Several years ago I read a book titled The Art of War which was written in the 6th Century BC by a Chinese military strategist and general named Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu is considered to be one of the most brilliant military minds in history. Many of the battlefield strategies, tactics, and maneuvers he wrote about in his book are still being taught today in military academies around the world.
Soldiers must be trained in the art of warfare in order to understand battlefield techniques and the proper use of weaponry among other things. They must learn to think like their enemy thinks and be able to predict what moves their enemy is going to make on the battlefield.
I have taught on the topic of spiritual warfare for many years and have written 4 books regarding spiritual warfare. At times I have used some of the tactics Sun Tzu wrote about in his book when teaching. Spiritual warfare is much like natural warfare. There is a battlefield, strategies, powerful weapons and an enemy to fight to name a few. In spiritual warfare we use tactics and strategies that are similar at times to the strategies and tactics used on natural battlefields. When there is an enemy present trying to kill or destroy us, war is war, no matter what type of battle we are fighting.
The Bible tells us that the Devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy. In other words, the Bible is telling us we are at war with the Devil. Because the war we are fighting is not a natural war, we cannot use natural weapons.
According to what the Bible tells us, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. One of the battlegrounds we fight upon is in our minds. The mind is where thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God remain or become strongholds of the enemy. In casting down these strongholds we are partaking in spiritual warfare.
We are fighting an enemy that tries to establish strongholds in our minds. The Forces of Darkness are continually trying to enforce their will upon us by tempting us to sin and/or deny our faith in Christ through the many tests and trials we experience on the Battlefield of Life.
Raw recruits in any army must go through a period of training in order to become effective warriors on the battlefield. Without the proper training in weaponry and battlefield tactics an army does not stand a chance against a well trained, well equipped, battle hardened enemy.
As Christians we have all been “drafted” into the Army of God. We fight the Devil daily on the Battlefield of Life. Whether we like it or not, we are at war with the unseen Forces of Darkness. If Christians do not know how to battle the Forces of Darkness and stand against the enemy of their souls, they will surely lose the daily battles they are fighting.
Boot Camp is where raw recruits are trained to become mighty warriors. It is the place where soldiers learn discipline and the proper use of their weapons. Boot Camp is where soldiers learn the “art of warfare” and the strategies that will eventually help them defeat their enemies. It is a place where raw recruits learn to fight together in unity as a team.
Christian Boot Camp is where Soldiers of Christ get their “basic training” in spiritual warfare. It is a place where Christians learn the “disciplines of the faith” in order to rule and reign with Christ in the heavenlies here on earth.
I have said for many years that churches should be “training centers.” Unfortunately, many churches are just social clubs and “fanciful factories” teaching cunning fables that are sending Christians out into a world that overwhelms and devours them.
The Bible tells us that we do not war against flesh and blood and that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but “mighty” through God to the pulling down of strongholds. As Christians we have an enemy we cannot see with the natural eye. We have an enemy that is continually trying to force his will upon us. We have an enemy that attempts to establish “strongholds” of doubt, fear, and unbelief in our hearts and minds. Fortunately we have been given “spiritual weapons” and “heavenly armor” from the Lord that can enable us to defeat the enemy of our souls.
Our spiritual enemies are the most devious, conniving, deceitful, beguiling, wicked, and unpredictable entities on earth. They have thousands of years of experience in waging war against the unsuspecting masses, nations, and individuals on the planet. The Forces of Darkness are responsible for all the wars, trouble, turmoil, heartache, death, and destruction that has been visited upon the people of this earth.
The disciplines of spiritual warfare should be taught wherever Christians assemble together in order to learn about the Lord and study the word of God. Jesus began His ministry fighting the Devil and continued to battle him until His “victory” at Calvary. He fought for the souls of mankind that had been oppressed and possessed by the Devil. He won the victory over death, Hell, and the grave and became the “firstborn” of many who would follow in His victorious footsteps.
Jesus said “I give you the keys to the kingdom and whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18). Jesus has given us the “Keys to the Kingdom.” Binding and loosing is about spiritual warfare. Among other things, the Keys to the Kingdom are used to wage spiritual warfare against our spiritual enemies.
We cannot expect to win spiritual battles if we are not properly trained in the art of spiritual warfare. Our battle with the unseen Forces of Darkness will be unsuccessful if we do not learn how to “bind and loose.”
The Boot Camp Bride is the Bride of Christ. With the proper training she becomes proficient at waging spiritual warfare against the unseen Forces of Darkness. In Boot Camp she is taught the disciplines of spiritual warfare and is given the most powerful weapons in the universe to defeat her spiritual enemies. Because she sits with Christ in heavenly places she has the power and authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and all the power the enemy of her soul possesses.
In Boot Camp the Bride of Christ becomes proficient in the art of warfare. The “training for reigning” with Christ she receives will be more than enough to expel the thoughts and imaginations in her mind that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. When her obedience is fulfilled, she will be able to take the battle for spiritual supremacy into the enemy’s territory in order to free those that have been taken captive by the wiles and schemes of the Devil.