in a life-changing, instantaneous experience, although many others describe their conversion as more of a gradual understanding of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But both types of experiences have several things in common. First, salvation is of the Lord, by His will and according to His plan and purpose (Acts 22:14). As He does one way or another to each of us, Jesus made it clear to Saul that he had gone his own way for long enough. Now he was to become an instrument in the hands of the Master to do His will as He had foreordained it.

Second, the response of both Saul and all those who are redeemed by Christ is the same: “What do you want me to do?” Like Saul, we do not bargain, negotiate, question, or come halfway. The response of the redeemed is obedience. When God truly touches our hearts, our only response can be, “Lord, may your will be done and may you use me to do it.” Such was the experience of Saul on the Damascus Road. Saul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus was the beginning of an incredible journey. Many of you are already experiencing this-you’ve been having a Damascus road experience where you’re making dramatic decisions and changes in your lives, deciding to obey the word of God, deciding to consecrate and no longer compromise, and I’m telling you will never be the same again-your lives will never be and look the same again- and it is my believe that others too will follow suit-that everyone here should experience this and your lives- I prophesy- will never be the same again!

Prayer:

Father God, open the eyes of my heart to see You and perceive Your truth. Help me to make good decisions with strong convictions. Help me to discern the lies of the enemy and any wicked way remaining in me. I repent of any connection with anything that is not of You. Help me to move forward where I have been stagnant. Help me to reach my God given destiny and to walk in freedom. I desire to be in right relationship with You, God, the way I ought to. Help me to see clearly and win battles so that I may have a victorious life in You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.