Spiritual Protection

Spiritual protection is a critical issue for the church.

In the modern world, too many Christians are being defeated because they are standing alone (even while being part of a church). Soldiers fighting alone are easily defeated, because the enemy is able to pick them off one at time. In contrast, when soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder with shields in place, they can withstand a powerful attack. Christians must stand together with others to achieve victory. This level of protection does not come automatically from being part of a church, but by being in close fellowship with other Christians. They will need to know us well enough to see how we are being attacked and love us enough to stand with us. We will need to trust them enough to be willing to submit to them. This will happen best in radical lifestyle churches, where Christians live close to each other and can meet together daily.

A pastor/leader cannot provide spiritual protection for several hundred people. The reason is that most spiritual attacks come through deception that leads to sin. The best protection for Christians against these deceptions is friends who know us well enough to see our weaknesses, and love us enough to challenge us when we give in to them. Generally, a pastor/leader will not know individual Christians well enough to notice their vulnerabilities. Most people can easily fool their pastor.