The mandate of righteousness is very necessary in spiritual warfare. It is a protective device. Otherwise, those who seek to heal and cast out demons would be vulnerable to the power of the enemy they seek to destroy in the lives of others. Let us revisit the sons of Sceva:
Acts 19:13-16
13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
14 And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Those who are sitting under the truth but choose not to walk in it are even as vagabonds, (perierchomai per-ee-er'-khom-ahee) which means to come all around, to stroll, vacillate, or a wandering about. The Lord spoke to me concerning these vagabonds. They are our friends, sisters and brothers in the Lord and co-workers in the ministry; they are not strangers. They are deceived however, by the fact that they love the ministry and continue to go in and out among the people of God. The way of holiness is not the path that they have taken. In some cases those who have had much liberty in ministry have become complacent and do not take the warnings of the Lord seriously. When the chastisement of the Lord comes they respond with much offense. The faithfulness of our God is manifested when the wiles of Satan are revealed to us. The enemy is shrewd and cunningly crafty in his relentless attempts to snare the people of God. He knows that “righteousness exalts a nation” is a prophetic word as well as an unchanging principle. It is just as true today as it was when first spoken and it is equally as true for the Church as it was for Israel.
Recently the Lord gave an analogy of the spiritual disposition of some of the people of God, particularly those holding positions of leadership in the Body. I want you to picture being lost in the middle of a great forest. Though you are trying to find a main highway or at least a trail that will lead you out of the woods, you wander around in circles for hours or even days, having no real sense of direction. In your wandering though you begin to recognize certain trees, a particular rock or a stream of water. You have been traveling in circles, so the terrain is becoming more and more familiar. You are still lost and are no closer to coming out of the forest. You have traveled around in the same vicinity long enough however, to know the environment. After a while you begin to adapt to being lost. The same is true in the household of faith. Those who do not take walking in the Spirit seriously are lost in the house. They have been in the house so long though that they are familiar with the entire operation of the house. They know church, they know the Word and all the church jargon. They know how to pray and preach or sing and dance. They know when to say amen and how to expound on purpose. But they are no closer to righteousness or the saving of their soul than they were when they did not know God. Their carnality has alienated them from the security found in the Spirit. Again, they are lost in the house. Another sad factor in this scenario is that when confronted with this reality they become hostile and offended and very defensive of their spiritual location. They know how to function in their church environment therefore they fight for the right to continue to function without the responsibility of living holy. As one of our pastors once said, “Holiness has become a dirty word.” These souls are comfortable with being lost as long as they are allowed to sing in the choir, sit on the prayer council, teach in the school and travel from church to church, collecting love offerings and honorariums.
1 Corinthians 3:3
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
When individuals are carnal and jealous, strife and division follow them. The presence of carnality makes it impossible for leaders to work together in the unity of the faith. There will always be some issue that divides or causes strife. Usually they are issues which if entertained by spiritual folk, would become non-issues. Envy and strife are the catalysts for making mountains out of molehills and gendering strife between leaders. The carnally minded does not cover a brother's back but seeks to expose it to the fiery darts of the enemy. The Lord has declared that these are the minds that desire to lead His people. This has become a vicious circle in the church for some. You can find your way out of the forest however. Go back to that familiar tree. You recognize it because it is extremely tall and towers above the others. Climb the tree, its branches are strong and its roots are deep. Go all the way up to the top and you will be able to see the entire forest and the terrain that surrounds it. At such a height the sun will shine on your face and cause you to be able to discern north, south, east and west. Purify your heart and you will be able to sit in that heavenly place with Christ. Leave the beggarly elements of this world and take on the mind of Christ. Only then will the blinders of iniquity be removed as scales from your eyes. Let the love of God flow through your vessel as a river of living water. Guard your heart against the wiles of Satan with the breastplate of righteousness. God was the first to identify the need for spiritual warfare in His conversation with Cain. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him (Genesis 4:7). Satan sits as a crouching lion waiting and wanting to overtake you with evil temptations and devices of sin. But you must “rule over” or overcome him with the righteousness of God.
