I recently finished reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu, the classic Chinese military strategy manual. Sun Tzu's insights into the nature of competitive activity and the tactics necessary to achieve victory have been applied in a variety of contexts (such as business, sports, etc.) to ensure success. Though my motive for reading this literary classic was purely personal interest, I was amazed to find many parallels between Sun Tzu's description of the nature of warfare and the Christian life. I shouldn't have been so surprised though. The Bible tells us that, as believers, we find ourselves in the midst of a spiritual war that has raged for millienia. This war originally began as a battle for supremacy in Heaven but the battleground quickly shifted to Earth where the battle continues to this day, not only for supremacy in Heaven, but for the souls of men as well. There are several passages in the Bible, particularly in the book of Ephesians, that detail our role in this war.
Ephesians 6:10-12 vividly describes the nature of this spiritual war in which we find ourselves embroiled. The verses of this passage state that our enemy is "the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places", not other human beings. Our efforts are to be directed at destroying the evil influence of demonic spirits upon mankind, not the people who have fallen under their spell. This is an important point to remember as we move from defensive to offensive action in our spiritual warfare. Though sometimes a particular man or group may seem to be the face of evil or represent the wickedness that we are actively engaging, we must remember that our real enemy is not "flesh and blood" but the demonic influence behind that person or group.
"Survival depends upon your own actions. Success (or victory)
depends upon the actions of the enemy." - The Art of War, Sun Tzu
SURVIVAL
For us to survive in this spiritual war, we must focus on doing the things that keep us in the fight. In any battle or contest, the winner is usually the combatant who has the greatest proficiency in the basic strategies of the contest, not the one who is the most talented or knows the most techniques. For the Christian, this means that our spiritual survival depends upon being consistent in doing the basics of the Christian life: regularly meeting with God in prayer, worship, and studying the Word; joining with other believers in fellowship, worship, and accountability to the Word; and being alert and ready for opportunities to share the Gospel and disciple others (Matthew 4:4, Acts 2:42, Ephesians 6:13-17). These are the spiritual disciplines that keep us alert and active - ready to seize an opportunity for victory when the moment presents itself.
VICTORY
Our spiritual survival depends upon our consistency and proficiency in implementing the spiritual disciplines that defend us from the attacks and deceptions of our enemy, as detailed above. Our ultimate victory depends upon taking advantage of opportunities caused by the actions of the enemy. This is the offensive side of our spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:17-20 teaches us that this occurs primarily through prayer. In verse 17, the Word of God is described as a sword - an offensive weapon. It is through praying the Word - declaring God's promises of victory in faith - that we defeat the spiritual darkness in our life and the lives of others and
realize the promises given to us in His Word (James 5:13-18). A problem or crisis in our life can be a sign of spiritual conflict. If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by doubt, discouragement, and bad attitudes, we will be defeated. Instead, we need to change our mindset to viewing the situation as an opportunity to achieve greater victory in our life. Again, as Sun Tzu says, the actions of the enemy provide the opportunity for victory. The area of spiritual conflict highlights the area of our life where God desires to bring deliverance and greater freedom. Just as in the life of Samson (Judges 14:4), God uses the actions of the enemy to bring about ultimate victory. Instead of feeling victimized or dismayed by the obstacles we face, we need to realize that in every problem is an opportunity for God to display His power and glory in our lives (2 Chronicles 16:9). It is a chance for our faith to grow. Just as our natural muscles respond and grow by exercising against the resistance of weight and gravity, so too our spiritual nature grows in the same manner. It is through exercising our faith against spiritual resistance that we grow spiritually and receive the rewards of our faith - the realization of the promises of God in our life.
realize the promises given to us in His Word (James 5:13-18). A problem or crisis in our life can be a sign of spiritual conflict. If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by doubt, discouragement, and bad attitudes, we will be defeated. Instead, we need to change our mindset to viewing the situation as an opportunity to achieve greater victory in our life. Again, as Sun Tzu says, the actions of the enemy provide the opportunity for victory. The area of spiritual conflict highlights the area of our life where God desires to bring deliverance and greater freedom. Just as in the life of Samson (Judges 14:4), God uses the actions of the enemy to bring about ultimate victory. Instead of feeling victimized or dismayed by the obstacles we face, we need to realize that in every problem is an opportunity for God to display His power and glory in our lives (2 Chronicles 16:9). It is a chance for our faith to grow. Just as our natural muscles respond and grow by exercising against the resistance of weight and gravity, so too our spiritual nature grows in the same manner. It is through exercising our faith against spiritual resistance that we grow spiritually and receive the rewards of our faith - the realization of the promises of God in our life.In verse 19 of Ephesians chapter 6, we see that offensive prayer also complements our evangelistic efforts. Through praying the Word over others, the power and effectiveness of evil spirits is lessened and the realization of the power of God in the situation is increased. This is how we fight an offensive warfare that pushes back the spiritual darkness and expands the Kingdom of God. By aggressively targeting the activities of the enemy in a city or in an unbeliever's life through offensive prayer and being prepared to share the Gospel in every 
situation, we can take advantages of opportunities for evangelism that occur as the spiritual "veil" (2 Corinthians 3:12-16, 4:3-6) of demonic wickedness begins to be removed from the unbeliever's understanding. Just as modern armies use aerial and artillery bombardment to weaken an enemy's defenses in preparation for a ground assault, so our prayers weaken the demonic influence in an unbeliever's life and can prepare that person's heart to receive the message of the Gospel unhindered by demonic obstruction.
situation, we can take advantages of opportunities for evangelism that occur as the spiritual "veil" (2 Corinthians 3:12-16, 4:3-6) of demonic wickedness begins to be removed from the unbeliever's understanding. Just as modern armies use aerial and artillery bombardment to weaken an enemy's defenses in preparation for a ground assault, so our prayers weaken the demonic influence in an unbeliever's life and can prepare that person's heart to receive the message of the Gospel unhindered by demonic obstruction. This is the Art of War for the believer. Our survival and ultimate victory in our Christian walk depends upon using these strategies effectively. My hope and prayer is that this insight would guide you in "waging an effective warfare" (1 Timothy 1:18), gaining greater freedom in your life and becoming a productive servant in the Kingdom of God.
Your fellow soldier in the faith,
Chad Cocran
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