Our Spiritual Warfare is Our only Warfare

[robert derrick]

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

All Scripture, law, and doctrine of Christ is first spiritual in nature, that it may become outward in righteousness and true holiness.

The error of all religions of man including christians, is to try and resist sinning with the flesh, by somehow fighting against their own flesh, as though mortal flesh were the problem.

Everyone seeking to fulfill the law of God by will power over the body, is fighting an ongoing losing body against the enemy, that is spirit, not physical:

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

The spiritual warfare is simple: angels and men are created spiritual beings by the Spirit and Eternal Being and Word, Jesus Christ.

Spiritual beings have thought, intents, and imaginations, that can become against God, rather than obedient to Christ, of whom Lucifer was the first. Accordingly, the spirit of antichrist speaks directly into the minds of man, because he has no natural body as a man.

The thoughts and intents of our hearts, therefore are either from the Lord or the devil, and we choose which to receive and obey, whether with faith in Jesus unto righteousness, or lust of the world unto unrighteousness.

Our warfare therefore is spiritual in nature first, to cleanse ourselves inwardly first, which is simply to cast down and out any unwanted unrighteous thought and imagination for sinning against God.

When we receive Jesus with His divine power, and not in faith and words only, then we are given of His power to cleanse our minds of all things that are not in obedience to Him, which is every time the devil casts them at our door.

By doing so, sinning outwardly is undone from within, for where no lust for sin is, there is no sinning, neither in the spirit nor in the flesh.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

I hate vain thoughts and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Those christians and religions of man that are endeavoring, trying, hoping, to overcome sinning with the flesh, by resisting the flesh, are resisting and fighting against the wrong thing: mortal flesh is not our enemy, but the devil is.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 

[robert derrick]

The double hearted are simply them that have a desire by knowledge and faith to serve the Lord Jesus in righteousness and true holiness, but seek to do so outwardly, without fighting the good fight where it begins first, within the heart and mind.

Chasing away every unwanted unrighteous thought, that may appear in our minds from the devil, is in a figure what Abraham did the fowls of the air, And it is the daily ongoing and enduring fight against temptation unto the end.

Jesus did so righteously from His youth, and His elect saints do so righteously from their first days born again with Him:

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Walking as He walked in the flesh must begin from within first, walking with Him hand in hand with the Spirit, otherwise we become as the Pharisees that do not the first works of our first love:

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

 

[robert derrick]

Those who submit themselves to double mindedness for life, are them that are either ignorant of the spiritual warfare, as I was even in the days of my outwardly holiness of the Pentecosts, or are them that have given up on the real fight, and only go on to a kind of progressive secular humanism, of trying to do more good than evil, by grace.

One thing is for certain, those who speak of being double minded sinners for life, stuck in Romans 7, never ever speak of the spiritual warfare of purifying and cleansing our spirit and mind first.

The saints die daily by killing every single unwanted unrighteous thought that appears in the sky overhead, trying to nest once again within their heart and soul: every such thought and vain imagination must become DOA.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

I first began to do so by word of Jesus, to take all written Scripture seriously to heart, which includes the spiritual work and fight of casting down each and every unwanted thought for sinning, and the good news in Christ, is that it only gets easier and easier one day at a time with sweet Jesus:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Our souls remain at rest and clean, so long as our spirit and mind is quick and sound to keep up the good fight at all times.

And in due time, the times of peace of mind far exceed the times of battle. That is the promise of the Lord to them that endure and faint not:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

 

[robert derrick]

The renewed mind of Christ is not once for all, but is in constant need of renewing day to day, to be cleansing the mind continually, so often as the sinful thoughts of the wicked appear therein.

Having an unwanted unrighteous thought is not sinning against God, but is only the ongoing battle in mortal flesh, Only taking such thoughts to heart to lust for them is sinning against Jesus within:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Jesus' law of purity in heart and righteousness in the flesh is not perfectionism, but is simply the faithful walk of righteousness in spiritual warfare. We first keep ourselves pure and clean, even as He is in us, so that we walk even as He walked on earth:

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

The devil only touches our heart and soul with lust for sinning, if we do not guard against him in the warfare of the spirit and mind.

If we stand fast and stay firm with a fixed pure heart of fellowship in the Spirit, then we can rest assured by the faith of Jesus, we will not commit sinning in the flesh:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Walking in the Spirit is not a feeling, nor emotion, nor happy thoughts for grace, nor even trying to imagine what heaven is like, but is simply the ongoing understanding with Christ, that the unrighteous thoughts of the wicked are repented of and no longer wanted at all. And by knowing Him within, we do know for a certain, that we don't have to take those thoughts to heart today:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.