Three Fold Spiritual War
Defending the Truth
                                                                              Multiple Dimensions of Spiritual War
The true believer who lives the Spirit controlled life can be SURE to be in a spiritual war. God equips us to
resist and overcome Satan's assaults, but this battle can ONLY be fought on a spiritual level. Although
Christ has conquered the power of sin and death, here on earth, the Lord's power, the strength of his Spirit
& the force of Biblical truth are required for victory. As a believer, you can be sure to be caught in a battle
between your flesh and spirit. Our journey as a Christian is to die to self, a continuing process of God's
work in our lives as our sinful, carnal nature die's. We are called for separation - to not give ourselves over
to sin but to separate ourselves from the world. The Holy Spirit provides victory over sin.  (Romans 8, Gal 5:
16-25, phil 3:12, Col 3:9, 10:1, 1Pet 1:13-16, 1 Jo 3:5-9)  

The believer's spiritual war is a war waged on multiple dimensions. The flesh (internal), the world (external),
and the devil & demonic forces (evil supernaturalism). Each dimension usually influences our sin nature
simultaneously. In the past the believer's sin problem was usually addressed by the church from the
perspective of internal evil (issues of the flesh). For example, if the stimulation of sin comes from the
external (the world), the flesh will respond immediately and simultaneously demonic forces seek to influence
our minds, our reason and our emotional state. To put it into perspective, imagine a hypothetical situation
where a man is driving home late at night from an extended day of work. In his view is a provocative woman
walking alone. Thus we have an external influence of the world with a response of the flesh with certain
demonic influences invading our minds. You can see that all three dimensions are at work simultaneously at
all times.
Ephesians 2:1-3 says "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who
now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as
the others". (NKJV)

In the interest of effective analysis, I will address each dimension separately. But first it is important that
believers know and understand the sin war in which they are engaged in is NOT a salvation issue. No, it is an
issue of sanctification. If you think that your doubts, temptations, lusts, evil desires, thoughts of worldly
living and leaving the faith are new and only torment you, then think again. Living as a citizen of the
Kingdom of God while physically living in Satan's kingdom can only mean one thing. Spiritual WAR! As a
Christian you can be sure to be discouraged at some point on your spiritual journey. Facing the battles of
the evil with in, our own flesh and the evil assault of the surrounding environment and demonic forces that
assault the mind usually leads to doubts of salvation.
Sanctification is the process by which we learn to live as the Children of God while living in a world of sin
(Satan's dominion). This form of sanctification is the continuing progressive work of the Holy Spirit
(progressive sanctification). The believer is being regenerated into a new life and likeness of Christ by
empowerment of the Holy Spirit and obedience to God's word. Conforming to the will of God, the believer will
live a life of increasing holiness becoming more like Christ through out this journey. Every believer is in a
daily conflict as we battle against the three dimensions. However, eradication of sin in our lives is not
possible and any claims of such are unscriptural. The struggle will stay with the believer through out his or
her earthly life. But the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit provides victory over sin.
The flesh is the urge of self centeredness within us. It is the impulse to sin and give into the desires of the
flesh. It is willful disobedience to God's will and will give the devil a foothold in our lives. Saying yes to the
flesh is saying no to God. I don't agree with Neil Anderson's bondage deliverance methods but his view of
the world programming of the habits of the mind deserves credit.









Before coming to Christ the old self once controlled and dominated our lives because we submitted to the
desires of the flesh. This old self is now crucified with Christ so this is not the flesh we battle with daily. Our
new nature comes from God. 1John 5:18,19 says we are of God and born of God, so His nature abides in
us. The apostle Paul said that he was no longer a slave to sin. He also said "My old self has been crucified
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20). In Romans 8:4 Paul went on to say
that we no longer walk in the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. This does not mean that we can no
longer sin or be tempted. Although Christ has purchased our glorified bodies with his blood and we will
receive them at His second coming (phil 3:20) we must learn to put to death the sinful deeds of our body
and flesh by the power of the Spirit. Until you deal with the sin in your life and put to death the works of the
flesh, the bondage to the flesh can not be broken. Habitual sin in a believer's life must be removed. The flesh
can open your life to demonic influence. Living for and desiring the things of this world, “sex, money, power,
fame, riches and the such can open up and make available demonic influence or worse. As believers we
should not give any provisions to the flesh through thoughts or sight. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Ro 13:14)

The Christian life can only be lived in the Holy Spirit, who is received by faith by the grace of God. Believers
enjoy freedom from the law, but Christian liberty is not an excuse for sinful, carnal living as made clear by
Paul in Gal 5:13 - “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your
freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love”. Believers
also enjoy freedom from the bondages of the flesh in all areas of life. Gal 5:1 says “It was for freedom that
Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
People that live in sin believe they are free. Are they not a slave to their sin, the force that controls them and
keeps them in bondage? You are a slave to whatever has mastered you. Paul explains further in Gal 5:16
“So I say, live by the Holy Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Although this is a
gift of the Spirit, the redeemed man does not escape the need to struggle against sin. The Holy Spirit simply
makes victory possible, but only to the degree that the believer depends and walks in the Spirit. Paul tells us
the key to victory over the flesh in this battle is to “walk in the Spirit”. (Gal 5:16-25). The verb “walk”
(peripateite) demonstrates the continuing need and dependency on the Spirit.

Living a godly life while temporarily dwelling in Satan’s dominion can be summed up in one verse of scripture.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake
will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? (Matt 16:24-
26). Whoever loses his life for Jesus is not just speaking of martyrdom. To lose your life is to give up what
you think to be important and meaningful; to walk away from your life and into new life. The western world is
self centered. The American dream has become one of self interest and greed. But beyond the actual act of
giving up what you believe to be of value is the realization of the vanity of it all. When you come to the
understanding that building up wealth and serving your pleasures is serving self and not God and it doesn’t
glorify God, then you are beginning to see the light. Building yourself up, storing up wealth, it is all
meaningless and futile; for it is all temporary and efforts inspired by greed are in vain. Sacrifice the
temporary to gain the eternal. To deny self is to turn control of our lives over to God and deny self-rule.
Satan is the master of deception and has convinced the world to be the kings and rulers of their own lives.
Since the fall of Adam Satan has been deceiving the nations with the same lie that we can be like God; we
can be our own god of our lives.
Throughout the life of the believer‘s walk of faith, the flesh and Spirit are in deep, irreconcilable conflict. And
the location of this battle is fought in the inner most being of the heart, mind and soul of the believer. In our
journey as a believer, the flesh is to become progressively subdued as we learn to walk in the Spirit by God’s
grace. But it will never be eradicated until we receive our glorified bodies. I previously mentioned the
redeemed man does not escape the need to struggle against sin because there is no escape from the need
to depend on God’s grace. As a believer the Holy Spirit dwells with in you, therefore be led by the Spirit. If
you conduct yourself under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit and His nature dwells in you and
you write the word of God in your heart your yoke can be removed.
Here is an interesting story I found that gave me a better understanding of the lack of freedom to overcome
the world by many proclaiming Christians. Even the counseling approach lacks sound, biblical methods.


























   True freedom is not possible for those that do not have forgiveness in their heart.                        
                  

                                                               Overcoming the flesh

                                                                         Battle for the mind
The primary spiritual battle begins in the mind and with our thought life. Before becoming a Christian we
learned certain thought patterns as we lived separated from God. These thought patterns were learned and
must now be unlearned. As believer's we can be blindly conformed to the world by today's fashions, listening
to secular radio, watching secular T.V. and reading wrong material to name a few. That is why Paul said do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Ro 12:2). The
mind is transformed and renewed by the word of God and through guidance of the Holy Spirit. Unhealthy
thought patterns (desires of the flesh) are strongholds that have been long programmed into our minds by
the world before we were saved, and the world system is fully controlled by Satan. We must acknowledge
and understand that the world system and our flesh are enemies to the progress of the believer's
sanctification process. These thought patterns, desires of the flesh and world patterns don't just go away.
They are replaced and overcome slowly over time as we renew our minds through God's word and prayer.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

While engaged in this battle, if you submit to the desires of the flesh they can become addictions of the
flesh. Former cigarette smokers know that if they have one cigarette in a moment of weakness, they can
return to a habit of smoking a pack daily. It is the same with the mind. One unguarded thought can lead to
satisfying the sinful desires of the flesh. Keep your mind guarded and shun all evil thoughts before they
manifest into actual acts of lustful desires of the flesh. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away
by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin,
when it is full-grown, brings forth death (James 1:14-15). In one of Billy Graham's crusades he said "in
any battle between the will and imagination, the will loses every time”3. Meaning the battle must be won
immediately when evil thoughts first enter the mind. The slightest entertainment of such thoughts will
manifest into uncontrollable fantasy and overcome any believer. Shun and expel them immediately. That is
why Paul said FLEE from sexual immorality. The slightest thought can assume control of you. That is why
Jesus said do not even look at a woman with lust. We will lose control of our thoughts and imagination and
lose every time. Sin is first conceived in the mind before it ever takes place with the body. Satan will put
thoughts of doubt and unbelief in your mind as well. Satan's mission is to invade our thoughts with his
thoughts, to manipulate our minds to accomplish his purpose for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood
(Eph6:12). This fact that Satan has the ability to invade our thoughts and minds is supported by scripture
(Jn 13:2, Acts 5:3, 1Chron 21:1) You need to kill and rebuke these thoughts immediately as well. Thought
control equals life control; that is why we need to "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ"
(2Co 10:5). To take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is more than shunning or killing a
thought. We must reject the thoughts Satan imposes on our minds for the lies they truly are. To kill a
thought is not enough you must dwell (meditate) on a new thought; such as a favorite piece of scripture, a
Christian song, the promises of heaven to come, our blessed hope in Christ; meditate on good things (Phil 4:
8). Do not be ignorant or blind to Satan's schemes. It is imperative to be diligent and sober, acknowledging
the reality of the spiritual battle and evil forces. The spiritual battle for the mind is a reality and the enemy's
primary  purpose is the destruction of all mankind. As Christians we must recognize our place and authority
in Christ to effectively arm ourselves in the battle.

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one
does not touch him (1 Jn 5:18)

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, (Isa 54:17)

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name (Lk 10:17)

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:4-6) Understand your positional identity in Christ.

                                                                         Lust of the eyes      
Guard what enters your eyes. Do not let darkness and evil enter in you through your eyes.  Christ said in
Luke 11:34-36 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole
body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore
take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light,
having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives
you light. Steve Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, authors of Every Man's Battle, use a technique referred to as
"bouncing the eyes"4. In today's world pornography, witchcraft and cultic activity are ramped, sex is the
primary marketing tool and women's fashion reflects this fact. You can't drive to work without a
bombardment of evil. Immediately redirect your attention and focus elsewhere at the first sight of
provocative billboards, women and any enticing images you encounter from adds, magazines, movies, the
work place etc. "Bounce" your eyes before images take root and manifest into actions that destroy.
Bouncing your eyes can become a habit in a matter of weeks. Your conscience will do it without you even
thinking about it. You will be surprised at how offensive the world really is the more Christ like you become.
 
The world only offers slavery to lusts of the flesh. The lust of the flesh comes from within us (internal). The
lust of the eyes comes from our surrounding environment (external world).The lust of the eyes is the
tendency to be enticed and captivated by what the world offers, the display of all our carnal desires, without
understanding of it's lack of value and inherent destructive tendencies. Unfortunately, this is the downfall
and major stumbling block to many Christians today. The problem with this bondage is, no matter how
much the world has to offer, no matter how much our eyes can drink in, there will never be enough to reach
a point of satisfaction. In Proverbs Solomon says "the eyes of man are never satisfied" (Prov 27:20). The
appetite of the eyes is best referred to as an appetite for destruction never to be satisfied. Therefore, obey
God's word And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but
present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but
under grace. (Romans 6:13-14). Enjoy the victory over the lust of the eyes and the world's luring
attempts to entice you. The word of God say's Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors
through Him who loved us (Ro 8:37).

Simply stated, we have victory over the flesh, as we have learned, by putting its deeds to death and making
no provision or entertainment of thoughts for its evil desires. We win over the devil by resisting him and
submitting ourselves in full obedience to the Lord. With the world, however, we are called for separation
from this world. Be in the world, but not of it. God loves the world and mankind that He created but hates
the world system and the world system hates Him. The world has a basic rejection of Christ. "If anyone
loves the world the love of the father is not in him " (1 John 2:15). How can anyone love an anti Christ world
and love God?  The world can easily be observed as the outcome of the combination of our other two
spiritual enemies; the flesh and evil forces.

                                                                           Faith and Trust
In our spiritual warfare faith and trust are essential elements in overcoming and rejoicing in our victory. It is
an often overlooked truth. It is impossible to please God without faith. Imagine a line that has no end. That
line represents time. You have a beginning point, a point where you accepted Christ and an ending point.
Now imagine a sovereign God that is above the line that can see the end from the beginning. The Lord
knows when you will fall. He knows when you will be weak. Your salvation is His promise, you belong to God.
Now looking at it in that perspective, have faith and trust that the victory belongs to you through Christ,
AMEN! You should posses faith and trust that Christ has delivered you. Faith is not just belief. Even the
demons believe there is one God. True saving faith is much deeper. It is not only a personal, intimate
relationship with Christ; it is an eternal commitment to Him and a dependency on His finished work on the
cross. Knowing Christ's atoning sacrifice is our only salvation and way to forgiveness of sin. Faith is also
following Christ in complete obedience to His word - carrying your cross. True faith is not what you say but
who you trust. "Word faith", the name it and claim positive confession faith, is not faith at all. “Death and life
are in the power of the tongue" (Pro 18:21), however, taking this verse of scripture in context, proclaim with
your mouth and declare "I am delivered; I am a child of the most high God!" God knows your battles and
your weakness. God is glorified in your weakness. It is because of His grace that you will overcome and
stand redeemed. So stop crying out "Lord why have you forsaken me?", and have faith and trust the Lord
will see you through your battles. No person, no powers of darkness can change or thwart the plans God
has for you.

Satan seeks to destroy the believer's faith and put doubt in their mind regarding their salvation. This can
weaken the believer spiritually but have faith because your salvation is secure by the word of God. (John 6:
37-39; 10:28, 29; Rom 5:10: 8:31-39)

   NOTES
Believer’s warfare
1) (Neil T. Anderson The Bondage Breaker © 1990,1993 Harvest House publishers)
© 2000Neil T. Anderson
2) (Murphy,E.F. (1997, © 1966) Handbook for spiritual warfare)

Overcoming the flesh
3) Billy Graham
4) (Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, “Every Man's Battle" . © 2000)
"The flesh is the tendency within each person to operate independent of God and to center his
interests on himself.   An unsaved person functions totally in the flesh (Rom. 8:7–8),
worshiping and serving the creature more than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). . . . When you were
born again, your old self died and your new self came to life. . . . [but] during the years you
spent separated from God, your worldly experiences thoroughly programmed your brain with
thought patterns, memory traces, responses and habits which are alien to God. So even
though your old skipper is gone, your flesh remains in opposition to God as a preprogrammed
propensity for sin, which is living independent of God."1           emphasis added
A woman came to see me. She was under the care of a Christian psychologist. He   was not
making much progress towards her healing. Not wanting to interfere with the counseling being
given, I asked her psychologist if he would agree that I counsel her from a spiritual warfare
perspective and let him continue with his regular counseling procedures. He agreed. I was doing
all my spiritual warfare counseling with a small team. One of the most effective co-workers I had
was Tom, a young man who had been one of the most severely demonized persons I had ever
ministered to in the past.
Tom and I, with another helper, spent several hours with the troubled woman but made no
progress. We were not even sure she was demonized. I tried my usual proven “methodology” of
making contact with any demons which might be present, but to no avail. We arranged for
another counseling session a few days later. I was not able to be present because of other
responsibilities. Tom and other team members ministered to her. They began to probe into her
background and discovered she was raised in a dysfunctional family. She had experienced terrible
conflict with her mother, brothers, and sisters. It soon became evident she was filled with
bitterness, even deep hatred, for all of them, especially her mother. The team soon realized that
regardless of what demonic activity might be attached to her life; her primary problem was the
flesh. Filled with anger, pride, bitterness, and lack of forgiveness, she refused even to consider
the possibility that her attitude towards her mother was sinful. She refused outright to obey the
Word of God in James 4:1–3 and 3:14–16. The team finally had to tell her that if she was not
willing to humble herself before God and at least be willing to learn to forgive, even though she
could not emotionally “feel” a desire to do so at the present, they could not help her. She got up
and left, saying she was not coming back. “Dr. Murphy,” Tom said, “We cannot expect any
demons which may be attached to her life to leave her when they have every right to be there.” I
learned an important lesson from my junior partner that day. Our failure to be able to help that
bitter woman helped me get back to a more biblical balance. 2