PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
* The essence of psychological warfare is to confuse the meaning of words found in the Scripture, and infiltrate the mind with conflicting concepts, resulting in confusion
* Speak loudly when you carry a small stick (Gideon and the 300)
* Realize when you are under psychological attack during a physical attack
* Make your enemy work all the time because time is on your side
* Don’t carry “arks” into battle to assure victory using good luck charms, crosses, a Star of David, mezuzahs, statues, “confession” formulas, Bibles and talismans. This is nothing but “magic” and will not assure you of victory (remember Aphek-1 Sam 4)
* Show your strength even more than it is, and make it obvious, and accentuate the positive
* Stay psychologically strong in the Lord. Hezekiah listened to Isaiah and not the Assyrian emissaries
* In the battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War, confederate captives said “You yanks got into our innards.” Do that with the enemy, get into their heads, not the other way around
* Be prepared to go “out on a limb” and get hurt (Maccabean revolt)
* You beat your enemy by drawing them in with three areas: distraction, diversion and division
* Always keep the enemy at odds within (groups fighting other groups) to weaken them (Romans with the Jews of Jerusalem)
* Know when your enemy is disintegrating within, keep them in confusion
* Spiritual battles do not have to be centered in logic, the enemy will be illogical
* To have a successful battle, the Lord must send you and he will tell you what to do (the battle plan)
* Two chapters on psychological warfare- Isaiah 36 and 37
* Don’t let the enemy discourage you or those around you
*Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake
* Don’t allow what you can’t control to get into your head
* Don’t “hate” your enemy. You don’t need it to defeat them
* Don’t talk to the enemy. Hezekiah had a water tunnel into Jerusalem but he didn’t tell the Assyrians that when they said they would run out of water in a siege (Isa 36.12, 21)
* Come before the Lord with humility (Isa 37.1)
* The Lord directs the battle (he is “commander in chief), not the believers (Isa 37.4). No “name it and claim it” will work because it is the Lord who directs and does it (Lam 3.37)
* The enemy will lift up problems you have
* The enemy will speak to others who don’t know what to do
* The enemy will play mind games
* The enemy will promise things, but the end game is slavery
YEHOVAH TZVAVAOT
* Yehovah Tzavaot means “Lord of the armies” or in other words, the Lord is the Commander-in-Chief
* Until God leads, be silently waiting, seeking, preparing, training and studying
* The Lord must direct when to use the direct attack method because the enemy can see you coming. He will tell the time, direction and method of attack
* When you have done all you can do, stand firm (“don’t break ranks”)
* Don’t attack unless you have a word from the Lord. David waited till the wind blew the mulberry tree. Why? Because the sound of the wind in the trees covered the sound of his troops moving
* Take your problems to the Lord. Don’t tell the Lord what to do because he will not “jump through your hoops.”
* Don’t speak to Satan while praying to God (again, don’t talk to the enemy-Isa 36.21)
* If the Lord is in control, ask:
“Why are we being attacked?” Answer: to challenge us, to teach us warfare (Judges 3.1-2)
“Why are the attacks so hard?” Answer: to help us be strong and patient
“Why do we feel defeated?” Answer: no matter what the losses along the way, remember, God is the winner and he will bring you to himself “on eagles wings” which is an idiom meaning “it won’t be easy.”
* In a battle, God must direct when, where and how to fight
* When given a directive from the Lord, complete the job. Don’t get to a stopping place and just quit. The enemy will be diligent in his objectives. An Amalekite killed Saul after he failed to wipe out the Amalekites. This also led to a man named Haman in the book of Esther. In 1 Kings 20.42, Ben-Haddad was “devoted to destruction” but Ahab let him live, resulting in Ahab’s death
* Rank does not necessarily indicate talent. God will “enlist” who he wants to be involved in a battle (David and Goliath)
* The ability to give orders should be matched by the willingness to receive orders
* The Lord will allow you to be hit at a level you are prepared for, unless you have not proceeded to the level you should be. If you are a “child” who is in first grade, but should be in fourth, God will allow you to be hit with fourth grade weapons and material because you failed to learn the things you needed to know
In Spiritual Warfare-Review, Applications and Additional Notes III, we will begin to discuss wise preparations before a battle. This will be a very important concept for you to master in spiritual warfare.
Leave a Reply