Warfare: The Call to Arms in 2011 by Peter Grasso

Warfare: The Call to Arms in 2011 by Peter Grasso
on Thursday, 30 December 2010 at 20:56 - Facebook Notes

Often we forget that Spiritual Warfare is violent

During the past three months, I began reflecting and studying God’s word concerning the increasing evil within this world and on Spiritual Warfare. Throughout this time, I also began approaching the throne of grace; asking deep questions regarding Satan's kingdom and the seemingly helplessness of the saints to evoke the power of the Holy Spirit in faith to break down the strongholds of the enemy. I found myself crying out as I echoed the prophet Habakkuk, while tears rolled from my face concerning the fate of the lost, along with the walking dead that fill our neighborhoods and our churches. How long O’LORD? How Long? 400,000 churches in America and we are dried up as a branch that is fit only to be consumed by fire!




Habakkuk 1:2-4




How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? I cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.



As I travailed throughout this time of prayer, fasting, and seeking God’s wisdom, I found myself very much in a dry valley experience. I was oppressed on all sides of my life from the physical, to the mental, to the spiritual, and even in my workplace. The valley that the Lord brought me through was a path of quiet dryness.



My prayers were hollow and strained. I also found myself in periods of great loneliness without the still, small, voice of the Holy Spirit giving me direction.I was confused, tired, and worn down. Often, I would seek my brothers and sisters in Christ to hold me up in prayer for this path were very difficult to traverse.



To make matters worse, those who were praying for me were also being attacked on levels I have never seen before. I found myself also praying for others who were going through life threatening illnesses, major family problems, financial ruin, depression, and oppression. What I did not know at the time was that the Lord was instructing me in the art of Spiritual Warfare that I have only understood from a cursory standpoint.




The one word that resonates to this day as we approach 2011 is WARRIOR.



The Lord is preparing and calling the Faithful to be WARRIORS and to engage in SPIRITUAL WARFARE! This truth was further confirmed with my prayer partner last night.



Warfare is Violent and BLOODY:





As graphically illustrated within the caption picture of David standing over the decapitated Goliath, the Christian often forgets that warfare is very violent and bloody. Goliath represented the kingdom of Satan and the rulers, powers, principalities, and dominions of this world. Likewise, David appropriately represents the duty of the soldier of Christ in our response. After much reflection, prayer, and biblical exposition, I realize now that our response to spiritual powers is not by casting them out or by building shields and towers of protection, but by attacking them within their strongholds and by decapitating the rulers so that they cannot fight again.



Consider the following scriptures carefully and prayerfully. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NKJV)



For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ



Furthermore…



Proverbs 21:22

A wise man scales [attacks] the city of the mighty, And brings down [destroys] the trusted stronghold.



Beloved, I feel from within the deep recesses of my soul that in 2011 it will be our time for His Glory and to break down strongholds. We also need to STOP casting out the demons, powers, rulers, and principalities. INSTEAD we are to bind them by the authority of the Almighty and to cast them into everlasting torment ahead of the schedule time. We are to attack the strongholds of the enemy, to bind the enemy by the authority within us, and by that authority, which Jesus has given us; then command them into the eternal pit before the appointed time.



Luke 8:30-31 (Amplified Bible)



Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he answered, Legion; for many demons had entered him. And they begged [Jesus] not to command them to depart into the Abyss (bottomless pit).



...why did the legion beg Jesus? Because he had the authority TO COMMAND THEM to depart INTO THE ABYSS



Revelation 9:1




THEN THE fifth angel blew [his] trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth; and to the angel was given the key of the shaft of the Abyss (the bottomless pit).



This tells us that although there will be release of the demons after the Saints are united with Jesus during the end times. The pit exists, it contains evil spirits as mentioned in Genesis, and is more than sufficient to hold a number of others as we bind them and command them to depart by the authority that the Lord has given us.



To Win a War, the Enemy must be Rendered Incapable to Engage in Battle:



As I mentioned earlier, I have never been so attacked in all my life as I began to ponder the aspects of successful warfare. To win a war, you must eliminate the enemy’s ability to fight.This is NOT accomplished by scattering them around and by building defensive hedges. Neither is this done by huddling within the safety of the sanctuary. By doing so, we are only enabling the enemy to fight again as we get worn down!



The strategy needs to change to include our method of prayer, fasting, and petitioning. John 15:5 states that apart from Jesus we can do nothing. This scripture is of significant importance for we are incapable as sheep to take on wolves. However, we were grafted into the vine [Jesus], as branches to bear fruit for the Kingdom. We serve a KING that commissions us as a military force to advance His Kingdom. The Lord has equipped us by his Grace to engage in fruitful progression and to open the eyes of those blinded by Satan’s Kingdom.



We do this by arresting and capturing the Powers, Principalities, Dominions, and Rulers that are the source of blindness by the authority given us through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT; commanding them into the pit and removed from the battlefield.




v17 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, v18 By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), v19 And [so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places],



Far ABOVE all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.



[Stop and consider these verses carefully. Jesus was raised ABOVE all rulers, authorities, powers, dominions and every name within this world and the spiritual forces within.]



Continuing...



Ephesians 2: 1-3 (Amplified Version)



AND YOU [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins. In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].



[Stop and consider again these verses. We were lost and without Christ, and we actually followed the prince of darkness and were servants to evil, producing bad fruit and wickedness. That is one of the reasons that Satan continuously reminds us of our past Allegiances in order to keep us from following our new King – the Lord of Mercy and Grace.For the saved in Christ, we now serve our KING of kings. We are his chosen, enlisted, and commissioned to serve the light as warriors (Note: "Commissioned" is the term used for officers who are appointed by the King to lead in military matters).



Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God's] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind



[This section is critical for the believer to understand fully]



But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).



And He raised us up together with Him (ABOVE ALL powers, principalities, dominions, and ruler) and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).



[Furthermore, it was by this act of grace that we were brought into the light of truth by his adoptive mercy as we have been commissioned into HIS Kingdom. We are therefore heirs and joint heirs with Christ. And as adoptive sons and daughters of the Living God, we have obtained the authority and privileges associated with our adoptive state that is ABOVE all demonic forces.]



So what does this mean?



We have the authority as sons and daughters of the King to evoke our authority against the powers, principalities, and rulers according to His purpose and for His Glory.



The Challenges of 2011 is to give Rise to Warriors for Christ who are Determined to:







1) Pray specifically and unceasingly for their families, relatives, neighbors, community, leaders, and the nation in a manner that targets demonic rulers as a sniper would target an enemy high-value target. Remembering that the person in darkness is NOT THE ENEMY but the principality and ruler that blinds them IS. Therefore, our strategy is to identify and target them for capture and elimination to the pit.



2) To form prayer teams to actively engaged in breaking down strongholds for our neighborhoods and cities in the areas of Pornography, Divorce, Drug Addition, etc.Calling each out by name and commanding their departure to the pit as the Holy Spirit leads us.



3) To pray for the Holy Spirit to direct our thoughts and actions to seize upon divine opportunities to speak truth and light to those lost and to command authority of all demonic influences that hinders our progress.To raise the banner of Jesus in ALL we do; preaching the WORD in GRACE and in TRUTH; regardless if politically correct or not. With humility and grace, we are to be bold in truth, rich in forgiveness, with a spirit of gentleness. We are to represent Christ in ALL we do for His Glory.



4) In humility, we are to cut the head off of the Goliaths that command dominion as we pray to the Lord to reveal the enemy so we can direct our prayers and actions accordingly.



Let each demonic ruler, principality, and power SCREAM in fear whenever a Man or Woman of GOD awakes for they know that their strongholds will be breached as multitudes of Satan’s commanders are ushered into the abyss in complete horror and torment and as JESUS is raised high without obstruction by His faithful WARRIORS!



Finally, we must ALWAYS be mindful to pray that the Lord will continue to reduce our OWN EGO (a stepping stone for Satan), while increasing the Love of JESUS in our lives. In doing so, Jesus is lifted up, whereby ALL will flock to Him. Failure to do this will make us cynical and angry, verses compassionate and merciful -- "because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires" (James 1:20).



Blessings in 2011 for His Glory,

Minister Peter