When engaged in spiritual warfare, there will be times to attack. So, what do we do when attacking? Many people think they know how to fight spiritual battles, and they like to quote 2 Cor 10.4 which says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” The KJV says, “for the pulling down of strong holds.” But, what does “pulling down of strong holds” mean? Anciently, this was a very dangerous job. The people would get up close to the walls and try to loosen the city walls or somehow undermine them. But if you did that, chances are you were going to get killed or hurt. When David wanted to kill Uriah, he told Joab to put Uriah “in the front line” when they were besieging the walls of Rabbah. Then when his cover withdrew, he was killed (2 Sam 11.15-21). In another example, a millstone was dropped from a wall and killed Abimelech in Judges 9.53.
The people close to the wall who were “tearing down strongholds” were called “sappers” and they had to be properly trained for the particular job. They must have the appropriate tools, the necessary cover, make sure others are fighting for you (which wasn’t the case with Uriah), know your limits and when and how to retreat.
The people that would do this could be someone expendable or in trouble with a commander, also like Uriah. To do this successfully, you needed other people and a covering to protect you. You also needed to know what you were doing. Many people do not know what they are doing in spiritual warfare and end up worse off. Just going around “binding and loosing” is not spiritual warfare. You also had to keep looking up to see what the enemy was doing.
When attacking, you should attack the lesser enemy before the stronger. In 1 Chr 19.10-19, Joab placed his best, elite troops in front of the mercenary (hired) soldiers of the Syrians. Joab knew that they did not have the heart to fight when it was tough because they were hired. When the Syrians saw they had to face the elite troops of Israel, they fled. Abishai had the less talented troops against the Ammonites. When the Ammonites saw their hired troops run, they fled also. The battle didn’t even get fought.
When attacking, we need to take the cautious road, not the fastest. You will need to cut off outside reinforcements and then go for the main target. Pharaoh Shishak destroyed Sukkot (second most powerful fortress) before going to Jerusalem. It will be dangerous attacking the outer defenses, and it is even more dangerous attacking the inner fort where the superior forces are concentrated.
We must always count the cost before positioning yourself in the location of battle (Luke 14.31). Even when attacking, take a defensive position in case of counter-attack. When Julius Caesar was attacking Alesia in Gaul, he surrounded the city. Then he built a defensive wall around his siege works in case reinforcements arrived, and they did. He fought two battles at the same time and won.
When you go to battle, you should be fighting to defend the Lord, not fighting for the Lord to defend you (David vs Goliath). When your strategy is gaining minimum results with maximum effort, change strategy. In a battle you could lose or have major problems by being distracted or giving up too soon, we must have a consistent walk.
Now we are going to talk about what to do when under attack. The enemy will try to penetrate you by going over your wall, through your wall, under your wall (undermining), through your gates (senses) and deception (a spiritual Trojan horse). When under attack, which is meant to try and keep you from doing a work for the Lord, just keep doing it and don’t get distracted. If you do anything, speed up, but don’t slow down. Nehemiah did this when building the walls of Jerusalem. Zerubbabel kept rebuilding the Temple in Ezra 5.1-5. Spiritually, this means more prayer, Bible study and action.
Do the things that you are being kept from doing, stay on schedule and keep on standing. Don’t be stiff and formal or use formulas like at Aphek and the Ark (2 Sam 4.1-22). Much of what we see today in man-made religions is “magic” and works of ignorance. We should not act like the next guy, be yourself. Think and plan according to your attack and attackers (improvise, adapt and overcome). Don’t replace the Scriptures and the Torah with “the Spirit.” When being attacked, pray and know your source of strength. Your attitude is “I will not back down.” Do something, know your attacker and his strategy. Know his plans, strength and weapons. We should also know our foundation (Torah), heritage and why the battle is being fought.
Don’t be a “crusader.” Study the Scriptures, learn, pray and move when God tells you. Devices of protection can be a hindrance, so streamline your armor. Crusader armor caused them to lose a battle because it got too hot and they suffered from heatstroke, and they were easily defeated. Don’t ignore the minor offenses when battling the major attack (Battering rams at the front gate and ladders at the back gate). When under attack, don’t talk back or respond (Isa 36-37).
During the battle, find a place to rest. You can’t fight, fight and fight all the time. You need to rest, and stop talking about the battle all the time. It will drain you and you can’t hear from the Lord. Again, spiritual battles don’t need to be centered in reason, such as Arab hatred for Israel, etc. Don’t be surprised when those close to us join in against us. The enemy can’t sustain an attack or a siege forever. Hang tough and keep going. Use whatever means you can to hold on (wait) and be confident.
We must be flexible and know when to pull back and attack. Watch the “tunnels” coming out of the city to undermine you. Once found, use the tunnels against the city by coming back through them yourself when discovered. Protect your water (Scriptures) source if you are in a siege. And do not let the enemy “draw you out” because it could be a trap (Ai). Here’s what could happen. People are on fire but move away from their source of “water” (biblical truth) for a better job, or leave a group because they are “led of the Lord” and have a “peace” about it. They may be going against what God has revealed. Soon after leaving, they are “cut off” from a good “city”, from the others and from the good studies. This is not to say that the Lord will not lead you away from where you are, but make sure the Lord is telling you to do that first.
So, how do we know when God speaks. First, does it line up with Scripture and if it is accompanied by a sign that you ask for (Gideon). Here is how NOT to put out a “fleece.” You say, “I want to do such and such, and if you want me to do this, then have such and such happen (a certain sign).” Here is how to do it. God speaks to you about a situation that you may have not even been looking for and you aren’t sure. This could be by circumstances, a dream, voice or whatever. You want this confirmed, so send out your fleece by saying, “If you are speaking to me about this, then do such and such.” Many “fleece” their own thoughts and desires. If God is in it, he is not ashamed to confirm it.
The enemy will try to thin you out, so don’t have too many “irons in the fire.” There is no such thing as “multi-tasking.” What happens is you have multiple projects going and nothing gets done. Don’t let the enemy draw you away from your home base, cutting you off from where you learn and are fed. Now you are in the enemy’s territory. So, what do you do when you haven’t heard from the Lord? We must wait (keep serving), study, grow and learn. Here are some of the ways God speaks. First, he may speak to you with a “Bat Kol” or a voice. He may send messengers, prophets, teachers, donkeys, unbelievers or some type of media, etc, your way with a message. He has no limitation on this. He speaks through the Scriptures. He also can use circumstances, but this can be dangerous and a trap. There are prophecies from people, but most prophecies today are not from the Lord, so be wary of these. There is the still small voice, dreams, visions, mind flashes, dark speech and puns (parables).
What do we do after a victory? There are dangers in this area, too. The poison fruit of history can stunt our progress and these are called “fatal victories.” Japan had a victory at Pearl Harbor, but it was fatal for the nation of Japan. When victory is in sight, don’t stop to “smell the roses” or enjoy the spoils. Keep going until the battle is over. Pharaoh Necho had a victory at Megiddo, but it was postponed because of pillaging by his troops. In defeating the enemy, render him useless (incapable of fighting back) so that he cannot strike back at you again. In the spoils, don’t take more than what you can handle. Keep only what is useful. David captured many horses but he hamstrung the ones he didn’t need (1 Chr 18.4).
When fighting a battle and God gives an unexpected victory and rewards of battle, don’t refuse them but accept them gratefully. Israel won back the Temple Mount in 1967 but turned it over to the Muslim Wakf. When God intervenes, you don’t have to worry about carrying out vengeance. After having his army completely destroyed by God, the Assyrian king (Sennacherib) went back home and was assassinated (Isa 37.38).
Don’t keep fighting the battle. When its over, its over. Rehashing the battle leads to bitterness, anger and resentment. Don’t ever think the battle is over in victory. Expect it to get hotter. Why? You just improved your weapons, strategy and skill. Your enemy will counter with stronger weapons, strategy and skill. In 2001, the United States was still thinking like it was the 1970’s and 1980’s when it came to terrorism. They thought that a terrorist would hijack a plane and demand a ransom like before. They were not prepared for people to hijack a plane, know how to fly it, and fly it into buildings. God will allow our enemy to hit us because of pride (2 Cor 12.1-10).
After a victory, we must also rebuild (Isa 58.12; 61.4) and stay balanced through the Scriptures, receiving wisdom and refining through prayer. After a battle, win or lose, we need to assess the reasons why the battle was fought to begin with, and build up our strength stronger than before. In other words, “build higher and stronger walls.”
For more information on this subject in more detail, go to the teaching called “The Spiritual Warrior” on this site. This is a valuable study for any believer on the spiritual warfare because we are going into a battle, are in a battle right now, or you are coming out of a battle.
In Part 13 we will pick up in 2 Kings 14.1-4.
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