From the desk of Steve Shultz:
I love Francis' wisdom about spiritual warfare. I read this article and I kept saying, "Wow!"
Then I'd read some more and I'd say, "Wow, that's so true."
Now I want you to read it and allow yourself to be instructed with the same wise counsel of Francis Frangipane...
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Francis Frangipane:
The Three Battlegrounds, Including the Mind
Among the many things to learn about God's Kingdom, we must also learn principals of spiritual warfare: how to war and how to win. First, though, I have two concerns. The first is our need for wisdom. There is an old European proverb worth heeding. It reads: "Age and treachery will always defeat youth and zeal."
A Treacherous Foe
Before we engage in spiritual warfare, we should know this about satan: he is an ancient and extremely treacherous foe. On the other hand, the strength of most Christians lies primarily in idealism and untested fervor. It is not long, usually five to ten years in the ministry, and most zeal has waned. Without warning, the minister's call has deteriorated from a walk of vision to a mere job.
What occurred was that zeal, by itself, challenged the treachery of Hell and lost. The brightness of youthful dreams dimmed under the dark cloud of relentless satanic assault. Under the weight of growing frustrations and discouragement, compromise increased, and with it came iniquity and spiritual bondage.
Yet the real villain was not sin but ignorance. We put the devil in a doctrinal box and expected him to stay there. He did not. He undermined relationships, and our love grew cautious. He resisted us in prayer, and our faith turned weak. Disillusionment set in. After spending much time with struggling pastors, I have seen a common trend in most: They failed to discern the assault of the devil. They stood unprotected against an ancient, treacherous foe.
Wise As Serpents...Harmless As Doves
Jesus prepared His disciples for everything, including war. They saw Him casting out demons. In fact, He sent them forth doing the same.
But before He sent them out, He charged them to become wise "as serpents" yet innocent and harmless "as doves" (Matthew 10:16). This fusion of divine wisdom and Christlike innocence is the taproot of all spiritual victory. Indeed, we can defeat the enemy, but wisdom must precede warfare and virtue must come before victory.
Consequently, the goal of this book is to train the Church in wisdom and call the Church to innocence. We will not disregard what we have previously learned; we will still live by faith. But we must learn the ways of God, which means we must think with wisdom. And we must be pure of heart, that we may see God and gain discernment. Indeed, it is this very ignorance that has left us vulnerable to satanic attack.
Of my second concern, let me say that there are no shortcuts to successful warfare, only ways to make it longer and more perilous. One way of peril is to enter battle blinded by presumption. When it comes to waging war effectively, consider carefulness to be the essence of victory.
Whatever lofty spiritual plane you imagine that you are on, remember: Adam was in Paradise when he fell. Before your increased knowledge and religious experiences make you overly self-confident, recall that Solomon wrote three books of Scripture; he actually gazed upon the glory of God, yet he fell. Yes, even in your deepest worship of the Almighty, do not forget in long ages past lucifer himself was once in Heaven pouring out praise to God.
We all have seen many who have fallen. Jesus warned that the love of many would grow cold. Do not presume it cannot happen to you. Our enemy has been deceiving mankind for thousands of years. Our experience, on the other hand, spans but a brief moment. It is wisdom to recognize that we do not know all there is to know concerning warfare.
Prepare Plans By Consultation
Therefore, be bold but never brash or arrogant in your prayer life. Use your spiritual authority administratively and compassionately, but never presumptuously. Multitudes of well-meaning but ignorant Christians have approached the field of spiritual battle with flippant attitudes and have suffered greatly for it. Study several books and seek confirmation from the Lord for your strategies. As it is written, "Prepare plans by consultation, and make war by wise guidance" (Proverbs 20:18).
Thus, our purpose here is to help equip you for battle in each of the three primary battlegrounds: the mind, the Church, and the heavenly places. There are other fields or subcategories of spiritual warfare; however, these are where most of us will face conflict.
One last note. A few of you will be instrumental in actually turning your cities toward God. Our prayer is that these chapters [of my book, The Three Battle Grounds below] will help guide and equip you for that goal. The promise of the Spirit speaks thus:
"There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 9:14-15).
While many are predicting the destruction of our nation and the collapse of our cities, they have not considered the power of Christ in you. But remember, "Wisdom is better than strength... Wisdom is better than weapons of war" (Ecclesiastes 9:16, 18).
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, The Three Battlegrounds.
Francis Frangipane
Ministries of Francis Frangipane
Email: francis1@frangipane.org
Website: frangipane.org
Francis Frangipane is the founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has traveled throughout the world ministering to thousands of pastors and intercessors from many backgrounds. Francis' heartfelt prayer is to see established in every city Christlike pastors and intercessors, united before God, revealing the love of Christ to their communities. Since 1985, he has written fourteen books, plus a number of study booklets. Over the past decades, Francis has served on a number of other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has gradually resigned from these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also retired from his position as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries. In this more simplified life, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God's Word.
