The spirit of war uses manipulation, intimidation and domination to control others and hold others in bondage to sin through the sins of the flesh. Its first foothold is gained through manipulation. This should be no surprise because satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).
Manipulation, intimidation and domination are the ways of the world, and so the world is full of these things. Manipulation is the bread and butter of the media, business, government, military and families. The church is not free from manipulation either, and neither are true Christian families.
Manipulation seeks its own way, and therefore it is not love for love seeks not her own way (1 Corinthians 13:5). Manipulation is to seek one's own self-interests. As long as one lives to serve oneself, and in doing so, to serve mammon, one will be a manipulative person. You become like the gods you worship.
Psalm 115: 2-8 says:
Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
Indeed, you become like the gods in whom you trust. So, if anyone worships mammon, that is, anyone who is unsaved, he will be manipulative - seeking one's own ways.
Thus, if the church becomes under the spirit of mammon, which it is, it will start to think in an earthly way because mammon is the spirit of earthliness. This explains why it uses earthly methods of preaching the Gospel such as "culturally sensitive" refusal to use the Law of God to bring real knowledge and conviction of sin.
The spirit of war most affects the church, as it seems in the area of family. The modern world has seen the normalisation of manipulative wives, women who pretend to be displeased at their husbands to get them to serve them, and yet accuse their husbands of being "controlling" or "domineering" when he chooses to serve her by making decisions for the family as a whole.
Even many women in the modern church blame men for the rise of feminism, attributing its rise to man's fault in failing to fulfill his Biblical God-given role to sacrificially love his wife. They claim that if men have obeyed God, feminism would not have arisen. However, one may ask, when has humanity sought after God and obeyed God? The issue here is the spirit of blame, blaming others for one's own manipulative and deceptive calls for "love".
This conflict stirs up the battle of the sexes - the most frustration to speak about culturally for obvious reasons: sweet, gentle women within the church who scream like banshees all of sudden when saying that women are to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-23). Much of this has lead to a generation of inept anti-social children who are violent and sexually immoral. This is not to blame anyone for the crimes of children, but to explain the break down in families.
Another example is the twisting of the Bible verses that deal with the spirit of mammon. Many Christians say they agree that no one can serve both God and mammon, and yet try to twist Matthew 6:24 to argue that seeking comfort and ease is not to serve mammon, and so it can be done alongside with serving and loving God. To love God means to always be prepared to sacrifice everything you have, including your own life to love God. In Luke 14:33 Jesus says: whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Yet, many in the modern church are not satisfied with the straightforward and clear teaching, and try to cast doubt against yielding to mammon by using false arguments such as the Parable of the Talents to justify investment and usury. I have even met a self-proclaimed pastor who said that by saying to hate mammon is to hate serving God using one's skills, to cast doubt, but not openly deny Luke 9:62: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The spirit of manipulation thrives on lies: half-truths and deceptions such as the twisting of Biblical doctrines.
Manipulation, intimidation and domination are the ways of the world, and so the world is full of these things. Manipulation is the bread and butter of the media, business, government, military and families. The church is not free from manipulation either, and neither are true Christian families.
Manipulation seeks its own way, and therefore it is not love for love seeks not her own way (1 Corinthians 13:5). Manipulation is to seek one's own self-interests. As long as one lives to serve oneself, and in doing so, to serve mammon, one will be a manipulative person. You become like the gods you worship.
Psalm 115: 2-8 says:
Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
Indeed, you become like the gods in whom you trust. So, if anyone worships mammon, that is, anyone who is unsaved, he will be manipulative - seeking one's own ways.
Thus, if the church becomes under the spirit of mammon, which it is, it will start to think in an earthly way because mammon is the spirit of earthliness. This explains why it uses earthly methods of preaching the Gospel such as "culturally sensitive" refusal to use the Law of God to bring real knowledge and conviction of sin.
The spirit of war most affects the church, as it seems in the area of family. The modern world has seen the normalisation of manipulative wives, women who pretend to be displeased at their husbands to get them to serve them, and yet accuse their husbands of being "controlling" or "domineering" when he chooses to serve her by making decisions for the family as a whole.
Even many women in the modern church blame men for the rise of feminism, attributing its rise to man's fault in failing to fulfill his Biblical God-given role to sacrificially love his wife. They claim that if men have obeyed God, feminism would not have arisen. However, one may ask, when has humanity sought after God and obeyed God? The issue here is the spirit of blame, blaming others for one's own manipulative and deceptive calls for "love".
This conflict stirs up the battle of the sexes - the most frustration to speak about culturally for obvious reasons: sweet, gentle women within the church who scream like banshees all of sudden when saying that women are to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-23). Much of this has lead to a generation of inept anti-social children who are violent and sexually immoral. This is not to blame anyone for the crimes of children, but to explain the break down in families.
Another example is the twisting of the Bible verses that deal with the spirit of mammon. Many Christians say they agree that no one can serve both God and mammon, and yet try to twist Matthew 6:24 to argue that seeking comfort and ease is not to serve mammon, and so it can be done alongside with serving and loving God. To love God means to always be prepared to sacrifice everything you have, including your own life to love God. In Luke 14:33 Jesus says: whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Yet, many in the modern church are not satisfied with the straightforward and clear teaching, and try to cast doubt against yielding to mammon by using false arguments such as the Parable of the Talents to justify investment and usury. I have even met a self-proclaimed pastor who said that by saying to hate mammon is to hate serving God using one's skills, to cast doubt, but not openly deny Luke 9:62: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The spirit of manipulation thrives on lies: half-truths and deceptions such as the twisting of Biblical doctrines.
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