Marching off to War

Read 1 Timothy 2.

In chapter 1, the Apostle Paul urged Timothy to "wage the good warfare."  The teaching of spiritual alternatives to Jesus and ungodly lifestyles are not merely differing ideas.  They, in fact, are the weapons of the devil in the ultimate spiritual war for the souls of humanity.  That is why in every instance the Holy Spirit guided Paul to respond in writing so decisively.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, we are not waging a war according to 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 10:4)

How should a follower of Christ respond when government leaders, religious leaders, friends, neighbors and family members hold to beliefs in opposition to the written word of God?  How should we behave in this spiritual war?

Our fleshly weapons of anger that leads to revenge or responding in kind with slander and hurt filled words, for example, only lead us to sin.  As a result, the genuineness of our faith may be severely damaged.  If we are to be effective and see the power of God change lives, we ourselves must obey the Scriptures.  Galatians 5:16-24 commands us to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.  If He is in control our attitudes and speech will be marked by verses 22-23.  In Ephesians 6:10-18, the Christian is told to "put on the armor of God" for this war in order to be "strong in the Lord".

Okay.  The Holy Spirit is in control.  I have my armor on.  Now, what is the first thing I should be doing to combat the spiritual forces of evil?  "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions..."
People are so quick to criticize and defame others with whom they disagree.  This has become a political sport on social media in America.  It makes one wonder if those who claim to be believers in Jesus have invested regular, intentional time praying for that person.

How should we be praying?  Two prayer requests:
1. "...that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (v.2b)
This is a prayer for us-our personal protection and our personal behavior.  When opposed, what do the enemies of Christ see in us?  There will be exceptions, but the principle of Proverbs 16:7 should be our goal.  "When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
2. "This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (vv.3-4)
Often, we are tempted to think that some are so evil and so rejecting of Jesus that they will never be saved.  But we do not know that.  The Apostle Paul is exhibit A.  Also, keep in mind that the high ruler in Paul's day was Nero.  Four times in the first six verses of this chapter the word "all" appears.  "Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all." (v.6)

Yet, many have never prayed for the leaders of their country or local civic leaders individually by name and in this way.   Making a prayer list of those who are in authority and those who need Jesus is the first marching step in spiritual warfare.