Last week in a season of some of the most intense "Spiritual Warfare" I have expereinced in a long time, I was reading a Reader's Digest...

I know.  That should read. "Last week in a season of the most intense Spiritual Warfare I have experienced in a long time, I was praying in the spirit, rebuking the enemy, and praying God's word, while dancing and worshipping throughout my home."  But unfortunately, it is accurate as it first appears- I was reading a "Reader's Digest " magazine.

As I turned to an article about online scams entitiled "Fight Back!"  I virtually snapped out of  my "warfare induced funk." 

God did not care that I was not looking in the Bible at the moment-He cared to get a message to me through whatever means He could.  He knew I would choose Readers Digest over His Word at that moment and HE chose to meet me and instruct me ANYWAY.  "Ok Lord," I said, "Show me how." 

(By the way, God is God.  He can chose to instruct you through Readers' Digest if HE wants to.  Don't get me wrong, I highly recommend reading His word for instruction, but He WILL meet you where you are, and He is sovereign and omnitient and knows where that is).

Later I was making some eggs for my son.  I opened the egg carton, and their advertisement for keeping from contracting salmonila while preparing eggs was printed on the lid..."Fight Bac!" (fight bacteria).

Ok, ok...I get the message, I just need to know how.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."  (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

STOP.  What?  I am to fight against "powers of the dark world, rulers, and authorities?"  In "heavenly realms?"  Lets not breeze by that part!  What in the world?...Or should I say "What in the HEAVENS!!?"

How do I do that ?

Psalm 149  (Stick with me, this is long, but let's read the whole thing)

Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.

2 O Israel, rejoice in your Maker.
   O people of Jerusalem, exult in your King.
3 Praise his name with dancing,
   accompanied by tambourine and harp.
4 For the Lord delights in his people;
   he crowns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them.
   Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
   and a sharp sword in their hands—
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
   and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with shackles
   and their leaders with iron chains,
9 to execute the judgment written against them.
   This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

 This is the same passage in The Message translation

Psalm 149

Hallelujah!
Sing to God a brand-new song,
praise him in the company of all who love him.

2 Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator,
   Zion's children exult in their King.
3 Let them praise his name in dance;
   strike up the band and make great music!
4 And why? Because God delights in his people,
   festoons plain folk with salvation garlands!

5 Let true lovers break out in praise,
sing out from wherever they're sitting,
6 Shout the high praises of God,
brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance — 
7 A portent of vengeance on the God-defying nations,
a signal that punishment's coming,
8 Their kings chained and hauled off to jail,
their leaders behind bars for good,
9 The judgment on them carried out to the letter
— and all who love God in the seat of honor!
Hallelujah!

150 Hallelujah!
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
 

In verses 8 and 9, who do you think the "kings, and leaders" are that are refered to? The very same " rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." 

So we could say, verses 8 and 9 of Psalm 149 could read:

8 to bind their rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world" with shackles
and "the spiritual forces in the heavelny realms" with iron chains,
9 to execute the judgment written against them.
This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

This is our privelege!  We get to whoop up on principlaities, and it is a "glorious privelege."

And we do this by, (quoting the Message version verses 5 and 6),

Let true lovers break out in praise,
sing out from wherever they're sitting,
6 Shout the high praises of God,
brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance

I love it!  Brandish your sword in the wild sword dance!  Break out in praise from wherever you are sitting! Wherever I am sitting? I just got a GREAT mental image of sitting in Chilis and spontaneously breaking out in shouting and a "wild sword dance."  None of you would want to be with me that day, would you? 

Let's finish with the rest of Ephesians 6:13, which tells us about the armor we are to wear when wielding these swords from our mouths:

Eph 6:13-18

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Did anyone else notice that the Bible says "after the battle you will be standing firm?"

in the NIV it says, "after you have done everything, to stand" (Eph. 6:13).

The armor is to stand AFTER YOU HAVE DONE EVERYTHING.

God wants us to learn to fight.  He doesn't want us to put on the armor and stop there!  There are specific "Military Strategy Tactics," that are specified in Psalms 149.  This is how we "Fight Back."

Lastly consider Isaiah 30:32

"Every stroke the Lord lays on them with his punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm."

If God defeates Assyria to the music of tambourines and harps, and in Psalm 149 we are instructed to  " Sing to the Lord a new song...praise His name with dancing, and make music to him with the tambourine and harp,"  (NIV), then why are we  just sitting here!!! This is a KEY to defeating our enemy. WORSHIP.  Worship like crazy- shout in the assembly of the saints-dance a "wild sword dance!" 

I don't know about you, but I don't think we can afford not to anymore.  If this is the secret to seeing my enemies bound in chains and put  away for good, then may I look a fool as I spin a whirling dervish and shout his praise at the top of my lungs.