OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE WARFARE

OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE WARFARE

Neither give place to the Devil. (Ephesians 4:27)

INTRODUCTION
There are two types of warfare in the natural world: Offensive and defensive. The Bible also
teaches both defensive and offensive spiritual strategies. You must learn to fight both
defensively and offensively. The only other option is desertion, which is unacceptable.
This lesson provides an introduction to both offensive and defensive warfare. The following two
chapters examine in detail your defensive and offensive spiritual weapons.

DEFENSIVE WARFARE
Defensive warfare is battle waged to defend territory. It is warfare that waits for the enemy to
strike, then pulls its forces together in defensive response. The defender must respond to his
opponent and his decisions are forced on him by the attacker. This type of warfare does not
advance into enemy territory. It defends territory already claimed. It is important, however,
because the spiritual forces of evil are constantly attacking you as a believer. If you do not know
how to defend yourself, you will become a victim of these attacks.

OFFENSIVE WARFARE
Offensive warfare is aggressive warfare. It is not a warfare of waiting and responding in defense.
It is warfare which takes the initiative of attack. The enemy is identified, his strategy recognized,
and offensive advances against him are made in the spirit world. In offensive warfare the
attacker has the advantage of making decisions first. Offensive warfare gains territory rather than
defends it.
Offensive advances are the only type of spiritual warfare which will reach the world with the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot remain in our comfortable homes and churches and practice
defensive strategies only. The army of God must advance into enemy territory. It must go to the
strongholds of Satan with the power of the Gospel message. We must wage aggressive offensive
spiritual battle.

THE COMMON FACTOR
There is one thing in common about offensive and defensive warfare. Both involve personal
action by the believer. In natural warfare, unused weapons do not inflict causalities on the enemy
nor win wars. The same is true in the spirit world. Your spiritual weapons are affected by your
will to use them. It is true that God empowers for battle, but you have a personal responsibility
in both defensive and offensive spiritual strategies.
In Old Testament battles, the Lord fought for and with His people, Israel. But first, they had to
position themselves on the battlefield. When God sees a spiritual weapon being used in His
name and a man or woman on the battlefield daring to attempt the impossible, the Lord of Hosts
is moved to action.
Read the story of Elisha in II Kings 13:14-19. In this object lesson using the bow and arrows,
there are some spiritual parallels that will help you understand your part in the warfare:

1. DEMONSTRATE YOUR INTENTION TO FIGHT:
   Elisha told King Joash, "Take up the bow and arrows." Paul said, "Take the sword of the Spirit"
   and declare war. By taking up your offensive and defensive weapons, you are demonstrating
   your intention to fight.

2. PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE WEAPON:
   Elisha told the king to put his hands upon the bow, then Elisha laid his hands upon the king's
   hands. The strategy for victory is your hand upon the weapon and His hand over yours.

3. OPEN THE WINDOW:
   Open up the window of the place where the enemy is victorious. Israel's foe was to the east, so
   Elisha told the king to open the window eastward. God wants you to open up the "windows" of
   every area of your life to expose the failure, defeat, and bondage of the enemy.

4. SHOOT:
   Elisha told the king, "Shoot," and the king shot. Then Elisha said, "The Lord's arrow of victory
   over Syria." The open window is not enough. The weapon in your hand is not sufficient. Even
   God's hand upon your hand will not win the battle. You must follow the command of the Lord of
   Host to "SHOOT!" This is your part in the warfare...to actually use the weapon that is in your
   hand which is guided by the hand of the Lord.

5. KNOW THE OBJECTIVE:
   Elisha told the King to take the arrows and hit them upon the ground as a symbol of his victory
   over Syria. The king did so, but he "smote thrice and stayed (stopped)." Elisha told him that
   because he limited God by hitting the ground only three times, his military victory would be
   limited. This happened because the King did not understand the objective of warfare. Elisha had
   said the Lord wanted to totally consume the enemy (verse 17). By striking the ground only three
   times, the King settled for only partial victory.
   The Lord's objective for you is total victory in every area of your life and ministry. If you fail to
   understand this objective then your victory will be limited.

6. WIN FIRST IN THE SECRET CHAMBER:
   What happened between Elisha and King Joash in the secret chamber that day determined the
   outcome of the battle with Syria. It is what happens in the secret "chamber" with the Lord that
   determines your victories in the actual battles of life.

DEVICES OF SATAN
Basic to both offensive and defensive warfare is knowledge of the strategies of Satan:
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his
devices. (II Corinthians 2:11)
The word "devices" means a scheme, project, plot or underhanded plan of evil character. Satan
can gain advantage over you when you are ignorant of his devices and fail to respond in offensive
and defensive battle.

THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Earlier in this course you learned of the spiritual force of good known as the Holy Spirit. The
Holy Spirit is important in both offensive and defensive warfare. The Holy Spirit knows the
strategies of Satan and intercedes for believers engaged in battle:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we
should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered....because He maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
The Holy Spirit gives power to claim enemy territory:
But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
Gifts of the Holy Spirit are valuable weapons of offensive and defensive battle. The gifts of the
word of knowledge and the word of wisdom provide supernatural revelation for spiritual warfare.
The gift of discerning of spirits reveals the deception of the enemy.
The special gifts of pastor, prophet, apostle, evangelist and teacher assist in equipping us for
battle. The speaking gifts of the Holy Spirit provide special instructions from God and the
serving gifts of the Spirit enable the army of God to move forward in spiritual advance.

WRESTLING: A NATURAL PARALLEL OF SPIRITUAL TRUTH
One of the most powerful verses on offensive spiritual combat is...
For we WRESTLE not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)
God's choice of the word "wrestle" is significant. Wrestling is a natural parallel of a great
spiritual truth. Wrestling in the natural world is a sport of mastery in strength. To wrestle means
"to contend in struggle for power over an opponent."
Consider these facts about wrestling in the natural world as applied to your spiritual warfare:

1. PREPARATION AND TRAINING:
   A wrestler in the natural world must train to be successful at his sport. He must practice
   wrestling. He must have a proper diet. He must learn the rules of wrestling and they must be
   carefully followed to win the match.
   A believer must learn the rules of spiritual warfare in order to be victorious. A proper "diet" of
   God's Word and prayer is necessary for successful spiritual wrestling. As in wrestling in the
   natural world, skill is gained through practice.
   The primary purpose of training in the natural world is to prepare the wrestler to perform at peak
   efficiency while experiencing the least amount of fatigue. This is true also in the spirit world.
   Some people are easily fatigued and defeated spiritually because they are not properly trained for
   spiritual warfare.

2. THE NATURE OF THE STRUGGLE:
   Individual championship wrestling is not a team sport. When a wrestler tires there is no
   substitute team member to send in. Wrestling involves intimate, face to face, personal contact
   with the opponent.
   The same is true in the spirit world. Believers are involved in intimate, face to face combat with
   the enemy. No other believer can take your place in this spiritual combat. There are no "time
   outs" in wrestling as in other sports. There are no "time outs" in the spiritual world either. Satan
   never rests from this war. The believer must never be off guard.

3. THE STRATEGIES:
   There are both offensive and defensive strategies in natural wrestling which are applicable in the
   spiritual world. Stalling is one technique used in wrestling. Stalling avoiding confrontation with
   an opponent. Points are lost in the judging system for stalling. You also "lose points" when you
   "stall" spiritually and do not aggressively wrestle your enemy. Some believers spend their entire
   lives stalled in confrontation with the enemy. They never aggressively wrestle and gain the
   victory.

4. UPSET BALANCE:
   Another important strategy in natural wrestling is to upset the balance of the opponent. Once an
   opponent's balance has been destroyed, he is kept struggling to regain it.
   The Bible speaks much of the importance of balance or "temperance." One of the strategies of
   Satan in the spiritual realm is to try to upset balance. Many cults have resulted because of
   improper balance on doctrinal issues. Homes, church fellowships, and even nations have been
   defeated because of improper balance by wrong emphasis or lack of emphasis in certain areas.
   There are two types of balance involved in wrestling: Physical and mental balance. Before
   physical balance can be destroyed, mental balance must first be attacked. To accomplish this, a
   strategy of surprise is used. A move is initiated that is distracting and a surprising. While the
   wrestler focuses on this, the intended technique is applied. By leading an opponent to believe
   some move is about to be attempted, he will try to avoid the imagined danger and leave himself
   open to the actual attack.
   How true this is in the spiritual world! Satan upsets balance through the strategy of surprise. He
   upsets your mental balance by distracting attacks and while you are fearfully focused on these, he
   launches his intended assault in another area of your life.

5. ANTICIPATION:
   Anticipation is important in natural wrestling. A wrestler who can discern when a particular
   move is going to be made is usually able to block or counter attack. When the intended move is
   made it is not as likely to be successful since it is anticipated and the wrestler is prepared.
   The same is true in the spirit world. If you are not ignorant of Satan's devices and anticipate his
   strategies then you are prepared. You are not thrown off balance when attacks occur.

6. BAITING:
   There are moves in wrestling which are made to "bait" an opponent, to tempt and entice him into
   making a move which will weaken his position. In the spirit world Satan is constantly tempting
   you to moves which will weaken your spiritual position.
   In natural wrestling, moves are planned to place an opponent in a position that leaves him open
   to attack. Situations are purposely created to do this and advantage is taken of an opponent's
   weakened position at the instant it occurs.
   Spiritually, Satan creates situations which leave you open to attack Then he immediately takes
   advantage of your weakened position. But you must remember as you wrestle that it is Satan
   who holds the weakened position. The power within you is greater than his power. He has
   already been dealt the final weakening blow by the Lord Jesus Christ. But you must exercise the
   advantage given you by the Lord in order to win the match.

7. ATTACK AND COUNTERATTACK:
   In natural wrestling, every move you make sets you up for a response from the opponent. The
   same is true in the spirit world. When you make a move for God, Satan will always
   counterattack with a move of his own.

8. MOBILITY:
   In wrestling, a mobile opponent is considered dangerous. This is why you want to pin your
   opponent down. In the spiritual world, Satan is a mobile opponent. He goes "to and fro" as a
   lion seeking to devour. You must be on guard for his constant mobility. Satan also recognizes
   the effectiveness of your mobility. He wants to prevent you from being on the move for God.
   This is why he strives to throw and pin you down spiritually.

9. RECOVERY:
   Any error made in wrestling results in an action that can be taken advantage of by the opponent.
   How true spiritually! Any error you make in spiritual wrestling is quickly taken advantage of by
   the enemy. It is important in wrestling to learn how to recover from a fall. It is necessary to be
   able to convert the bottom position into an advantage. There are moves of escape and reversal
   which will enable this.
   In spiritual wrestling you may at times experience a fall and be temporarily pinned by the enemy.
   But you do not have to remain in this position. God has given strategies in His Word which, if
   followed, will convert your disadvantage into an advantage. He has provided strategies for
   escape and reversal spiritually just as are used in natural wrestling.
   The life of Joseph is an excellent example of this. He had the disadvantages of being sold into
   slavery and put in prison. But he converted disadvantages to advantages. In the end, he
   triumphed over the enemy.
   There are other moves in wrestling which result in taking an opponent down from behind,
   dragging, pinning, throwing, and pulling him. Can you recognize similar moves by the enemy
   spiritually?

10. THE OBJECTIVE:
    The objective of wrestling in the natural world is to defeat the opponent by causing him to fall or
    pinning him to the ground. This results from a series of strategic moves and/or by wearing the
    opponent down.
    Satan constantly wars against believers trying to wear them down. His objective is to cause
    believers to fall, "throw" them, and trap in the bondage of sin. His goal is to destroy your
    supportive points, just as a wrestler does to his opponent in the natural world. The goal is to
    make you prostrate spiritually.

11. SCORING:
    Victory in natural wrestling also comes through a process of scoring by the judges. The wrestler
    with the highest points for the most effective strategic moves wins the match.
    Your spiritual opponent has already been judged. Satan was overcome by the most effective
    move in all history, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You wrestle with an enemy who
    is already judged as a loser in the match. Because of this you do not need to be afraid of his
    power or strategies in the wrestling match in which you engage. You do not have to fall or be
    pinned by the bondage of sin. You can stand confidently in the wrestling match of spiritual
    warfare and resist him steadfastly in the faith.

12. MENTAL ATTITUDE:
    Mental attitude is very important in wrestling. In a study on the subject, the following attitudes
    were said to be necessary for championship wrestling in the natural world. These attitudes also
    are true in the spiritual realm:
    Desire: To wish and want to win is not enough. The championship wrestler must
    have a burning desire to win. Desire is an emotion which transcends all else in
    life.
    Persistence: Sustained effort is required for championship wrestling. A
    champion wrestler will not accept defeat.
    Purpose: The champion wrestler must have a will to win. Winning is the goal
    and purpose. To achieve this goal he must not only know he is master of the
    situation, but he must also let his opponent know.