So Much More: Moving Beyond Kingdom Principles to Kingdom Power (21 page)

I don’t know if you’ve thought of it this way before, but we are living our lives in the red zone. We live deep in enemy territory and there is a lot on the line every day of our lives. You see, a lot more important than any football game is this clash of kingdoms that we find ourselves engaged in every single day of our lives. We find ourselves in the midst of a very real battle that takes place every day between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Paul is basically saying we are living in the red zone. We are living deep in enemy territory. When we are born again, we are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and placed into the kingdom of light. We are on a different team, but we are still living deep in enemy territory. The sad fact is that many believers are not only sitting on the sidelines watching the game but they are also oblivious to the fact that there are two opposing forces battling it out on the gridiron of life. Many believers live in complete ignorance of the enemy and the existence of the battle taking place around us all the time.

But here’s the really good news: we are on the winning team!

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: K
ING OF KINGS AND
L
ORD OF LORDS
. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

—R
EVELATION
19:11–21

This is the end of the story, and it is really good news. The victory has already been won. This is a picture of the end and victory is secure, but in the meantime the battle rages.

There is another battle that is also talked about in Revelation, a battle that takes place much earlier in time. It is a battle that took place in the heavenlies as Satan, called Lucifer at this time, rose up and wanted to ascend to the throne of God. The battle raged and Satan was cast down to the earth. The dragon was enraged at the woman—the woman is Jesus. And since He couldn’t defeat the woman what does He do? “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony of Jesus [that’s us]” (Rev. 12:17).

We have been born into a world at war, and that war has been raging for thousands of years. This war isn’t about high-tech fighter planes. It is not about a gladiator standing in an arena. It is not about armed soldiers storming a beach. And it’s not about a war that takes place in just one part of the globe. It is a war that takes place every single day, in our backyard. It’s a war that is brought to us. We are engaged in this war when we eat our dinner, when we drive to work, when we surf the Internet, when we spend our money, when we tee up on the golf course, when we worship, when we get up in the morning, when we go to bed at night, and even when we sleep. We exist in a world at war. We cannot escape this war because we are the prize. The enemy is out for our soul and the souls of our loved ones. But here’s the good news: we win! We have already read the back of the book and we know we win! That means every time we engage in this battle we don’t fight
for
victory, we fight
from
victory
.

Ephesians 6 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture. It talks at great length about this red zone battle, deep in enemy territory, that we find ourselves in.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

—E
PHESIANS
6:10–12

The first instruction for warriors in this kingdom battle is that we must show up. Paul describes this battle as being very real. John Eldridge wrote that many of us have missed this. “It is as if we have landed on the beaches of Normandy in the early hours of D-Day, June 6, 1945, with a lawn chair and a book to read.”
¹
We don’t engage in the battle because we don’t think it is real. But the kingdom battle we find ourselves in is very real. It is not a playground. It is a battleground. Paul is clear there is a very real battle that we must show up for and be ready to engage in.

We may not be able to see it with our eyes, but it is very real. There is an intriguing story about the prophet Elisha that illustrates this well. The Israelites were at war with the King of Aram. Elisha prophesied Israel’s victory, but his servant asked how he could do that since the enemy’s army was so huge.

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, L
ORD
, so that he may see.” Then the L
ORD
opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

—2 K
INGS
6:15–17

There was a battle raging beyond what was seen in the natural. It was just as real as the physical battle that was seen with the natural eyes that was taking place between two earthly armies. When the servant’s eyes were opened, he was able to see the angel armies that were fighting on their behalf; and he then knew how the prophet was able to prophesy a victory for the Israelites.

This battle that we find ourselves in is real, but the victory is secure; yet I talk to many believers who are walking around terrified by the enemy. They are letting him kick their tail and they are doing nothing about it. They bury their head in the sand and pretend as though they are powerless to do anything about the attacks the enemy throws at them every day. In fact, based on the attitudes of many Christians I know, if I were Satan I would want them as an opponent. They walk around like a scared puppy dog with their tail tucked between their legs saying to the enemy by their passiveness and apathy, “Go ahead and trample on my life, ravage my finances, and destroy my family.”

It is time we stop living in ignorance and denial. It is time to show up and fight back. We must know who we are in Christ, and, through the authority we have been given, take back ground the enemy has illegally tried to take from us.

In Samuel 17 we read about when David was a young shepherd boy, long before he was king, he went to visit his brothers at war. As he got close to the spot where the battle was raging he heard Goliath crying out, “Hey all you little wimpy Israelites. Is there no one in the land who is man enough to come out and fight me?” He was laughing and jeering at the army of Israel because no one was willing to step up and take on the fight. As David got closer and heard the cries of Goliath grow louder, he became more and more agitated. When he arrived at the Israelite camp he asked, “What’s going on? What’s all this noise about?” The soldiers responded, “Oh man, there’s this huge giant. He is so big that no one in our camp compares to this guy. You’ve never seen a guy like this before, David!” David said, “Wait a second. Did you forget who you are? Did you forget whom you fight for? You are the army of the living God. Who is this guy that he would dare defy the army of the living God? I’ll go fight him.” David knew where his power and authority came from. He was going out to fight, not with the king’s armor but with the King of king’s armor. He went out to battle with a slingshot and a stone and he defeated the enemy! If this was the army of the living God and God was guaranteeing victory, then why was Goliath creating such fear in the army? Why was he taunting and terrorizing them? The only reason was because they allowed it.

George Barna reported in 2009 that only 26 percent of believers in America believe in a literal devil.
²
The vast majority of people believe he is just a sort of symbol of evil in the world. “Sort of” believing in a real enemy produces a “sort of” response that causes you to live in “sort of” defeat.

The New Testament is clear we face a real enemy. He is referred to thirty-six times as Satan, which means adversary; thirty-five times as the devil, which means slanderer; ten times as the evil one; and seven times as Beelzebub, which means lord of the flies. He is also referred to as Belial, the ruler of the prince of the air, the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies, the snake, and the dragon. That’s just a sampling of titles that remind us we face a very real enemy and are engaged in a very real battle. You can dismiss him or try to ignore him, but he is referred to over 250 times, almost once a chapter, in the Word of God. It seems clear that it was in the heart of our Father to communicate the reality of our enemy.

Jesus believed the enemy was real. He encountered him head on, had conversations with demons and cast them out of people, and declared that He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). How long are you going to allow the enemy of your soul to taunt and terrorize you? It’s time to step into the authority you have been given and say to the enemy, “Not on my watch! You won’t terrorize my family. You won’t plunder my health or my finances. You won’t stop the church from moving forward, because Jesus said, ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell will not stop it!’ Satan, you don’t have a gate in hell big enough or strong enough to stop the army of the living God! So we are coming after you. We are taking the battle to the streets. We aren’t going to allow you taunt or terrorize or traumatize us any longer. We stand in the power of the Lord and the strength of His might.”

We must remember the authority that was given to us by Jesus when He said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). The battle is real and we must show up.

We must also power up. We must be strong as we fight this battle but not in our own strength. If we try to fight from our own strength, we will feel defeated, abandoned, let down, and blown up much of our life. Does that sound like anyone you know? Does that describe how you feel at times? If you find yourself feeling that way, it is probably because you are trying to be strong in your own strength. It is time to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

The word that is translated “power” in Luke 10:19 is the Greek word
dunamis
from which we get our English word
dynamite
. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. It is the same power that we receive when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. When we are strong in the Lord, we know we are on the winning side. The outcome has already been determined and our victory is sure.

When we recognize our strength comes from the Lord and the outcome is secure, we can recognize that we don’t have to fight for victory because we fight from victory. We don’t have to live in defeat. We don’t have to feel abandoned and blown up. We don’t have let the enemy eat our lunch and pop the paper bag because we are strong in the Lord.

I love the song “Great I Am.” There is a part of that song that says, “The mountains shake before Him, the demons run and flee, at the mention at the name, King of Majesty!” That’s more than a great line in a song. That’s the truth! When we are strong in the Lord and we take His name and use His name, the enemy will have to run from us. So, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10,
NKJV
). The victory is ours.

Paul reminds us in the next verse to “put on the full armor of God, so you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (v. 11). What’s he saying? The enemy hasn’t given up. Even though the outcome has been decided and we fight from victory and not for victory, the enemy has not pulled back his claws or tucked his tail and run away. He has schemes to take us down. If you are in Christ, he can’t take your victory. He can’t steal your salvation, but he will do all he can to wreak havoc in your life and keep you from living in the power and authority that belongs to you as a child of the King. So, as we live in and advance the kingdom, we need to make a decision every day to be strong in the Lord and put on our armor and show up because we live in the red zone. Our lives are still lived deep in enemy territory.