Dealing with the Subjective Adversary vs. Experiencing the Killing
Power of the Word
The following presentation integrates the biblical
revelation, and the spiritual burden expressed in the previous discussion.
The central point is that spiritual
warfare has both an objective and a subjective aspect: we must resist the enemy
outwardly, while allowing the Word, as the Spirit’s sword, to deal with the
enemy’s elements
within our being.
1.
Integrated Summary Table
|
Aspect |
Dealing
with the Subjective Adversary |
Experiencing
the Killing Power of the Word |
|
Meaning |
To deal not only with Satan as the
outward enemy but also with the adversary operating within us through the elements that have been
injected into our natural being—especially the self, natural life,
natural thoughts, emotions, and opinions. |
To allow the
Word of God, as the sword of the Spirit, to enter our being
subjectively and kill the elements within us that
are contrary to God and give ground to the enemy. |
|
Reason |
Satan is not only an enemy outside
us but also an adversary who works through things
within us. The inward adversary can be more
difficult to deal with than outward attacks. |
Because the enemy's elements have been injected into man's being, merely
resisting outward attacks is insufficient. The Word
must be applied inwardly to deal with those elements. |
|
Illustration |
An enemy army outside a city plus an
enemy agent inside the city. The outward
army is visible, but the internal enemy is more subtle and
difficult to detect. |
A surgical knife. The Word does not merely defend us from outside; it penetrates our inward being
and removes the spiritual "disease" caused by the enemy's elements. |
|
Explanation |
The enemy is objective outside us, but the adversary becomes subjective within us. As we grow spiritually, we
increasingly discover that the self
is one of the most serious enemies in our spiritual experience. |
Ephesians 6:17 speaks of “the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the
word of God.” The Word becomes a weapon when the Spirit makes it living and applicable to our present situation. |
|
Effect |
The self, natural life,
self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-love, and self-assertion
are exposed and dealt with, so that the enemy has
less ground within us. |
The natural elements that
oppose God are put to death, allowing the life of
Christ to have more ground in us and to be
expressed through us. |
|
Purpose |
To remove the enemy's inward ground
and stronghold—not to destroy our
personality, but to deny the self and allow Christ
to replace the self as our center. |
To give Christ
more ground within us. The killing is not the goal in itself; it is
for life, so that Christ's life may be manifested. |
|
Mutual Relationship |
Because there
is an
inward adversary, there is a need for subjective
dealing. |
Because the inward adversary must be dealt with, we need the subjective application of
the Word as the Spirit's sword. |
|
Example |
Someone says
something that hurts us. Outwardly, the problem appears to be the
other person's words, but inwardly we
immediately react with resentment, self-pity, self-righteousness, or
retaliation. The deeper problem is the self. |
We bring the
situation before the Lord and allow His Word to operate in us: “Love your
enemies,” “Do all things without murmurings,”
etc. The Word kills self-righteousness, self-pity, and retaliation. |
|
Application |
When we
experience temptation or irritation, instead of asking only, “Who is wrong?”, we ask, “Lord, what part of my being is giving
ground to the enemy?” |
We should read
the Bible
not merely to gain knowledge but to allow the Spirit
to apply the Word to our thoughts, emotions, will, and reactions. |
|
Spiritual Practice |
Recognize the self → receive the light → confess
the inward reaction → accept the cross
→ refuse to give ground to the enemy. |
Contact the Word → the Spirit makes the Word living → the Word exposes → the
Word kills the natural element → Christ's
life gains more ground. |
|
Direction of Warfare |
Deal with the enemy's inward
ground. |
Exercise the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God. |
|
Common Mistake |
To think of
Satan only as an outward enemy while failing to recognize that the self and natural
life can become an inward avenue for the enemy's
activity. |
To treat the
Bible
merely as doctrine, information, or comfort without
allowing the Word to become the Spirit's living sword in our experience. |
|
Ministry Burden |
We need to
progress from merely dealing with the enemy in the
environment to dealing with the self within us. Spiritual warfare is often not about defeating
another person but about refusing to let the self
rule. |
We need the
Word to become more than objective biblical knowledge. It must
become the living Word applied by the
Spirit, operating within us as a
killing power. |
|
Prophetic Speaking |
“Brothers and sisters, spiritual warfare is not merely resisting the enemy
outwardly; it is also refusing to allow the
self to reign inwardly.” |
“Lord, make
Your Word the sword of the Spirit in my experience. Do not let Your Word remain merely as doctrine in my mind; let it enter my being and
kill everything that is contrary to You.” |
|
Conclusion |
The outward enemy must be resisted; the
inward adversary must be dealt with. The more we
grow spiritually, the more we realize how serious the self is as an enemy to Christ. |
The killing power of the Word is a crucial means for
dealing with the inward adversary. The Spirit
uses the Word as a sword to kill the enemy's elements
and make room for Christ's life. |
|
Key Scriptures |
Eph. 6:11–13, 16; Rom.
7:23; Gal. 2:20; Matt. 16:24; Rom. 8:13; 1 Pet. 5:8–9 |
Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; 2
Cor. 3:6; John 6:63; Psa. 119:105; Eph. 5:26; Rev. 1:16; 19:15, 21 |
2.
Spiritual Sequence
The spiritual sequence can be summarized as follows:
The outward enemy
↓
The inward adversary
↓
The self becomes a major inward enemy
↓
The Word enters our being
↓
The Spirit makes the Word
living
↓
The Word becomes the
Spirit's sword
↓
The natural elements are killed
↓
Christ gains more ground
↓
Christ is expressed through
us
↓
We stand in victory in the
spiritual warfare
The
key principle
The enemy outside us requires resistance; the enemy's elements within us require the killing work of the Word.
The purpose of this killing is not to destroy our person or our soul, but to terminate the natural
elements that oppose God's economy and hinder Christ's life.
This corresponds to Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians
4:10–12 concerning “the putting to death of
Jesus,” which is for the manifestation of the life of Jesus.
Thus:
Killing is for
life.
Termination is for resurrection.
The dealing with the self is for the increase of Christ.
3.
Core Contrast
|
Resisting
the Outward Enemy |
Experiencing
the Killing of the Word |
|
Objective
aspect |
Subjective
aspect |
|
Enemy outside |
Enemy's elements within |
|
Resist |
Kill |
|
Stand firm |
Allow the Word
to operate |
|
Put on the
armor |
Exercise the
sword |
|
Deal with Satan's attack |
Deal with Satan's elements |
|
External
warfare |
Internal
warfare |
|
“Do not give
ground to the
enemy.” |
“Do not allow the self to reign.” |
|
The enemy is defeated outside |
The enemy's inward ground is removed |
|
We stand |
Christ gains
ground |
|
Resistance preserves our standing |
Killing removes the
inward obstacle to Christ's living |
The deepest spiritual realization is therefore:
The most difficult enemy is often
not the
Satan we can recognize outside of us, but the self within us that can
cooperate with the enemy.
4.
Ultimate Conclusion
The Bible presents spiritual warfare as more than a matter of
resisting an external Satan. Satan is objectively the enemy, but because his elements have entered into man's fallen
natural being, he can also operate as an inward adversary through the self, natural life, natural thoughts,
emotions, and opinions.
Therefore, Ephesians 6:17 is
crucial: the sword is “the sword of the
Spirit,” and the sword is the Word of God. The
Word, when made living and operative by the
Spirit, penetrates our inward being, exposes what is contrary to God, and kills the
enemy's elements within us.
This killing work is not negative in its ultimate purpose. It is for the release and manifestation
of Christ's life.
Therefore:
Outwardly, we resist Satan; inwardly, we allow the Spirit
through the Word to deal with the self and kill the enemy's elements. Through both aspects of spiritual warfare, Christ gains the
ground, the self loses its ruling position, and
the victory of Christ is manifested in us and through
us.
5.
One-Sentence Summary
We resist the outward enemy by standing in God's armor,
but we overcome the inward adversary by allowing the Spirit to use the Word as a sword to kill
the elements of the self, so that Christ may gain the
ground and be expressed through us.
*Please refer to the April
2026 Summer Training General Topic: Believers, Part Five: Living Stones and
Sheep
