Warfare On Three Fronts

Warfare On Three Fronts

Since the tempter is pictured as a serpent in Scripture, I have used three photos taken at the Abilene Zoo, Abilene, Texas to represent the fronts of warfare.

I. The Word describes three fronts of warfare. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (I John 2:16).

A. The simple list.
1. Lust of the flesh.

a. Eating addictions
b. Sexual addictions
c. Drug addictions
d. Fitness addictions
e. Alcohol addictions

2. Lust of the Eyes.

a. Greed (desire for possessions)
b. Stinginess and hoarding
c. Selfishness (unwillingness to share)
d. Envy (desiring what others have)
e. Laziness (slothfulness) (the world owes me)

3. The Pride of Life.

a. Craving for attention
b. Craving for position
c. Craving for authority
d. Craving for identity
e. Craving for appreciation

B. Adam and Eve was tempted in the three areas. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis 3:6).
1. Lust of the Flesh.
"... the tree was good for food ..."
2. Lust of the Eyes.
"... that it was pleasant to the eyes ..."
3. The Pride of Life.
"... a tree to be desired to make one wise ... " (as gods)

C. Sodom failed in all three areas. "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy" (Ezekiel 16:49). Note: these are also the roots to homosexuality.
1. Lust of the Flesh.
"... fulness of bread ..."
2. Lust of the Eyes. (greed).
"... abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters ... neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy... "
3. The Pride of Life.
"... pride ...

D. Jesus was tempted in all three areas. "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted" (Hebrews 2:17-18).
1. Lust of the Flesh. "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread" (Matthew 4:2-3).
Jesus responded: "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Jesus had just spent forty days fasting and fellowshipping with the father.
2. Lust of the Eyes. "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8-9).
Jesus responded: "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10). Note: When one gives in to greed, he becomes a servant to that greed.
3. The Pride of Life. "Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Matthew 4:5-6).
Jesus responded: "Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matthew 4:7). Jesus was tempted to do his way rather than doing what the Father would have him do.

"And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
There are two sides to this coin, negative side and a positive side.

II. How does one do battle on these three fronts?

A. Jesus gave us three answers, one for each area: fasting, giving, and praying.

1. Lust of the flesh. a. Eating addictions b. Sexual addictions c. Drug addictions d. Fitness addictions e. Alcohol addictions	1. Fasting. "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:16-18).
2. Lust of the Eyes. a. Greed (desire of possessions) b. Stinginess c. Selfishness d. Hoarding e. Laziness (slothfulness)	2. Giving. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:1-4).
3. The Pride of Life. a. Craving for attention b. Craving for position c. Craving for authority d. Craving for identity e. Craving for appreciation	3. Praying. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him" (Matthew 6:5-8).

B. Isaiah chapter 58 affirms both the sins and the answer for the sins and also lists some rewards.
1. Their sins.
a. They were doing their own pleasure, fulfilling the desires of the flesh.
b. The were extracting all the labor and burdens from the poor, thus fulfilling the lust of the eyes.
c. The people were fasting but fasting to be seen. This was pride.
2. The answers.
a. They were to humble themselves and fast, by abstaining from their own pleasures.
b. They were to give to the poor.
c. They were to fast to have communion with God (pray).
3. A few rewards.
a. Every yoke of bondage would be broken
b. God would prosper them.
c. They would have fellowship with God.

III. How do you fast, give, and pray? (Many books have been written on each of these, some good and some no so good. I will give only some simple guidelines.)

A. Fasting.
1. What is fasting? The Webster definition is "abstinence" (to stop).. It is abstaining from certain physical pleasures, especially food. One may abstain from foods that God said not to eat like pork and strong drink. One may abstain from sweets and wine.   One may abstain from meat for a season. One may abstain from solid foods and only drink water or fruit juices. One may abstain from both food and water. One may abstain from sexual relations during a time of prayer. One may also fast from TV programs.
2. What is the purpose? Fasting is a discipline. Jesus said that his disciples (disciplined ones) would fast. It is to humble ourselves so that we can be in a position to pray. It is to bring our body under subjection. Remember that the flesh has a mind of its own and doesn't know what is good for it. Fasting also helps detoxify and cleans the body and strengthen the immune system.
3. What kind of fast should you do? Again, Isaiah 58 gives a great outline for fasting, especially on the sabbath? Jesus in Matthew 6 also gives some guidelines for fasting.
4. How long should one fast? The Scriptures give many different fasts from a portion of one day to forty days and even a life style of fasting. Outside of the fast on the Sabbath given in Isaiah 58 there is no set time for fasting that I know. I would suggest that you seek the Lord for guidance and let Him give you direction.   It is generally better to do a shorter fast and succeed than attempting a longer and harder fast and fail.
B. Giving.
1. If you are not tithing, you should start there. God always comes first. However, tithing in the strict sense is not giving at all, but it is paying what God has commanded.
2. The giving to the poor mentioned in Isaiah 58 is where we should begin after giving a tithe. The giving of alms that Jesus mentions in Matthew 6 is giving to the poor after we have tithed.
3. How much or how often should we give? We should give as God directs us to give, not just because we see a need to give.
3. Jesus gives a guide for motives in giving in Matthew 6.
C. Praying.
1. Prayer in a general sense is communion with God. It should include listening as well as asking.
2. How often should we pray?    In the model prayer in Matthew 6, a portion says, "give us this day our daily bread"; therefore, we should pray on a daily basis. We should pray without ceasing, that is be in continual communion with God throughout the day.
3. What kind of prayer should we pray? There are prayer of just asking, there are prayers of supplication (intense prayers), and prayers of intercession (praying for others). Believers are to pray concerning all things.
4. How should we pray? We should pray in faith expecting God to answer, pray according to the promises of the Word, and pray with thanksgiving.

Note: God has showed me that these three (fasting, giving, and praying) are like a three legged stool. All three legs are needed to support the stool, otherwise the stool will fall. If you are trying to overcome the enemy in your life, fasting, giving, and praying may all be necessary. We should also understand that whatever is done should be done in faith and by the grace of God.

Additional Resources:

1. The Chosen Fast
2. The Spiritual Warfare Menu
3. The Cycle Of Prayer