Let’s talk about spiritual warfare

Each month on Salvos Online, Rosy, the Territorial Secretary for Spiritual Life Development, shares her thoughts and reflections on the spiritual issues that shape our lives as Christians, exploring how our faith intersects with our everyday experiences and how we can deepen our relationship with God. Today she tackles spiritual warfare.

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We have just launched The Way, an initiative that will set the spiritual direction for The Salvation Army’s future in Australia.

Over the weekend of 13-15 February, I attended one of the 50 launch sites around the Australia Territory, where there were breakout sessions on prayer, evangelism, discipleship, All Salvos on Mission, and ... spiritual warfare.

Hundreds of Salvos and other interested people watched the videos, prayed and discussed how we might be faithful to God both now and in the future through The Way.

The main feedback in the lead-up, I heard, was that people were genuinely excited to gather around these focuses. There was, however, a little consternation about the idea of spiritual warfare. One person commented that it was ironic that we, as The Salvation Army, with ‘Army’ in our name, were not quite sure about the warfare we were entering.

I have to admit that spiritual warfare is not something I have received extensive teaching on, nor am I as familiar with it as I am with prayer or evangelism. Praying is talking to God. Evangelism is telling people about God. So where does spiritual warfare fit?

After watching Megan’s video, we discussed how we understand spiritual warfare, where we see it in our lives, and what it looks like in practice. Many pointed to Ephesians 6 and the armour of God as evidence of the reality of warfare, and perhaps as guidance for how we might engage in it.

Spiritual warfare feels like where the rubber meets the road of whether the spiritual realm is ‘real’ or not. Most people can accept that you are talking to God in prayer.

They can accept that you hold beliefs about God and share them with others. They understand mentoring and discipleship. They can even understand all Salvos on Mission. In fact, that sleeves-rolled-up mentality is probably what we are best known for at The Salvation Army. There is a pragmatism that sets the Salvos apart from some more inward-facing movements or congregations. We are eminently prepared to serve.

But is spiritual warfare also a form of service? As much as prayer is? Are we equally engaged in that?

Jesus often used pictures, allegory and metaphor to help people understand. Storytelling was one of his key teaching methods.

Shift in perspective

I told my group a story from my teenage years. I had gone to stay at a friend’s house in the middle of the country. The house was old, draughty and a little frightening. It had very high ceilings and creaky doors, and it made many strange sounds at night. As my friends and I settled in for our first night, we turned off the light in the bedroom. Suddenly, from floor to ceiling, the walls lit up with glowing writing.

We screamed and screamed until her mother came in, turned on the light, and asked what was going on! When the light was on, you could not see anything. We asked her to turn it off again, and suddenly the text reappeared. It turned out to be harmless gibberish written by the room's previous occupant, armed simply with a glow-in-the-dark pen. But in the dark, seeing something we had not seen before, we were terrified at first.

Perhaps spiritual warfare requires a similar shift in perspective. With the lights on, seen only with human eyesight, the world appears in disarray and chaos because humanity is as it is. We see interpersonal conflict, as well as fears and anxieties. At times, these can rightly be connected to trauma or past experiences. Yet the Bible is filled with examples of the enemy, Satan, coming against the people of God. We are warned to be on guard against the devil and his schemes, to protect our minds and take our thoughts captive to Christ.

Scripture makes it clear that there is more going on than what we see. We are told that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We are also promised that the Kingdom will come, that Satan will ultimately be overcome, and that those who believe will share in eternal life.

We need spiritual eyes to engage the world not just as it appears, but as it truly is. Well, this might be or appear frightening at first, but it doesn’t have to be because greater is he within us than he who is in the world.

Māori spirituality

In Māori culture, the concept of Te Whare Tapa Whā, developed by Mason Durie, describes wellbeing as a house with four walls: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. The spiritual dimension recognises that human beings are more than bodies and thoughts. For Māori spirituality, this connects with the spiritual world of their culture. For us as Christians, it is grounded in the God of the Bible: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

So how do we gain eyes to see?

We can pray for wisdom. It may feel frightening, like turning off the lights and suddenly seeing hidden messages. There is a risk of becoming hyper-focused on the enemy, or fearful of things like witchcraft, oppression or spiritual principalities.

Yet Scripture tells us clearly that we do not fight against flesh and blood, and at the same time, it repeatedly tells us, “Do not be afraid.” In fact, variations of that command appear around 365 times throughout the Bible.

I recently read that Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves in Mark 4:39. He also rebuked unclean spirits and healed those oppressed by them. He was not naïve about the spiritual realm, nor was he fearful of it.

Cornerstone of faith

A friend of mine, Shushannah Anderson (Creative Arts Ministries National Lead), once shared that another of her mentors was US Salvation Army officer Colonel Janet Munn.

Janet said that when her daughter was little and complained of illness, she would first pray with her, and then give her water, an apple, or medication if needed. Prayer was not a replacement for practical care. But neither was it subsumed by practical care. It was integrated with it, as spiritual life and spiritual warfare are called to be.

Perhaps spiritual warfare is as simple as extending our prayer life, evangelism, mission and discipleship to ask: What is really going on beneath the surface?

Is this physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or a combination? We do not sacrifice one dimension in favour of another. We hold them together in tension, like a net under an acrobat. We don’t let one corner remain slack for fear of it not being effective in catching people when they need it.

I really recommend The Way series and, in particular, the spiritual warfare videos if you would like to have a bit more of an understanding and some practical questions about how spiritual warfare could be more of a cornerstone in your house of faith, so to speak.

Perhaps asking trusted mentors or Salvation Army officers about resources they found that have been helpful in understanding this.

In all of us, the most important thing to remember is that we are The Salvation Army. In Māori, we are called ‘te ope whakaora’, translated to ‘the army that brings life’.

Therefore, our spiritual warfare is not only about slaying and battles and overcoming, but it is also about life and life and all its fullness.

That is the promise that Jesus Christ gives us as we battle. That is the promise of the Lord who loves us and his victory over the world. That is what we fight for, the Kingdom of God on Earth and all its beauty.