Table of Contents
The Spirit of War
On September 11, 2001, America experienced a violent awakening. As the twin towers billowed with smoke, a nation watched in horror as jihad came to our shores. The sleeping giant was awakened, and feelings of shock and sorrow soon gave way to anger. A declaration of war had been made against America.
While this book does not focus on the war waged by terrorists, it addresses a war just as deadly—a holy war being waged relentlessly against every person on this planet. The stakes are eternal, and the enemy more deadly because he is not across shores. It is the greatest battle humanity will ever face: the war against self.
How does one fight an enemy that is closer than the best of friends? How does one engage in combat against an enemy who hides within him?
This is the very battle every Christian has been called to fight—a true holy war against our own human nature. To lose this war is to lose everlasting life. To win will cost everything. There can be no treaty, no peaceful coexisting between the Christian and self. One must die, that one may live.
Identifying the Enemy
The Unseen Enemy
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12
The Unseen Enemy
Our enemy is unseen. We are warring against dark rulers of spiritual wickedness. Those who wrestle with addictions must realize they are up against supernatural forces.
The Enemy Within
"I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul..." 1 Peter 2:11
These lusts come from within, springing from the "old man" which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts (Ephesians 4:22).
The Personal Terrorist
Satan and his host have formed a powerful confederacy with the only person that can get to you like no one else can: You.
Only self has twenty-four hour access to your mind, thoughts, and innermost feelings. No one can betray you like self, for wherever you are, there "you" is!
No enemy but one, no enemy but self. This is to be our understanding. All external warfare is the result of poorly fought internal warfare. We must eliminate all external targets and focus on the one enemy that counts. Know thy enemy.
Underestimating Your Enemy - Harboring a Terrorist
A common and fatal mistake in war is underestimating an enemy. The man who mistakes his opponent's forces, his deadliness, falsely assesses his strengths and weaknesses, or minimizes in his own mind just how far his enemy is willing to go, will lose the battle every time. Such is also true in the war against self.
Christians are often guilty of the same. Self is often minimized, even harbored and protected. "I (self) would never do something like that." This attitude of underestimating your enemy (you) is indeed deadly.
Know Thy Enemy
We must have a correct analysis of self. It is a law, a principle that every true warrior must fully come to grips with: know thy enemy! Self is fully capable of anything.
Self is a relentless traitor, often working in concert with Satan, plotting to lure you into dangerous positions. Self will stoop to any level to get what he wants. Self has no rules, no scruples, and is beyond redemption.
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Romans 8:6-7
Temptation is the warrior's warning system that self is about to launch an offensive. Sadly, this warning system is often ignored, and like the events of September 11 and Pearl Harbor, we are caught off guard and suffer great losses.
Once the magnitude and depth of wickedness of self is realized and admitted, one can properly assess the forces needed to conquer this wily foe. In ceasing to harbor self, defending and protecting self, we learn to face the situation as it really is. Fearful as this foe is, we will better understand our need for God's grace in the battle.
Declaration of War
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4
There comes a time in a nation under attack when war must be declared, if that nation plans to survive. For many Christians, there has never been a decided declaration of war. Yet we are under constant bombardment by the enemy of souls.
Thought Bombs
Thought bombs plague us daily, leaving our minds in smoldering ruin.
Traps and Captivity
Lusts and temptations set traps for us and take us captive.
Declaration Required
We must be willing to declare war upon self to survive spiritually.
It is this refusal to declare war upon self that allows self to strengthen and continue to cause havoc in our lives. Listen to the book of James:
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?” James 4:1
Why do we fight other people? Because we refuse to fight the war against ourselves. The reason churches split, why wars erupt among family members, among gangs, among communities, and among nations is because of the refusal to subdue the enemy within. There comes that moment that any Christian who plans to survive must declare war, holy war on his old man.
Civilian or Soldier
In the days following September 11, many United States civilians made a radical change. They left their civilian status to become soldiers. They were ready to fight for their country. Christians too have a country. That country, according to the Bible is heaven. The principles of this country include justice, righteousness, and freedom from sin.
But one of the greatest hindrances in Holy War is the concept of the Christian civilian. This is an oxymoron if there ever was one.
The Civilian
A civilian is "a person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the military." Civilians are most easily identified by their clothing, civilian clothing.
In wartime a civilian may support the war, cast his opinion in favor of war, and yet he is far from a soldier. He is not actively engaged in battle, and he wears no soldier's uniform.
The Christian Soldier
The Christian is called to engage upon the war against self with the aid of Jesus himself. He must put on the clothing of the warrior (Ephesians 6:10-14), and be openly identified as a warrior.
The soldier lives in a constant state of readiness, a mind set totally alien to the civilian.
There is one more difference between soldier and civilian worthy of mention. A soldier does not view himself as a victim, as the hunted, but rather the hunter. This attitude is vital for the health of the soldier. There is no place for victim-hood in the life of a soldier.
In wartime, a soldier expects calamity, trial, and hardship. When bullets fly his way, rarely can a soldier be heard saying, "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" While totally sensitive to the hurting and wounded, a warrior understands that he is in a war.
"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." 2 Timothy 2:3
That is, expect "fiery darts" to fly your way, and endure them. Expect trial, hardship, and suffering. If there were any question to what we have been called to endure, the Bible tells us without a shadow of doubt: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." James 1:12.
The Christian Soldier's Mindset
The Christian soldier must not be surprised at the heavy firing aimed toward him.
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." 1 Peter 4:12-13
This is all a part of holy war. Neither should he be surprised at the mode of attack launched by his opponent. We are dealing with an enemy that is formless, and hard to detect.
Formless Enemy
Sin and temptation can come in any form, can use almost anyone, or anything.
Ambush Tactics
It can ambush friend and turn him into a temporary enemy in the blink of an eye.
Unexpected Sources
It can turn husband, wife, son, daughter, mother or father in a split second into an enemy.
Constant Vigilance
The warrior of the Lord must not be surprised or offended when the enemy comes at him through the dearest of family and friends.
When you get up to face each day, is it as a soldier or civilian, victim, or victor? The answer to this question will make all difference in your holy war. If you have been playing the Christian civilian, now is the time to identify the enemy, make a declaration of war, drop the civilian and victim status, and enlist as soldier.
Divine Objective
A war without an objective, without a goal, is a war where victory can never be certain. When America made its declaration of war on terrorism, many people were uncertain as to the objective of the war. What was the goal? When and how could we know that mission was accomplished? Some saw a clear objective, others, not so clear.
In true holy war, war against self, the Christian must be aware of the definite and precise divine objective. Knowing the objective allows us to determine whether the war is being won or lost, when victory has been achieved, or when it has not.
Contain
Divine Objective: Contain and Destroy
The goal of self is to be free to do as he pleases. He is a master of external warfare, engaging in conflict with others or manifesting his desires through us in a tangible way.
Our mission as faith-fighters is first to contain self. We must keep the warfare internal. This is self-containment, never allowing the battle to become external.
Destroy
We may refuse self the opportunity of speaking words of anger, watching pornography, or engaging another in physical confrontation, yet still lose the battle.
Self must not only be contained so that he cannot "get out," but he must also be destroyed within. Not only must we refrain from speaking angry words out loud, we must also get the victory over the angry words within.
There must be a divine siege around self. The Art of War, and the principles found within it, will focus on this divine objective to contain and destroy.
Be Ye Angry
"Be ye angry, and sin not." Ephesians 4:26
The power of anger cannot be underestimated. In a moment of wrath, lives can be unalterably changed forever. We are told that the devil is angry and has great wrath because he knows that his time is short (Revelation 12:12). His angels are angry, and they are infusing the world with this anger (Revelation 11:18).
Because of this, Christians are also called to be angry, but for a different reason. In warfare, anger is one of the greatest driving forces. When a nation rises up because of injustices, there is an anger, in some cases holy anger that motivates it.
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Divine Anger
This holy anger is to be source of the Christian holy war against self. In receiving and praying for this righteous indignation, the Christian is in keeping with the character of God and His Son, Jesus.
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Jesus' Righteous Indignation
The Christian Warrior will notice that it was anger that moved Jesus from His throne to come down to earth. Jesus came down, angry at what sin had done to the human race.
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Our Holy Wrath
We must possess and pray for this holy wrath. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Once true heartfelt sorrow for sin is experienced, the next necessary emotion is "indignation," "vehement desire," "zeal," and "vengeance." The kingdom of heaven must be taken by violence, spiritual violence (Matthew 11:12). We must with all our heart, fight the good fight of faith, warring violently, that is, earnestly, against the old man.
Therefore, as strange and new as it may sound, may the Christian warrior pray for the spirit of vengeance and anger against sin possessed by Jesus himself. Let us pray to become spiritually violent, warring against the old man with everything we have, and more, the grace of God. Without this spirit, we cannot truly war with all the emotional strength that sustains a true warrior of God. May the spirit of the Holy Warrior, Jesus Christ infuse us.
The Spirit of Holy Vengeance
Jesus began his official ministry with these words: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18-19)
What was the Spirit of the Lord upon him? Notice carefully the verse from which Jesus quoted as he spoke of delivering his people from their captors (sin and self):
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn." (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Jesus came with a vengeance to deliver you and me from sin. We must have this same spirit of vengeance within us. It is the spirit of war. Holy war. We must "be angry," so that we will "sin not." Without this righteous indignation, this spirit of Jesus against sin, we simply will not have what it takes to stand up against self.
Romans 12:19
God's Wrath
"Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of God: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord."
Hebrews 1:9
Against Sin
We are called to allow God's wrath to work in us and through us. Our wrath is tainted with self and gets us into trouble. God's wrath is against sin.
2 Cor 7:11
Holy Emotions
"For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!"
The kingdom of heaven must be taken by violence, spiritual violence (Matthew 11:12). We must with all our heart, fight the good fight of faith, warring violently, that is, earnestly, against the old man. Therefore, may the Christian warrior pray for the spirit of vengeance and anger against sin possessed by Jesus himself. Let us pray to become spiritually violent, warring against the old man with everything we have, and more, the grace of God. May the spirit of the Holy Warrior, Jesus Christ infuse us.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
This section offers questions to deepen your understanding and application of the principles discussed in "The Christian Art of War." Consider these questions for personal reflection or group discussion, prayerfully seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance.
The Divine Objective: Containing and Destroying Self
The previous chapter emphasizes a "divine siege around self" to contain and destroy internal sinful tendencies. In what specific areas of your life do you most struggle with "self," and what practical steps can you take this week to apply this divine objective?
Embracing Holy Anger
The text challenges us to "Be ye angry, and sin not," suggesting that a holy anger against sin is a powerful driving force in spiritual warfare. How do you distinguish between righteous indignation and worldly anger? What aspects of sin in your own life or the world provoke a holy anger within you?
The Spirit of Vengeance Against Sin
Jesus came with a "vengeance to deliver you and me from sin." How does understanding Jesus' motivation inform your own approach to fighting sin? What does it mean to "pray for the spirit of vengeance and anger against sin possessed by Jesus himself"?
Practical Spiritual Violence
The document calls for "spiritual violence" against the "old man." What tangible actions can you take to "warring violently" or "earnestly" against your sinful nature, relying on the grace of God? How do the emotions listed in 2 Corinthians 7:11 (indignation, zeal, revenge) manifest in your spiritual fight?
Consider how these concepts can empower you in your daily walk as a Christian warrior.
Further Questions for Reflection and Discussion
Continue your journey of reflection with these additional questions, designed to deepen your engagement with the principles of spiritual warfare and personal transformation.
Practical Spiritual Violence
Given the call to "warring violently" against the "old man," what specific, actionable strategies can you implement in your daily life to fight against particular sins or ungodly habits? How does this look different from mere self-discipline?
Community in Warfare
The Christian walk is often communal. How can fellow believers and your church community support and encourage you in this "holy war" against sin? What role does accountability play in sustaining this righteous indignation?
Grace and Earnest Striving
The text emphasizes fighting "with everything we have, and more, the grace of God." How do you reconcile this earnest, violent striving against sin with complete reliance on God's empowering grace? Where do you find the balance?
Sustaining the Spirit of Vengeance
The spirit of vengeance against sin is a powerful emotion. How do you sustain this righteous anger over time without becoming weary or allowing it to morph into bitterness or self-condemnation?
Exercises for the Christian Warrior
Transitioning from reflection to action, these exercises are designed to help you practically apply the principles of "The Christian Art of War" in your daily walk. Engage with them prayerfully, seeking the Holy Spirit's empowerment.
Identify Your Strongholds
Take time to prayerfully list the specific areas where "self" or habitual sin most frequently manifests in your life. Be honest and detailed. For each item, write a short "declaration of war" against it, committing to fight it with God's help this week.
Cultivate Righteous Indignation
When you encounter a temptation or recognize a sinful pattern in yourself or the world, pause. Instead of giving in or despairing, consciously invoke a "holy anger" against it. Meditate on how that sin grieves God and separates you from His best. Journal your feelings and redirect them into a desire for holiness.
Implement Spiritual Counter-Measures
Choose one specific "stronghold" identified above. For the next 24-48 hours, intentionally practice a direct, "violent" spiritual counter-measure. This might involve immediately quoting Scripture, fleeing a situation, confessing to an accountability partner, or engaging in fervent prayer. Observe the resistance and the grace.
Grace-Empowered Striving
Before engaging in any of these exercises, dedicate time to prayer, explicitly asking God for His grace and strength. After each exercise, reflect on how God's grace empowered you. Journal specific instances where His strength was made perfect in your weakness, reinforcing your reliance on Him.
Conclusion
These exercises are practical steps to embody the spirit of the Christian warrior.

The Christian Art of War provides a framework for understanding and engaging in the spiritual battle against self. By identifying the enemy, declaring war, adopting a soldier's mindset, and pursuing the divine objective with holy anger, believers can fight effectively in this unconventional war.
What you do in the drill matters, but what you do in the battle, matters more.
The Christian Art of War Chapters 2 and 3
Chapter 2: Know Thy Enemy
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." Sun Tzu
The greatest advantage one can have over his enemy is to know his enemy. Knowing what you are up against is the key to correct preparation for the battle. As Christians, the moment we understand the nature of our warfare, the moment we will realize how utterly we need to depend upon God. Our warfare is no conventional one. Unconventional warfare calls for unconventional means, will, dependence, and power. Unconventional warfare calls for unconventional warriors.
The Bible reveals to us the unconventional nature of the war we are in. We are told in the book of Ephesians that " We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12. In other words, the forces against us are forces that are out of this world. They are supernatural. Conventional weapons, conventional wisdom falls useless before them.
Unconventional Warfare
Our battle is not against physical enemies but supernatural forces
Supernatural Opposition
The forces against us are out of this world
Conventional Inadequacy
Normal weapons and wisdom are useless in this spiritual battle
The Combined Forces Against Us
As we have already seen, our greatest enemy is self, but now we learn that self is empowered by these supernatural forces. The combined efforts Satan, his angels and self are a force beyond what any of us can handle. The Bible also tells us that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft". 1 Samuel 15:23. It is the supernatural power of the enemy captivating self that constitutes disobedience to Jesus. The uncontrollable tongue, the lustful look, the inability to put down the bottle, all reveal the more than human power at work captivating millions of souls, making them "slaves" to sin. Not that self is taken by force, rather self is a willing captive. The reason why self seems so impossible to overcome, so impervious is because he is backed by more than human forces.

The Nature of Our Enemy
Self is empowered by supernatural forces, making it a willing captive to sin
Our Supernatural Hope
Hence, the warriors only hope is to connect himself with One who is also supernatural. All his dependance must fall upon his connection with the God of heaven and earth. God will grant His warriors supernatural power, not to float, or do tricks, but rather to subdue the human nature! Supernatural means to be above nature, or not subject to nature. God promises, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:4. The divine nature is the only thing that can stand up to the carnal nature. And we can only receive that divine nature through a vital spiritual connection with God. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" John 1:12.
Connect with God
All dependence must fall upon our connection with the supernatural God
Receive Divine Nature
God grants supernatural power to subdue human nature
Overcome Carnal Nature
The divine nature is the only thing that can stand up to the carnal nature
God will grant to the humble warrior unconventional power over his own nature, but we must be wiling to sit at the feet of this Divine Teacher, to learn the art of war against self. In this way, we get to know the "new man", his capabilities and powers in Christ, for "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17. We also get to our enemy because God will show us things of our nature we have long harbored. He will show us the "weak points" of self that we may get the advantage. And in knowing ourselves, our God, and our enemy, we need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles.
Sit at the Divine Teacher's Feet
Learn the art of war against self from God Himself
Know the "New Man"
"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Identify Weak Points
God reveals the vulnerabilities of self so we can gain advantage