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UNDERSTANDING WARFARE – (Complexity of Warfare) – Expanded insights from Graham Taylor’s Message
Our Supreme Purpose: To establish God’s will for humanity (Eccl12:13, Heb10:7)
The enemy’s Purpose: To steal, kill and destroy (Jn10:10)
Complexity – we are moving to mature understanding, away from xtianity by clichés – Heb6:1‐3
1. There is more than one enemy Ex23:23,27‐30
a. Advance will be little by little –v30. Why? Because the wild animals will be too much (they are the
other enemy in the background)
b. Deut7:21‐22 => This indicates the enemy is not the reason things seem slow. God himself slowed
the process down, not because of the obvious enemy (Canaanites), but cos of the wild animals
(lurking in the background).
6 PRINCIPLES of WARFARE
• As carriers of accurate present truth (a reformation people), we are commissioned by God primarily to
defeat wrong concepts and religious traditions that masquerade as the faith in people’s minds (Canaanites –
the declared enemy), and bring about an accurate understanding of the faith in people’s minds.
• There is another enemy in the background which needs to be kept under control ‐ the wild animals. Canaan
is not heaven. Canaan is the earth, i.e. this age (there are no threats in heaven)
• Until you can offer a solid alternative, you cannot declare the old as obsolete
• The enemy’s enemy is not your friend. The wild animals attacked the Canaanites. There are certain things
that will attack both the truth and false forms of the faith.
o 2Chro16:1‐6 King Asa (of Judah) aligned with his enemy’s enemy (King of Syria). It looked like a great
idea.
o The Prophetic brought God’s view of the matter, and pierced through performances and shallow
success to reveal divine intent (2Chro16:7‐14) v9 – Heart condition is uppermost
o How Islam came to Egypt (North Africa used to be predominantly Christian. One of two fighting
factions of xtianity made a treaty with the Islamic army to defeat the other faction. Once they came
in, that was the end of xtianity in North Africa).
• Strength is required to defeat the declared enemy, but more importantly, to defeat the background enemy
(wild animals). Ex23:30
o E.g. Gay marriages (wild animals) is opposed by even the unreformed church. An unreformed church
can also serve a divine purpose for a while.
o Saul vs David (a picture of true church vs false church), but Saul (unreformed church) was also still
fighting the philistines (wild animals).
o Some of the Canaanites got saved (e.g. Rahab who became a hero of faith) but none of the wild
animals got saved.
• What do WILD ANIMALS do? (These are spiritual forces in the background, not impure forms of the faith) –
e.g. Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria
o Lev 26:21‐22 They take away the next generation, they are totally anti‐God, they remove your ability
to influence. The faith becomes largely ignored or mocked. That typically describes many parts of
our world today.
2. There must be discernment of right and wrong alliances. Some look good on surface, but are bad. Some look
bad, but are good.
a. Ez 4:1‐3 There was an offer of alliance by so called senior/experienced people that claimed to know
God, but God’s people discerned and rejected.
b. 1Kings5:1, 7:13‐14 The temple represents the church. Consultants from outside helped build the
temple i.e. church. This was possibly needed ‘cos there was no one in Israel (in the Church) who had
that kind of skill. On the surface, you would condemn this, but it was from God. (e.g. Poju Oyemade
brings people from society to build God’s people).
c. Example ‐ Abraham – Gen14:13,21‐23 He was allied to the amorites/lot, so he fought for them, but
he rejected any kind of relationship with the king of Sodom after the battle.
d. Example ‐ 2Chro17:1‐5 Jehoshaphat did well at inception. He first followed truth, not tradition. In
2Chro18:1 he allied with Ahab. The prophetic came to correct him in 2Chro19:1‐2. We align based
on heart condition. Even though Hiram was a heathen, he had the right heart. 1King5:7
3. We must not confuse principles with tradition
a. Jehoshaphat aligned with Ahab based on sentiment and tradition, rather than by heart and the
demands of the present day. You cannot sacrifice truth for unity. Truth is the basis for unity. He
repented but allied again with Ahaziah in 2Chro20:35. He could not break off the mindset. The
prophetic came again to condemn him – 2Chro20:37
b. 2Chro21:3‐4 His love for tradition led to loss yet again. He gave Jehoram the kingdom ‘cause of the
1st born tradition. He observed tradition, instead of looking at the heart. That led to disaster. David
made Solomon king (but Solomon was not the 1st born). Jehoram went ahead to marry Ahab’s
daughter
c. The Pharisee spirit – at heart is a confusion of heart with principle. Mark7:13 – Jesus said they
nullified the word thru traditions. They perceive incorrectly, because they feel tradition is principle.
i.e. They have not received revelation from the word.
d. The discomfort of the flesh, or a mystical geeling does not always indicate the prompting of the
Spirit. To have an accurately informed conscience, you need revelation from the word and a solid
mind that can think issues through (the mind of Christ).
4. We must discern between what we can accept from the world, and what to reject/repudiate.
Sometimes, we can learn from the world, but most times, we resist the world.
a. Matt8:5‐10 Centurion – he picked a principle from authority patterns in the world, and by inference
explained how it worked in the spiritual realm.
b. Matt20:25 ‐28 – On the same issue of authority, Jesus says don’t take the example of the world
system. Do the opposite.
c. When we interact with the world, (movies, songs,..e.t.c) we must continually screen and sift by the
WORD, what to accept and what to reject. However, there are many subliminal messages that the
enemy tries to introduce in the midst of a generally good value. (it’s part of warfare)
d. Jer51:24‐26 do not use the stones of Babylon (principles of Babylon) as your foundation.
5. Issues of timing:
When God gives a command, when do we obey?
a. Sometimes we do instantly – When God asked Joseph and Mary to leave Egypt, they left in the
middle of the night – instantly! Matt2:13‐14, David and Abigail ‐ 1Sam25:32‐34
b. Sometimes it requires waiting – Jericho – 7 days, Gen15:16 – God told Abraham the sons of Israel
would not come out till the sins of Amorites was full (an activity that is not dependent on Israel).
Some issues of timing are totally outside our control. God is sovereign and He works at many levels
6. Avoid unnecessary battles –
a. 2Chro35:20 – 21 Josiah went to fight a heathen King who was on another assignment commissioned
by God. Josiah would not listen, and a one‐time mistake killed him. He did not recognize the voice of
God because it came from a heathen king. (Jeremiah was around at this time. No word came from a
‘recognized’ prophet at this time). God chose to speak through Pharaoh. Be prepared to hear God
speak through unconventional means. The key requirement is discernment.
b. Rom12:17 – 19 Live at peace as much as is possible ‐ unless when it means compromise. Rom14:19 –
Do what leads to peace and mutual edification. Avoid strife.
c. Dan1:8‐16 Daniel negotiated without confrontation. You can avoid strife without sacrificing
principle.
d. Sometimes, you have to face direct confrontation – Daniel and the Lions, The 3 Hebrew kids.
7. Absolute dependence upon the Lord –
a. Rom8:26 – Prayer does not refer to a separate segment of life. Prayer refers to access to the
guidance system for all of life. Absolute dependence upon the guidance system of the Spirit.
Adetayo Bamiduro
@adetayobamiduro (Twitter)