I was sent a link to an article by Bob DeWaay entitled False Spiritual Warfare Teachings: How the Church Becomes Pagan that really started spinning my gears as I read the content.

Being in churches that in the past overemphasized and micromanaged the concept and even taught some excessive ‘abuses’ to the concept, this is a topic that is very serious while at the same time very sensitive to me. Today, I cringe at the thought of this subject to the point where I get very dizzy and deeply nauseated inside (even right now as i type) when I either try to write, discuss verbally, read Jesse Penn-Lewis’ book War on The Saints, and/or see spiritual warfare in action. I still remember seeing instances where spiritual warfare starting to take place and when someone who felt uncomfortable leave, it was interpreted as the person leaving possessing the demons and two things would happen

(1): The people would cheer because the ‘devil’ left the building.

(2): Certain people would go after that person to try to catch that person for the purpose of casting demons from that person.

When DeWaay mentioned the quote from Greg Boyd’s book God at War where Boyd mentioned the concept of

There is no “natural” evil here; there are only victims of supernatural evil.

It triggered a memory of some people I knew who thought they did no wrong. They did not choose to sin, but some ’supernatural force made them do it’ and they were the innocent victims of some cosmic battlefield in the heavenlies. It’s not my fault, blame those demons. It’s the Flip Wilson mentality

The Devil made me do it.

And no one takes blame. No one confesses their sin.

—–

Why is this concept micromanaged to the point where the so-called ‘extra-biblical’ revelations become more of the accepted standard to fight the enemy than the Bible itself? Why is it that we feel we can’t defeat the enemy unless we either ‘unlock the secret code with the spiritual warfare decoder ring’, ‘find the secret trap door’, ‘ research history’, or ‘find the liturgical loophole’?

Or worse, try to find which one of our ancestors (two parents, four grandparents, and/or eight great-grandparents) ‘is to blame’ for all of problems via the ‘generational curse’. How would someone determine first ‘which curse’ and also ‘which ancestor’ in a Biblical manner without using divination or some extra-Biblical / anti-Biblical methods? How would they be able to determine which ‘curse’ could have been caused by the effects of another ‘curse’ another four generations ago? Based on all of these people involved and multiplied by their four generations of ancestors (and repeat the pattern), wouldn’t the math alone prove that this generational curse teaching that these deliverance people claim they can break is false because where would they determine the ’starting point’ of the first generation of the four generation curse to determine the ‘root’ of the ‘curse’ when the teachings are based on a concept of ’severing the root’?

These deliverance teachers can never firmly establish a start point in a correct manner because based on the passing down of sin from generation to generation, the ‘root’ of sin took place in Eden when Eve and then Adam ate the forbidden fruit. And Jesus Christ shed his blood on Calvary and rose on the third day to reddem us from the curse and we claim that redemption when we repent of our sins and become born again.

DeWaay is correct when he quoted Jeremiah 17:5 and 7 as an explanation about Biblical curses. I also want to offer up another set of verses:

…For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. – Exodus 20:5-6

Isn’t this simplified. Love God and keep His commandments, be blessed and experience mercy. Hate God, experience the curse of God on your life.

DeWaay stated this near the end of his article:

Pagans are perpetually insecure because they have no way of knowing that they are safe in the hands of their gods. That is, they have no certain, special revelation about God or from God concerning the nature of the spiritual world they live in. To the degree that Christians are influenced by pagan thinking, they also become more insecure. They are never sure when they might be cursed. They are never sure when a demon may invade them. They imagine they need some spiritual technology gleaned from the spirit world in order to insure a successful outcome for their endeavors. They need a “Christian” version of a shaman to mediate between them and the spirit world (usually called “prophets” or “deliverance counselors”). In short, they are like pagans in most respects.

Bullseye!! And it is the modern church that has taught this hogwash and placed the fear and hysteria on insecure Christians who were made more insecure by being always placed in a state of always double analyzing and double questioning everything to where they need a spiritualized shaman to ‘figure it all out’ for them..

Afraid to say anything negative even though the ‘negativity’ is the cold and hard truth for fear of ‘touching God’s anointed’. Believing they got an incurable disease because they did not respond to the televangelist’s request for more money. Believing that America and Christianity will die because Obama got elected. Thinking they lost their job for not being able to go to the mega conference. Thinking they are full of ‘religion’ for not partaking in the Charismatic bunny-hop. Believing that they are not ’spiritual’ enough to be a man or woman of God because they did not do a ‘mega-repent rally’ or a ‘fast-a-thon’.

It’s not that we ‘lack faith’ in a televangelist. We ‘lack faith’ in God ’s providence, omnipresence, omnipotence, and sovereignty on planet Earth.

What deeply disturbs me is the concept that we have to ‘proactively’ go out and find/expose these spirits. Jesus never did this. In fact, every time Jesus had to confront an evil spirit, it was the evil spirit that came to Jesus and manifested itself and looked for Jesus and not the other way around. In fact, look at the very popular warfare verses of Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The word for stand used throughout these verses is “histeÌ„mi” and literally means ’stay still’. The word for ‘wiles’ is “methodeia” where we get the word ‘methods’. The word also has another meaning of “lie in wait”.

This really reveals something to us. We are to stand still but be ready for the attack of the enemy when the enemy attacks us and not be on this ‘prophetic proactivity of plundering’ mindset that preaches for us to go forward and pick the fight.

Knowing that the word ‘wiles’ means to ‘lie in wait’, it is clear that we are to be forward in doing the will of God in reference to the Great Commission, but never; as I stated in the last paragraph; go pick the fight. The seven sons of Sceva ent out and picked a fight and Acts 19 shows us the outcome of the fight.

We have micromanaged spiritual warfare to the point where we created macro-doctrines, a do-it-yourself kit, and a ’spiritual warfare for dummies’ manual when Jesus Christ really did it all for us over two thousand years ago. It really is that simple.