Motivation for Spiritual Warfare - Image Bearer Ministries

On This Episode -

Motivation for Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare – Putting On The Armor Of God Part 3

Paul's confronting of sin in Corinthian believers provides a model on how to address sin issues in other people's lives. Paul effectively balanced a warlike posture with Christlike humility, and his godly concern for carnal believers required that he "speak the truth in love." (Eph. 4:15) What unfolds in 2 Cor. 10 is the predictable deflections of carnal Corinthians who wanted to ignore Paul's rebuke. Carnal believers insisted that Paul was carnal himself, that he "walk according to the flesh." (v. 2) They used ad hominem arguments, noting his lack of charisma. (v. 10) And lastly some Corinthians rejected his rebuke by comparing themselves with other carnal believers. (v. 12) Paul doesn't take the bait and sidesteps the foolish deflections of carnal believers. The episode challenges all believers to anticipate resistance when confronting carnality and not chase after deflections that are skillful attempts to protect sin. Instead we're called to militantly conduct spiritual warfare, taking our own thoughts captive first, and then, in full humble submission to God, lovingly confront unrepentant sin in others, ignoring their predictable deflections.

Today's Topics -

aggressive, blame-shifting, bold, carnality, deflection, flesh, godly confrontation, humility, Spiritual Warfare

Podcast (inhisimage): Play in new window | Download | Embed

00:00:27 – Introduction and Question on Humility and Warfare
00:02:59 – Paul’s Example of Meekness and Boldness
00:06:28 – Balancing Spiritual Warfare and Humility
00:09:58 – Paul’s Protective Parental Attitude
00:14:59 – Understanding the Reactions of Carnal Believers
00:20:13 – Misinterpretation of Humility and Confrontation
00:25:01 – The Challenge of Addressing Sin
00:31:12 – Deflecting from Paul’s Authority
00:40:31 – The Importance of Consistency in Character
00:56:52 – Closing Prayer and Summary of Key Points

On This Episode -

Motivation for Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual Warfare – Putting On The Armor Of God Part 3

Podcast (inhisimage): Play in new window | Download | Embed

00:00:27 – Introduction and Question on Humility and Warfare
00:02:59 – Paul’s Example of Meekness and Boldness
00:06:28 – Balancing Spiritual Warfare and Humility
00:09:58 – Paul’s Protective Parental Attitude
00:14:59 – Understanding the Reactions of Carnal Believers
00:20:13 – Misinterpretation of Humility and Confrontation
00:25:01 – The Challenge of Addressing Sin
00:31:12 – Deflecting from Paul’s Authority
00:40:31 – The Importance of Consistency in Character
00:56:52 – Closing Prayer and Summary of Key Points

Today's Topics -

aggressive, blame-shifting, bold, carnality, deflection, flesh, godly confrontation, humility, Spiritual Warfare

Today's Scriptures-

2 Corinthians 10:1-6, 2 Corinthians 11:1-3, 1 Corinthians 3:11-12, Ephesians 4:15, Matthew 11:29, Matthew 21:12-13, 1 Corinthians 3:3, Galatians 6:1, 2 Corinthians 2:10-12, 2 Corinthians 10:18, Matthew 7:3-5

“Purpose-Derived Peace”

May 29, 2025

This episode on holistic salvation addresses the reason why many believers don’t experience consistent peace. Isaiah declares that God “will keep in perfect peace all whose minds are set on Him.” (Isaiah 26:3) The NT equivalent is Romans 8:6, “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” Holistic salvation doesn’t just refer to deliverance from the penalty and power of sin–it is related to finding our purpose in God. When believers set their minds on God, they discover and regard His works and naturally want to co-labor with Him in His work. This then is the recipe for perfect peace that holistic salvation intends. Many unfortunately conclude that a lack of peace is primarily associated with sin issues, when in fact this myopic, even self-centered view of salvation doesn’t grasp the principal objective, which according to Hebrews 9:14, is to serve God. When Christians identify their purpose after gazing on God and His works, they can potentially experience the perfect peace promised by Scripture. The latter part of this episode addresses obstacles to peace, coming from John 14:27. Christ offered “non-contingent” peace that couldn’t be taken away if believers set their minds completely on God, for “the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”

The Dynamics of “Peace” among the Righteous and the Wicked

May 5, 2025

This episode begins with the question, “why do believers often struggle to have peace, while unbelievers, when circumstances are favorable, seem to be at peace? The answer rests on the nature of both. Believers delight with the law of God in the inner man, while they struggle against residual evil. They are conflicted until they substantially set their minds on the things of the Spirit, leading to life and peace. Unbelievers, by contrast, are dead spiritually, so there is little opposition to their minds set on the flesh, temporarily allowing for a superficial peace when sinful desires are satisfied. If believers resign themselves to being Romans 7 Christians without allowing the promise of Romans 8:2 to manifest, their lives will largely be defined by the conflict of the flesh verses the Spirit. Mature believers however apply the Romans 8:2 promise to their lives and intentionally set their minds on the things of the Spirit, leading to life and peace. The latter part of the episode addresses the superficial peace of the wicked who are largely successful at suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Critically they rationalize that their apparent peace will endure beyond the grave, for they actually think that God is just like them. (Psalm 50:21) The program concludes with the shattering of the peace of the wicked in an eternal hell. Lastly, the episode posits that the same distorted picture of God as infinitely tolerant among unbelievers also colors the perception of Christians who bank all on the imputed righteousness of Christ, without cooperating much with the Spirit of truth that sanctifies them. The loss of peace is usually the result.

Peace Doesn’t Just Happen

April 27, 2025

This episode unpacks the salvation package of “life and peace.” Paul states that the mind set on the Spirit is “life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) Most Christians embrace some aspect of the eternal life promised in salvation but struggle to experience the peace promised to believers. This episode paints a HOLISTIC salvation picture and the necessity of intentionally directing our minds on the Spirit. The elusive nature of peace among Christians highlights the incomplete appropriation of the salvation package and the lack of intentionality of many believers who experience life on auto-pilot. Not surprisingly real peace is lacking as the de-fault expression of the flesh emerges when the mind doesn’t ACTIVELY engage the Spirit. One indication of the mind set on the Spirit is focus on the works of the Lord. Psalm 28:4-5 and Romans 1:18-23 posit that the fundamental difference between believers and unbelievers is acknowledgement or rejection of God’s works. The holistic salvation package of “life and peace” is the consequence of a mind set on the Spirit, that has an unquenchable regard and appreciation for the works of God. If Christians suffer from a lack of peace, the remedy, to a substantial degree, is intentionally setting the mind on the Spirit, Who graciously supplies the peace that surpasses understanding.