Spiritual Warfare: Civilian Casualties

"I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid." Gen 3:10

The nature of this combat is that no-one is exempt. The action of Adam entered all mankind into the conflict zone. We are a people at war, believer or not, Jew or Gentile, male or female, adult or child. There is no "Geneva Convention" standard of war. The enemy comes to rob, kill and destroy. He has no other intention, no matter how appealing his means may seem.

The calamity of the garden, is the first indicator of what happens to mankind when he / she has been overshadowed by darkness. This is our first drama preview of what lay in store for the world and especially for the church. From now onwards there is a predictable spiral of decay and decline. Have a look:

• The woman said to the snake - demonic dialogue is not a role play to be encouraged,
• the woman saw the fruit - the tactics to soften us unto sin are those things which appeal to the senses. The enemy does not create new things - he is not a creator. He is a destroyer but he will use all his wiles to seduce us through the senses. The wonder and glory of the senses has now been replaced by them becoming a death trap of bondage and captivity. A nasty transition to the other side.
• they were naked - the garment of righteousness that covers us with such light and life is replaced over us by the sense of being naked and transparent, unprotected and vulnerable,
• they hid from the Lord - the estrangement from our Father, creator and God, is not a sweet place but one of much loneliness and estrangement, anger and rage,
• they were afraid - the casual ease of faith has been replaced by the horror of distance from God and closeness of a new dominator - one who is out to kill you...
• they hid - mankind started running. Not just running away but also running from someone who was now wrongly depicted as the new enemy, one to be disengagement from at all costs,
• the woman you put here with me - perfect beauty and harmony has now been substituted with animosity and blame. Unity has been exploded. Harmony has been imploded. Divorce was set in motion as the new war norm. The gender war began as a poisoned side plot. Cultures would clash, genders would conflict, generations would collide, nations would destroy.

A few moments of authority surrender catalyzed the end of a world of beauty, perfection, harmony and unity. Death, destruction and decay had come to squat on another man's land. A deliverer, rescuer or redeemer was needed to fight this battle for the garden. Man was at war.