To Enjoy the All-inclusive Christ, we must Engage in Spiritual Warfare and Defeat Satan

If we as believers in Christ would possess the good land for the fulfilment of God’s purpose, we must engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces; for us to gain the unsearchable riches of Christ, we must crush the spiritual enemies that hinder us from enjoying Christ. Amen!

The good land of Canaan has two spiritual meanings or significances: first, it signifies the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches, and second, it signifies the aerial part of the enemy’s kingdom that frustrates us from enjoying the unsearchably rich Christ.

On the positive side, we want to enjoy the Lord with all His unsearchable riches.

On the negative side, we must engage in spiritual warfare, for whenever we want to enjoy Christ, the enemy rises up and attacks us in many ways.

In a subjective sense and in our daily experience, the enemy hides behind and utilizes the many aspects of our natural life.

On one hand, Satan is in the heavenlies fighting a spiritual warfare to blind us and veil us from seeing the all-inclusiveness of Christ.

On the other hand, Satan is right here within us, hiding behind the aspects of our natural life, actively seeking to hinder us from enjoying Christ.

Our Christ is all-inclusive, and His riches are unsearchable.

He is waiting for us to enjoy Him, and He has laid the land before us; every step that we take in this wonderful, good land is ours, and every rich portion of Christ we enjoy becomes our constitution for the building up of the church.

However, as we walk in the land and seek to take the land, the enemy comes in to frustrate us, and many times he attacks us through the aspects of our natural life.

Therefore, we need to cooperate with the Lord to drive out and destroy the enemy.

God promised that He will drive out the pagan tribes that were illegally occupying the land of Canaan, but the children of Israel had to cooperate with God.

And this driving out of the pagan tribes was gradual, not all at once.

Gradually, as we grow in the divine life, as the Lord gains more ground in our being, the natural life loses ground in our being. Amen!

May we daily open to the Lord and turn our heart to Him, exercising our spirit to contact Him and letting Him grow in us.

May we even ask Him to grow in us, giving us the growth in life for each day.

As the Lord grows in us, as His element increases in our being, the enemy in our natural life is being driven out.

On the positive side, Christ grows in us; on the negative side, we are strong in spirit to cooperate with the Lord and drive out the enemy who hides behind the many aspects of our natural life.

To Enjoy the All-inclusive Christ, we must Engage in Spiritual Warfare and Defeat the satanic forces

According to the book of Joshua we see that, in order for the people of Israel to take the good land as their God-given possession, they had to drive out and destroy the pagan tribes that illegally settled there.

Warfare was necessary in order for the children of Israel to take possession of the land.

This shows us that, if we as believers in Christ would possess the all-inclusive Christ as our allotted portion of the good land, we must engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces.

In typology, the land of Canaan signifies the aerial part, the heavenly part, of the dark kingdom of Satan.

Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31) and the ruler of the authority of the air (Eph. 2:2), and he has his authority (Acts 26:18) and his angels (Matt. 25:41), who are his subordinates as principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph. 6:12).

Satan has his kingdom, and he is at war and at enmity with God and His kingdom.

We used to be in the kingdom of Satan, but through faith and baptism we were transferred out of his kingdom and brought into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love (Col. 1:13).

Praise the Lord, we are now in the kingdom of God, a realm of love, light, and peace, and here we have the all-inclusive Christ as our portion.

However, even though we’re in the kingdom of God, there’s a warfare to be fought, for the enemy seeks to hinder our enjoyment of Christ.

Num. 21:1-2, 23-25 shows us that, even before the people of Israel entered into the good land, there were these gatekeepers, the nations before the good land, who did not want Israel to go forward toward the good land, so they fought against them. Wow.

In order for the children of Israel to enter into the good land, they had to pass through the territory controlled by these kings who were guarding the land of Canaan for Satan; therefore, they had to engage in warfare against them.

In order for us to advance in the Lord and possess the all-inclusive Christ as our God-allotted portion, we must engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces.

We need to realize the necessity of spiritual warfare, a warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan (Matt. 6:10; 7:21; 12:26, 28; Isa. 14:12-14).

Today in the modern world warfare is optional; only those who want to go to war will go, and most of the people stay away from it.

But in the spiritual realm, there’s no neutrality; we cannot be neutral regarding the spiritual warfare.

We must engage in spiritual warfare in order to possess the portion God has allotted to us of the all-inclusive Christ.

If we do not engage in spiritual warfare, we are already defeated, and we are still under the control of the kingdom of darkness.

There are all kinds of enemies coming out of this way and that way trying to hinder our enjoyment of Christ and frustrate our possessing of the God-allotted portion of Christ.

There are the rebellious angels who followed Satan and who work to hinder us from enjoying the Lord.

May we see that the land of Canaan is not only a type of the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches for us to enjoy but also a type of the kingdom of Satan with his evil spirits actively working and fighting against us and against God.

And may we engage in spiritual warfare by standing strong in the Lord and one with the Body, fighting the battle in the Lord and in the Body, for us to advance with the Lord and take possession of the all-inclusive Christ with His unsearchable riches.

May we see that we are today on the battlefield; what we see around us is not ideologies, laws and rules being passed out, same-sex marriage and other such things, but even more, there’s a spiritual warfare between Satan’s kingdom and God’s kingdom.

Lord Jesus, we want to possess the good land for the fulfilment of God’s purpose. Oh Lord, we want to enjoy the unsearchable riches of the all-inclusive Christ as our God-allotted portion. We come to You in spirit, Lord, exercising to deny ourselves and turn our heart to You so that we may enjoy You and partake of Your unsearchable riches. We stand one with You, Lord, to engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces. Cause us to realize, Lord, the necessity of spiritual warfare between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. May we see how the enemy attacks us and all Your saints in order to frustrate and hinder our enjoyment of Christ as the good land. May we stand one with the Lord and one with the Body to engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic forces. Amen, Lord, bring us on with You. We want to enjoy more of You. We want to take possession of our God-allotted portion of the all-inclusive Christ, and we’re willing to fight for our rightful possession!

For us to Gain the Unsearchable Riches of Christ, we must Crush the Spiritual Enemies

When the people of Israel was ready to take possession of the land of Canaan, the land was filled with demon-possessed people, idol worshippers, and Nephilim (Num. 13:33).

Because the Nephilim, a mixture of fallen angels and fallen men, dwelt in the land of Canaan, God commanded the children of Israel to take over this land and to destroy every living being there so that the human race could be cleared up (Deut. 7:1-2).

On one hand, the people of Israel were to take possession of the God-allotted portion; on the other hand, they had to clear out the enemies, pagan tribes, and Nephilim there.

We should not think that this is something that happened in history a long time ago with no connection to our situation.

Look at what is happening today in society, how some people are so vocal concerning our next generation, to teach them things that are immoral and improper and unethical.

We are not political nor do we stand publicly against this or that person, but we realize there’s a spiritual warfare between Satan’s kingdom and God’s kingdom, and we engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the enemy and prevail to gain the unsearchable riches of Christ.

According to the divine thought, the nations in the land of Canaan had to be exterminated because they were devilish and mingled with demons (v. 2; Josh. 11:21-22; 14:6-14).

God does not want to destroy man, but when man is joined to Satan and becomes devilish, God has to come in.

The Canaanites signify not only the fallen angels but also the human beings who have joined themselves to the evil spirits, to the satanic power of darkness in the air (Num. 14:45).

Today in our society there are some people in power who have joined themselves to the power of darkness in the air; they have much power and can do many things, but they are clearly one with Satan in what they do.

The kings of Arad (21:1), of the Amorites (v. 21), and of Bashan (v. 33) were the “gate guards” on the east of the Jordan, guarding the land of Canaan, the kingdom of darkness, for Satan.

These kings, who were defeated by God’s army, signify the rulers, the authorities, and the world-rulers of darkness, against whom we must struggle (Eph. 6:12).

Just as the children of Israel had to fight the warfare against these tribes and clear them out, so we today must crush the spiritual enemies in order for us to gain the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Our desire as believers in Christ is to gain the unsearchable riches of Christ; however, for us to do this, we need to engage in spiritual warfare and crush the spiritual enemies signified by the king of Arad, Sihon the king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan (3:8; 6:10-12). Amen!

As we live the church life today, we need to realize that there’s a spiritual warfare going on, and the enemy is actively trying to deceive, lure, and ruin the young people, the students, the young believers, and all the saints.

Therefore, we need to engage in spiritual warfare and pray one with the Lord and one with the saints for us and the saints to enjoy the unsearchable riches of Christ.

We need to have vital companions that we pray with regularly, standing in the Lord and in the Body and pushing back against the attacks of the enemy.

We may see that some saints are too busy to meet with the church or to enjoy the Lord; this is a clear attack from the enemy, and we need to stand against him and his strategies.

We may see that the young one’s heart is growing cold toward the Lord and that the students are becoming formal in the church meetings, attending the meetings as a routine.

There are evil forces in the air fighting to wear out the saints, cause them to lose their enjoyment of Christ, and make them busy so that they don’t pursue the Lord or meet with the saints.

May we be aware of the enemy’s schemes and not be oblivious of his lies and deceit; may we realize there’s a spiritual struggle and may we join with the Lord to engage in spiritual warfare for our enjoyment of Christ and for the saints’ enjoyment of Christ.

In addition to the war on earth, there is a war between God and the satanic forces in the air (Eph. 2:2; 6:12).

We need to crush and defeat the evil spirits in the kingdom of Satan in order for us to enjoy and partake of the unsearchable riches of Christ and for the saints to enter into their allotted portion of Christ.

Lord Jesus, enlighten us to see the invisible spiritual warfare that is taking place behind the visible scene on earth. Oh Lord, we want to enjoy You and partake of Your riches today. We want to gain the unsearchable riches of Christ, and we are one with You in spirit to crush the spiritual enemies. Amen, Lord, show us the need to engage in spiritual warfare to defeat the enemy in the heavenlies in order for us to enjoy the all-inclusive Christ. Keep us fighting the battle in the Body together with the saints and with our vital companions. Save us from trying to be neutral regarding the spiritual warfare. Keep us in our spirit. Keep us fighting the battle in the Lord and in the Body, one with the Lord and one with the saints. Amen, Lord, we fight the battle for our young ones, our students, the new ones, and all the saints. We do not agree with the enemy’s attacks, we stand against him, and we pray for the saints to be delivered from the attacks of the enemy in order to enjoy their portion of the all-inclusive Christ!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ron Kangas in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Numbers (pp. 239-241 ), by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Laboring on the All-inclusive Christ Typified by the Good land for the Building up of the Church as the Body of Christ, for the Reality and the Manifestation of the Kingdom, and for the Bride to make Herself Ready for the Lord’s Coming (2023 Winter Training), week 1, entitled, Fighting for the Good Land.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – Fighting for the Good Land, via, The church in Chennai.
  – The unsearchable riches of Christ as the content and structure of the gospel of God, article by Ed Marks via, Affirmation and Critique.
  – What the riches of Christ are, a portion from, The All-Inclusiveness and Unlimitedness of Christ, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
  – Enjoy Christ’s Riches in 3 Aspects Every Day, via, Holding to Truth.
  – What is the All-inclusive Christ? More via, Hearing of Faith newsletter.
  – Download the free book, The All-inclusive Christ, via, Bibles for America.
  – God’s economy and Paul’s ministry: summarized and demonstrated (1), via, Conversant Faith.
  – God’s Faithfulness and Our Perseverance in Prayer, via, Living to Him.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – Fight the battle in the Body, / Never fight it on your own; / With the Body to the Head joined, / Fight the battle on the throne. / Fight the battle in the Body! / By the virtue of the Head; / Standing firmly with the Body, / Into vict’ry you’ll be led. (Hymns #885 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – Charge, soldiers, charge in battle! / And gaze upon thy Lord; / If thou wilt fight His battle, / The throne is thy reward. / This war is of the spirit, / Not fought on earthly ground; / The Lord well knows the foe is near, / Encircling us around. (Hymns #873 stanza 2)
  – Christ is a land of iron stones, / Whence comes authority. / We must dig out this solid Christ / To bind His enemy. / Then we must through the sufferings pass / To be refined as burnished brass. / With iron bind, as brass refined, / Is our need. / Lord, how we bless Thee for this land, / The all-inclusive Christ! / We’ve eaten Him, we’re filled with Him, / O how He has sufficed! / Teach us to labor constantly / Upon this vast reality; / This is our joy, this our employ— / Christ our land! (Hymns #1164 stanzas 5-6)