Some of the worst Christian teaching and Biblical counsel is given under the guise of being instruction in Spiritual Warfare. Spiritual warfare according to Scripture is really pretty simple and the following story illustrates it well.

“Joe ended up being one of the smallest boys in his class at Damon. A bully began to go after him. Someone told Joe that a bully is just a lot of hot air and bluff. If you stand up to him, he will get scared and run. You won’t have any more trouble out of him. Joe later would say, ‘That was some of the worst advice I ever had!’ he tried it; the bully whipped him.

“Sometime later the bully began picking on Johnny. One day johnny had enough and whipped the bully. Joe then made friends with Johnny. ‘As long as I stayed around Johnny,’ said Joe, ‘I never had to worry about the bully bothering me.”

“If you try to whip the devil on your own, Joe explained, he will beat you every time. But Jesus defeated Satan at Calvary. Stay close to Jesus; you can whip the devil every time.”

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The above story is excerpted from The Wit and Wisdom of Joe Brumbelow: Favorite Illustrations, Personal Stories, Humor, History, Folklore, and Lessons Learned from Over 50 Years in the Ministry. I believe the practical wisdom found in the pages of this book to be very beneficial for those engaged in ministry and heartily recommend it.