TLP 354: The Spiritual War in Your Home, Part 1 | the reality

Truth.Love.Parent.

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

This war is abnormal. Even though it's the longest -running war in the history of existence, and even though it's not going to come to an end for at least another thousand years, it's oddly foreign to us.

00:10

It's unfamiliar. In a way, it's forgettable. Welcome to Truth.

00:17

Love. Parents. Where we use God's Word to become intentional, premeditated parents.

00:24

Here's your host, A .M. Brewster. Hey, everyone. I know that a lot of you are interested in hearing who won our

00:29

Mama Bear Apologetics book giveaway that I promised to announce today on this show, but I got some good advice, and due to keeping each episode evergreen, we're going to announce that information on our book giveaway page.

00:41

It is there today. You can go there right now. Go to truthloveparent .com forward slash giveaways to see our current contests and see if you won our most recent one.

00:50

And I hope our run of recent interviews has blessed your heart and equipped you to meet the challenges of today in a more

00:56

Christ -honoring way. I really appreciate Joe, Kristen, Jay, Natasha, and Hilary for the time they spent with us, and I'm looking forward to introducing you to even more amazing people and fantastic resources as the year progresses.

01:08

For now, though, you should go to truthloveparent .com and check out our special guests page.

01:14

There you can find everyone who's ever been on the show and easily access their interviews, books, and websites.

01:20

Team TLP and I have been working hard to update every part of truthloveparent .com, so it's more user -friendly and valuable.

01:26

We want to be the premier source on the internet for all things biblical parenting, and I think we're moving in the right direction.

01:31

At least, that's what Shelley thinks. Check out this very kind review we recently received. Sound biblical teaching for families wanting to glorify

01:39

God in all things parenting. So thankful for this ministry. Thank you, Shelley, for taking the time to bless us with your words and help other

01:46

Christian parents discover how they can be the dad or mom God called and created them to be. If you'd like to leave us a review, we encourage you to do so on iTunes or Facebook.

01:55

Of course, if you consume TLP on a different app or provider, you're welcome to leave a review there, but right now, iTunes and Facebook are really important places to leave reviews because of the number of people who will encounter your review there.

02:06

It really only takes as long as you want to spend on it, so I hope you'll carve out some time out of your day to rate and review truthloveparent on iTunes and Facebook.

02:14

Remember, if you're a TLP family member, that's actually one of your family chores. If you're part of the TLP family and have no idea about what

02:22

I'm talking, because you didn't go to truthloveparent .com and set up your unique login, it probably means that you need to do that, all right, to access all the unique resources just for you and to see what

02:32

I mean when I talk about the TLP family chores. If you're unsure how to do that, you can Facebook message us or send an email to teamTLP at truthloveparent .com,

02:42

and we'll be more than happy to resend you the link so you can set up your password on our site and start perusing your exclusive content.

02:49

Of course, you don't have to be part of the TLP family to get access to our free episode notes and transcripts. Any TLP follower can get those at takingbackthefamily .com.

02:58

All right, that's all the housekeeping for today. Let's talk about the war going on in your home this very minute.

03:05

Thousands of years ago, there was peace between God and man, but evening and hadn't rotated enough times for Adam and Eve to start filling the earth with children before a war struck a blow at the very heart of the most glorious relationship in the universe—the relationship between Creator and creation.

03:22

But this war is abnormal. Even though it's the longest running war in the history of existence, and even though it's not going to come to an end for at least another thousand years, depending on your eschatology, it's oddly foreign to us.

03:35

It's unfamiliar. In a way, it's actually forgettable. The Bible is filled with allusions to soldiers and wartime mindsets, and yet the average professing

03:45

Christian stumbles throughout his daily existence blithely unaware of the very real battle in which he is right now participating.

03:53

Now, I wanted to start this series at the very beginning of April, but the content from season 13 went a little long, and I'm glad it did.

03:59

The content was great. But my original plan was not to start this discussion about a war a couple days before Easter.

04:06

But here we are, and in retrospect, I think it's appropriate to be commencing this series on the anniversary of one of the biggest battles in the history of the ultimate war we're discussing on this series.

04:16

Obviously, from the description of this war and the title of the show, you already know that our focus for the next few weeks is on spiritual warfare, and more specifically the spiritual warfare being waged in your home and with your family today, right now, this very minute.

04:31

But I want to say from the outset that this topic is massive. It's too massive. It's not infinite in scope, for only one being in the cosmos is truly infinite, but it's definitely far bigger and more powerful than the past, present, and future of all mankind put together.

04:47

It's definitely too big for this podcast. Let me just put it that way. But we must not dismiss it or pretend it's not happening simply because there's too much to discuss in a podcast format like this.

04:58

We have to do our due diligence, or we risk losing our families to the carnage and casualty of this very real, very present, and very dangerous spiritual war.

05:08

So along the way, I'll point you to other resources that you can use to deepen your understanding of this conflict.

05:13

All you have to do is join the TLP family at truthloveparents .com, and you'll be given access to a special page with additional study aids if you're interested in learning even more about this very important topic of spiritual warfare.

05:25

All you have to do is go to truthloveparent .com and join the TLP family by signing up with your email. It's that easy, and it's free.

05:33

I mentioned earlier that this war is forgettable, and it's in Satan's best interest that it is.

05:39

Of course, it's in our family's worst interest if we forget that we and our spouses and our kids are currently under attack.

05:44

Not only do we risk losing our families, I think we need to understand the nature of this war, if for no other reason than it will have a dramatic impact on how we parent, and how we live together as husband and wife, and on how our kids will interact with us and their siblings.

06:00

So I believe the place to start is simply discussing the reality of the conflict in general terms.

06:06

From there, we can get more specific as to the enemy we're fighting, the battlefield on which the war is fought, the weapons we employ in this conflict, and then even more specifically, how we are to engage with the enemy in this spiritual war.

06:18

So today we're going to talk about the dynamics of the war. We're going to prove from scripture that it is in fact happening, and hopefully better understand the realities of this epic conflict.

06:28

I think the best place to start is with the absolute, very foundational observation that everything in the universe exists on the physical plane, the spiritual plane, or both.

06:41

Let's define those quickly. The physical plane is the part of your experience that you can sense with your five senses.

06:47

If you can see it, touch it, smell it, feel it, or taste it, you're experiencing something physical. The spiritual plane is an existence that you cannot experience with the five senses.

06:57

This is the existence that is most often rejected by secular science because you can't apply the scientific method to it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

07:06

I don't really have time to argue and apologize for the spiritual reality. That's not really my goal for today.

07:12

I'm assuming that if you're listening to this show, you already know and believe that the spiritual realm exists.

07:17

If you're questioning or doubting that, I would encourage you to seek out a Christian apologist who can do a great job providing the evidence for the spiritual realm.

07:25

But honestly, the secular world, and by that I mean people who reject God and the supernatural, they've done a great job at least leaving the door open for the existence of the spiritual.

07:36

There are way too many things about the human brain they can't explain that can only be explained from the scriptures because humans are a complex physio -spiritual being.

07:46

But of course, I'm getting way ahead of myself, okay? It may be appropriate to refer to the spiritual realm maybe as a different dimension of existence, but I'm hesitant to use that word because of all the sci -fi and fantasy connotation.

07:59

Still, it's a good way to understand it. Our five senses have the ability to perceive the physical world, but there is another dimension to our existence that, in a way, overlays the physical.

08:10

It's not separate like a completely different dimension with no bridge in between. It's actually, it overlays and it touches everything in the physical.

08:17

It's invisible to our physical senses, but it's still just as real, maybe even more real, some may argue.

08:24

And everything in the universe, including God, exists in one, the other, or both simultaneously.

08:30

So let's start with the physical. All non -living things and non -sentient life exist only in the physical plane.

08:39

What's interesting, though, is that even though what I just said is true, the Bible reveals that non -living things and non -sentient life are at least aware of the spiritual realm.

08:49

Sometimes, I think, more aware than even humans are. Animals are aware of the spiritual realm. In Numbers 22, 22 -35, we learn about Balaam's donkey.

08:58

I encourage you to read that account. And even if you say that Balaam's donkey was a unique experience that perhaps all animals don't possess, we still have

09:06

Psalm 148, 7, 8, and 10. Quote, "...praise the Lord from the earth, sea monsters in all deeps, beasts in all cattle, creeping things, and winged fowl."

09:16

Unquote. And it's not just the animals. All creation is aware of God and attuned to give

09:21

Him the glory that He deserves. Rocks and trees praise the Lord. In Luke 19, 40,

09:27

Jesus says, "...I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out." In Isaiah 55, 12, we learn, "...for

09:34

you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of field will clap their hands."

09:44

Psalm 148 is this huge list of everyone and everything that should or does worship the Lord, and weather is one of the things on the list.

09:51

Psalm 148, 7 and 8, "...praise the Lord from the earth, fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind fulfilling

09:58

His word." Celestial bodies are also on that list, verses 1 through 5. "...praise the

10:03

Lord, praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights, praise Him all His angels, praise Him all His hosts, praise

10:09

Him sun and moon, praise Him all stars of light, praise Him highest heavens and the waters that are above the heavens.

10:16

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created." So, even though there are objects and life forms that exist solely on the physical plane, they are often more aware of the spiritual realities than humans are.

10:28

That's both very interesting and, I think, also very sad, but we'll get to that in a

10:36

Obviously, God the Father exists in this realm. In John 4, 24, Jesus says, "...God is spirit, and those who worship

10:42

Him must worship in spirit and truth." Yeah, but Aaron, I know, hold on a second, just wait.

10:47

There's also God the Holy Spirit. This one is obviously, you know, it's obvious enough, okay? I don't have to quote any verses about the

10:53

Holy Spirit. So, God exists purely in the spiritual realm. This is exactly what, in many ways, makes the spiritual realm more, quote -unquote, real than the physical.

11:03

The physical realm came into being at a point in time in history, and even though it will exist into eternity, the spiritual realm has always existed.

11:11

But, Aaron, stop interrupting. I know, we'll talk about it in a minute. Lastly, in the spiritual realm, we have angels and demons.

11:20

I won't spend much time on this right now, but I do want to point out that just because they can manifest themselves in physical form does not automatically mean that they exist in physical form, okay?

11:30

Now, for my favorite category. It's not my favorite because it's more special. If that were the case, then God the

11:35

Father and God the Holy Spirit would be less special. That's obviously not the case, and yet this final existence is unique for very special reasons.

11:43

I'm going to call it the physio -spiritual realm. This plane of existence is unique because the individual simultaneously exists in the physical and the spiritual realms at the same time.

11:55

First, we have man. Genesis 2 -7 informs us, "...then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."

12:05

In other translations, it talks about how he became a living soul. And here at TLP, we believe that man's body is physical, and that when it talks about God breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, that's the same word that's often translated spirit, and then man became a living soul.

12:21

So, the soul is the mix of the body and the spirit together. And I also want to read 1

12:27

Corinthians 15, 35 -58. It's a longer passage, but it's unique in that it describes the difference between our fallen physical bodies and the

12:35

Christian's future glorified physical bodies. But someone will say, "...how are the dead raised, and with what kind of body do they come?"

12:44

You fool. That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies, and that which you sow you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.

12:54

But God gives it a body just as he wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.

13:05

There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earth is another.

13:12

There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.

13:18

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body.

13:25

It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

13:34

Now, we need to stop here and point out that Paul is not saying that mankind will one day be purely spiritual. This word is used to describe many things, including men who live in such a way that they please

13:44

God. They are still physical men, but they are spiritual in that they align their lives with God's will.

13:50

In the same way, the quote -unquote spiritual body to which Paul refers is not to be contrasted with physical bodies, it is to be contrasted with the natural or the worldly -minded body stained by the sin nature, whereas the spiritual body is free from sin.

14:04

I just needed to clarify that so that we would come to the correct conclusions. Continuing on, if there is a natural body, then there is also a spiritual body.

14:13

So also it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a life -giving spirit.

14:19

However, the spiritual is not the first but the natural, then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthly.

14:26

The second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy. As is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

14:33

Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

14:44

Behold, I tell you a mystery. You will not all sleep but will all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet.

14:51

For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable and this mortal must put on immortality.

15:01

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

15:09

Oh, death, where is your victory? Oh, death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.

15:15

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the

15:24

Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. The whole glorious purpose of Paul's discussion is to celebrate the fact that man will continue to exist in a physio -spiritual state, but that we will be free from sin and death.

15:40

Amen and amen. But mankind is not the only being to be both physical and spiritual, okay?

15:48

Yes, just as some of you have suspected and earlier you were trying to interrupt me, this category does include

15:54

God, specifically God the Son. In Philippians 2, 5 through 8, we read, "...have

15:59

this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond -servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

16:13

Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

16:19

And in John 1, 14, we learn that "...the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory and glory as of the only begotten from the

16:27

Father, full of grace and truth." Now, we can't take the time to grapple with the realities of the

16:33

Trinity or the hypostatic union of Christ, but it's safe to say that God exists in both spiritual and physical form, specifically because the person of Jesus Christ is both

16:42

God and man. However, that's not to say that God the Father or the Holy Spirit exist in physical form.

16:48

They don't. It would be doctrinally inaccurate to say that. But I think this enhances the beauty of this plane of existence.

16:55

Nothing else in creation was given the ability to span both realms. Even God himself, before the incarnation of Christ, was not physical.

17:04

Again, this doesn't diminish in any way God in his spiritual existence. It just makes man's position unique. It's this uniqueness of his position that required that God had to take on physical form in order to redeem him.

17:16

Physical blood spilled by physical beings couldn't save a physio -spiritual being, and a purely spiritual being couldn't purchase the redemption of physio -spiritual beings.

17:25

Jesus had to become a man in order to provide the substitutionary atonement for mankind, but he also had to be

17:31

God in order to accomplish the infinite physical and spiritual feat. Again, we just don't have the time to get into the details of any of these concepts.

17:39

For now, though, just know that your family is different than all of your material possessions and the nature around you and your pets because you exist in both the physical and spiritual planes.

17:49

Forgetting that fact is not just dangerous, it's actually damning. But let's finish off our time today understanding how this spiritual war began and how we were pulled into it.

17:59

The very first battle started on the purely spiritual plane and bled over into the physical. Isaiah 14, 12 through 14 reveals the consequence of the very first sin, as Lucifer allowed himself to imagine that he deserved

18:12

God's authority in worship. How have you fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, sun of the dawn?

18:18

You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations. But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven,

18:24

I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.

18:30

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. But before he was thrown down to earth,

18:36

Satan deceived many of the angelic hosts to join him in his destined -to -fail heavenly coup. Revelation 7, 12 through 9 speaks of the ancient moment when

18:44

Satan and his demons attempted to usurp God's authority. And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon.

18:51

The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

18:58

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, who was called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.

19:04

He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. It was at that moment that the spiritual war broke in on the physical realm, and Satan turned his attack from a direct frontal assault against God to focus on the proverbial apple of God's eye, mankind.

19:19

From the temptation of Eve until the blinding of the nations during the Millennial Kingdom, Satan's one goal has been to steal the glory of God for himself.

19:27

And if he can't win over the adoration of man, he'll do everything he can to keep man from adoring God. Now, we've used the balance of our time, but there's one more absolutely important observation that must be made.

19:39

We're going to spend much more time discussing it later in the series, but I want to introduce the idea right now. There is a battle waging in your family, and this battle does involve every member of your family, but your battle is not against your family.

19:55

This is a spiritual war. It's not a physical war. The physical parts of your spouse and children are not your enemy.

20:02

In fact, only a small portion of their spiritual existence can even be considered the enemy. I can't take time to explain it now, but I will quote

20:09

Ephesians 6 .12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

20:23

Too many dads and moms are pitting themselves against their children. Too many spouses are battling against one another.

20:29

Too many children view their parents as the enemy. This is not true. The real enemy is laughing hysterically at all the professing

20:37

Christians who should be enlisted to wage war against our real spiritual enemies, but who are instead filling their homes with friendly fire.

20:45

We're not attacking the problem, we're attacking the people, and our families are suffering for it. We're not only bruised, beaten, and battered by our real enemies, we're taking fatal damage from the people who should be on our side.

20:57

Let me be clear. Too many Christians listening to my voice today are actually helping the enemy destroy their families because they view one or more of their family members as being the enemy, and they are not.

21:09

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Please remember this and share this episode on your favorite social media outlets.

21:17

Christian families need to wake up to the very real spiritual war being waged in their homes. If we want our children to grow up into Christ, we must parent in truth and love.

21:26

That means that we need to understand the truth of this spiritual war and stop unlovingly attacking our fellow soldiers.

21:32

To that end, please join us next time as we continue our discussion of the spiritual war in your home and unveil the false enemy in this epic battle in which your family is engaged today.

21:42

And don't forget to join the TLP family so you can access all the exclusive content to help you deepen your understanding of God's word and apply it to your parenting.

21:51

Truth. Love. Parents is part of the Evermind Ministries family and is dedicated to helping you become an intentional premeditated parent.

22:02

Join us next time as we search God's word for the truth your family needs today.