ENEMY TERRITORY

KEY VERSES FROM THE ARTICLES OF WAR:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
(I John 2:15-16)

INTRODUCTION
There is only one enemy, but as you have learned in previous lessons he works through a mighty
force of demons. As the Key Verse of this chapter reveals, Satan not only uses demons but he
also works through the evil forces of the flesh and the world:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (I John 2:15-16)
The purpose of this chapter is to identify and discuss the enemy forces of evil known as the world
and the flesh. Beware! You are entering a hostile grounds. The world and the flesh are enemy
territory.

PART ONE: THE WORLD
The word "world" has different meanings in Scripture. It can mean the earth or universe in its
physical order. It is used to refer to Gentiles which are all nations other than the Jewish nation.
But the word "world" also is used to refer to the present condition of human affairs in opposition
to God. It is the system that runs the inhabited earth, a system that is opposed to God and the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is this meaning that is used in this lesson. The "world" is the corporate
group of flesh-centered individuals who make up the human race. Flesh, in this context, is not
referring to the actual flesh of your body. It is a term which describes the basic evil human nature
of man which is in willful rebellion against God.
As your enemy, the world is the whole organized system of social, economic, materialistic, and
religious philosophies which have their expression through organizations, personalities, and
governments. It is not a specific government, organization, or person, but the worldly system
upon which these are based. The world system is an extension of man's fleshiness. It provides
an atmosphere, environment, and system which promotes fleshly sins. It surrounds man with that
which appeals to his fleshly desires.

THE PRINCE OF THE WORLD:
Satan is the "prince" or ruler of the world system:
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast
out. (John 12:31)
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30)
Satan is also called the god of this world:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believed not... (II Corinthians 4:4)
The kingdoms of the world are presently influenced by Satan. They are guided by Satanic
philosophy and principles. They are flesh-centered and flesh-governed:
Again, the Devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and
sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship me. (Matthew 4:8-9)
Some day they will become the kingdoms of our Lord:
And the seventh angel sounded: and there were great voices in heaven
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord
and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)
THE REASON FOR THE CONDITION OF THE WORLD:
Sin is the reason for the present condition of the world. When Adam and Eve were originally
created by God, they were given dominion over the world. This meant they had control over the
world, to guide its systems and inhabitants according to the plan of God. When they sinned
against God, they lost that dominion. (Genesis l-3)
When Jesus was crucified for the sins of all mankind and resurrected from the dead, He
reclaimed the world. He pronounced judgment on the spiritual forces of evil:
And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them
openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)
Although Jesus reclaimed the world from the power of the enemy, Satan does not yet
acknowledge that claim. Satan still is at work in the world with his evil powers. Satan will not
Aknowledge the claims of Jesus over the kingdoms of the world until the final conflict which
you will study about in the last chapter of this course.
The present situation is similar to military conditions that often occur in the natural world. A
political or military power will take control of a nation but their claims will not be acknowledged
by rebel troops within that nation. The rebel troops continue to war throughout the country.
They try to take possession of territory not rightfully theirs and overpower the citizens. They
often use tactics of terror to accomplish these purposes.
The situation in the spirit world is similar. Jesus reclaimed dominion over the world, the enemy,
and his evil forces. But the rebel troops of Satan still war throughout the world. They try to take
possession of territory not rightfully theirs and influence men and women for evil. This battle,
which is our "spiritual warfare," will continue until the final conflict.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD:
The world structure is in direct opposition to God, His plan, purposes, and people:
The Evil World System:
The present world system is evil:
Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present
evil world, according to the will of God and our Father. (Galatians 1:4)
The world system is without God:
...having no hope, and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12)
There is much deception in the world to ensnare believers to become part of the world system:
For many deceivers are entered into the world...(II John 7)
The world is already judged and under condemnation by God:
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be
condemned with the world. (I Corinthians 11:32)

The Elements Of The World:
The "elements of the world" refer to the elementary principles that govern the world. They lead
to spiritual bondage:
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of
the world. (Galatians 4:3)

The Rudiments Of The World:
These are the regulations on which the world structure rests. They are different from the
principles upon which God structures His Kingdom:
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why,
as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances. (Colossians
2:8,20)

The Spirit Of The World:
The spirit of the world is in direct opposition to the Holy Spirit:
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of
God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
(I Corinthians 2:12)

The Philosophy Of The World:
Philosophies are principles of knowledge. Worldly philosophies are not based on Christ:
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
(Colossians 2:8)

The Wisdom Of The World
Worldly wisdom is not God's wisdom:
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. (I Corinthians 3:19)

The Course Of The World:
The "course" of the world is the cycle of the present world, its routine, the way in which it
operates:
Wherefore in times past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:2)

The Voices Of The World:
The many "voices" in the world are contrary to the voice of God:
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them
is without signification. (I Corinthians 14:10)

The Peace Of The World:
The peace of the world is temporary, fragile, and sometimes deceptive:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(John 14:27)

The Sorrow Of The World:
Godly sorrow differs from that of the world:
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but
the sorrow of the world worketh death. (II Corinthians 7:10)

The Attitude Of The World:
The world hates God:
...Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
(James 4:4)

The world hates believers:
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye
were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of
the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth
you. (John 15:18-19)
Since the world is made up of flesh centered individuals who hate believers, we need to learn
more about this powerful force called "the flesh."

PART TWO: THE FLESH
The world is an evil social force of Satan that works from the outside to attack believers. It is the
corporate organization of fleshly individuals. The flesh is an evil force working from within the
believer. The same "fleshly spirit" that operates in the world will operate in your life if you allow
it to do so. The word "flesh" as used in Scripture can refer to the actual body of man and beast.
But this is not what we are talking about when we use the word "flesh" in this lesson.
The Bible also uses the word "flesh" to describe the basic sin nature of man. The flesh is the
center of willful defiance and rebellion against God:
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing; for to will
(to do good) is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not.
For the good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me. (Romans 8:18-20)
The flesh is a compulsive inner force which expresses itself in rebellion through sin. It is this
meaning of flesh which is used in this lesson. The words "carnal" and "old man" are also used to
describe the fleshly nature of man. All men have this basic, sinful, fleshly nature:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and
so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12)
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

THE LUST OF THE FLESH:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
(Galatians 5:16)
What is the lust of the flesh? First let us define the word "lust." Lust is "strong desire, soulish
emotions, the natural tendency of man towards evil." The Bible warns that we should not lust
after evil things:
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after
evil things, as they also lusted. (I Corinthians 10:6)
Lusting after evil things which will please your fleshly nature is "lust of the flesh". It is how
Satan attacks from within. It is like a civil war within a nation, with your spirit and flesh warring
against each other.

HOW LUST DEVELOPS:
Lust, or sinful desire, first enters through the natural senses. The eye sees something evil or the
ear hears something wicked. A touch, a taste, or even a smell can even foster lust. This is how
Satan uses the environment of the world to tempt the flesh. These natural senses trigger an evil
thought or desire in the mind. This is lust. The lustful thought is what tempts you to do evil:
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be
tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed. (James 1:13-14)
Remember, God never tempts you. You are tempted when you are drawn by your own sinful,
fleshly lusts. But you do not have to yield to this temptation. God always provides a way of
escape:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: But God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way of escape that ye may be able to
bear it. (I Corinthians 10:13)
Since the mind is used to tempt the flesh, Paul warns:
For to be carnally (fleshly) minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7-8)
You will learn later how the mind is one of the main battlefields of spiritual warfare.
THE RESULTS OF LUST:
If you yield to lust, temptation results, and if you yield to temptation, it results in sin which leads
to death:
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:15)
The world is corrupt because of lust:
...having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(II Peter 1:4)
Your flesh is corrupt because of lust:
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts... (Ephesians 4:22)
THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE SPIRIT TO THE FLESH:
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and
these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would. (Galatians 5:17)
When you are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, that Spirit indwells your spirit. The Holy
Spirit in your spirit opposes the lusts of the flesh. Your flesh wars against your spirit and the
Spirit of God within you. The flesh entices you to sinful lusts. This is why you often cannot live
the way you desire to live.
Paul described this battle between the spirit and the flesh in Romans chapter 7. Read the entire
chapter in your Bible. He summarized the battle:
I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man (the spirit);
But I see another law in my members (the flesh), warring against the law of
my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members. (Romans 7:21-23)

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH:
The lusts of the flesh, if not conquered, lead to sinful works of the flesh which result in spiritual
death:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such thing
shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
This list can be divided into four categories of sins:
Worship Sins: Idolatry and witchcraft.
Sexual Sins: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lasciviousness.
Personal Sins: Drunkenness and revellings.
Relationship Sins: Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, envyings, and
murders.
Each of these sinful works are defined in detail in the Harvestime International Institute course
"Ministry Of The Holy Spirit." They are contrasted to the fruit of the Holy Spirit which should
be developed in the lives of believers.

POWERFUL EVIL FORCES
The world and the flesh combine with Satan and his demons to war against believers. These are
the spiritual forces of evil. In the following lessons you will learn strategies of spiritual warfare
to combat these powerful spiritual forces of evil.