Missionaries and understanding our spiritual conflict

Ken Fish uses two primary analogies in his presentation, “Occult Spiritual Warfare,” to illustrate the level of conflict that those who are out on mission for Jesus can expect in spiritual warfare.

• World War II and the Taking of the Beaches:
  • Analogy: Fish compares the spiritual battles that missionaries face to the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. He specifically references the D-Day landings where the Allied forces faced fierce resistance from the German army. He mentions Omaha Beach, where the U.S. forces suffered heavy casualties, to show the intensity of the battle. He also notes that each section of the Normandy Coast was under the control of different German generals such as Erwin Rommel and Von Runstadt.
  • Purpose: The purpose of this analogy is to illustrate the intense spiritual opposition that missionaries encounter when they go to foreign lands to preach the gospel. He says that like the soldiers at Normandy, missionaries often go into territories controlled by powerful spiritual forces, and if they are not prepared for spiritual warfare, they can suffer significant damage to their health, marriages, and mental well-being. He points out that many missionaries “flame out” because they are not ready for the spiritual battle that they face. He notes that this type of warfare is not only in foreign lands, but can also be experienced in local areas. [Start time: 26:16, End time: 28:56].
• Navy Ships and Fighter Pilots:
  • Analogy: Fish uses the analogy of a U.S. Navy ship and its various crew members to describe different roles in the body of Christ during spiritual warfare. He describes various roles, such as cooks, weapons officers, navigation officers and fighter pilots, to illustrate that each role is important, but that some roles are more specialized than others. He then contrasts these roles with Navy SEAL Team Six, who are highly trained for specific combat missions, like taking down Osama bin Laden (codename: Geronimo)
  • Purpose: The purpose of this analogy is to distinguish between the general spiritual warfare that most Christians are called to engage in and the more specialized strategic level warfare that some individuals are gifted for. He explains that while all Christians have a role to play, most are not called to engage directly with high-level demonic forces (Dominions and Thrones). He also uses this analogy to show that while most Christians can handle the “cook,” “weapons officer”, or “fighter pilot” levels of warfare, when encountering higher level spirits, it takes a specially gifted team to deal with those forces . He emphasizes that most Christians are not called to be a “Navy SEAL team six” and that those who are called to that level of warfare will know it, and will not be asking if they are called . He also makes a point that even the rank and file Christian can get attacked by a higher level spirit, as seen when Jesus and his disciples were in the boat crossing the sea and were attacked by a storm. [Start time: 30:25, End time: 33:53]

• Title: Occult Spiritual Warfare
• Speaker: Ken Fish
• Start time: 26:16
• End time: 33:53

Orbis Ministries – Link to Ken Fish’s Ministry material.