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Jesus' Example of Obedience
One of the most amazing verses in the New Testament is Hebrews 5:8 which reads: " Son (of God) though he was, he learned obedience through suffering." That's because in The Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was faced with the choice between going to the Cross in agony of body, soul and spirit, or avoiding all the suffering. That's why he prayed three times: " Father, if it is at all possible, take the cup of your wrath at human sin from my having to drink from it. Nevertheless, Father, not my will but your will be done."
To see how Jesus showed us his example all his life, go to Jesus' Strategy for Warfare
Enforcing The Victory Christ Won At Calvary
The apostle James in his letter spells out God's strategy for enforcing the victory Christ won for us at Calvary in Chapter 4 verse 7 -
A. SUBMITTING TO GOD & THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST (James 4:7a)
As Paul emphasised in Ephesians 6:12 the warfare is not ultimately against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of wickedness in the cosmos. It is therefore essential to follow Jesus' example of surrendering to the Father's will by surrendering to the LORDship of Christ at the start and by putting on the protective armour God has supplied, which Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-18. To do this go to Called & Commissioned in God's Army and Putting On The Whole Armour Of God
B. RESISTING THE DEVIL (James 4:7b)
Resisting the devil involves -
A. Removing the Legal Authority Given to Satan through sin to harass us and keep us in bondage to him
Satan is a legalist who accuses God's children of sin and demands God's permission to harass them (Job 1:6-12; Zechariah 3:1-7; James 5:13-16; 1 John 1:5-10)
Removing the legal authority given to Satan involves -
1. Confession, Repentance & Renunciation of Sin and rebellion against God by going my own way
2. Forgiveness of all those who have hurt me
B. Exercising the Authority Jesus has given us in the power of the Holy Spirit to bind the strong man and plunder his possessions
This involves -
1. Listening to the Holy Spirit guiding us how to pray against the enemy using words of knowledge and wisdom
2. Using Scripture as the Spirit guides as the Sword of the Spirit against enemy forces
3. Asking questions about what is happening (as Jesus did in Mark 8:24 and Mark 10:51)
4. Coming against the enemy in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ and commanding him to leave the person's body, soul and spirit and not to return
5. Praying for the Holy Spirit to fill the vacuum and seal every spiritual door shut.