Serve! with Steve Sjogren - The online ezine about outward focused living.

I AM SERVICUS! SERVANTS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

Nothing irks me more than being around people that see a demon lurking at every turn and want to blame whatever is going on wrong at their church on spiritual warfare. These same good-intentioned folks will then use that as some excuse to begin, as Rick Joyner often describes, "shouting down devils and throwing hatchets at the moon." All this type of behavior generally results in is getting a severe headache from the hatchet blade landing back on your forehead. You might as well be spitting in a fan.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of room for intense intercession, the pulling down of strongholds, and yes, at times, full-scale deliverance. The Kingdom is a strange place. It is both physical and spiritual. You need to battle in the heavens AND here on the ground. What I want to introduce you to is something that transcends traditional spiritual warfare.

It is called it servant warfare:

Pray while you work!

The problem with most forms of what many call spiritual warfare is that it is primarily based on big tent revival models. Gone wrong it can generate more fear and mysticism than is healthy. When it becomes insular it can become downright toxic to your church. Rather than mostly spin your wheels with hocus pocus and mumbo jumbo from a folding chair in the basement of a church, do something proactive--SERVE!

Look at the model Jesus demonstrated. He was out and about serving people even as he "warred in the heavens." It is a balanced blend of practical action and prayer that is the most effective weapon to use against our enemy. By the way, permit me one comical observation; have you ever noticed that the spiritual warfare mystics will actually esteem Satan? They give him an honor that is undeserved when they mix in the drama. They almost remind me of the characters in a Harry Potter novel with their constant "those followers of the name that can not be named" nonsense. It isn't lost on me that they probably never even sniffed at J.K. Rowling novel, to understand what I am saying here. While they were protesting and condemning the books, I was handing out drinks, candy and bookmarks to people that stood in line at midnight at bookstores to get the newest edition.

See, the majority of what people label as spiritual warfare tends to be based in human emotion. It is nothing short of melodrama. I am sorry if I am stepping on toes here, but life is simply too short to pull punches on this topic.

If you really believe you are under some form of spiritual attack, what better way to fight back than to get the all powerful sword of the Holy Spirit in your hands: a toilet brush!

That's right, I said it. I am not trying to be vulgar, or irreverent. I am very serious. Pray in tongues while you swirl your brush in the porcelain pits of the worst dens of iniquity in your city. Have a problem in your city with adult bookstores and strip clubs? Don't make a public protest rally with hand-painted signs and lame cheers. Instead, quietly go and offer to clean the restrooms of these places and do it with a smile on your face. You name the evil that may be lurking in your town, and I will find you a service outreach for the purveyors of that evil. See vile sinners need Jesus just as much as you do, and what better way is there to demonstrate the kingdom to these folks than to lay down all your nonsense and show them real life sacrificial love? The voters of my state just passed a resolution to allow casinos to open up in the major cities. I was listening to the radio and some of the "christian leaders" in my town are acting as if the dawn of Armageddon is here. Meanwhile, I am buzzing thinking of new SE outreaches for gamblers. Does anyone have any fresh ideas?

Stay Equipped to Serve