Hannibal Author Discusses His Personal Spiritual Warfare

For centuries, many evangelicals have described themselves as spiritual warriors. The church often promotes this idea as a purpose and goal of a Christian. Stories of fighting unseen demons and Satan’s attacks have even been made into popular movies and books.

While the intentions behind this perspective are usually good, the belief that Christians are spiritual warriors designed to fight for and defend the cause of Christ is misplaced. In Ambassadors on Mission: The Priority of Prayer and Proclamation, veteran author Dan R. Crawford explains that Christians are actually ambassadors, not warriors. He says believers are designed to withstand Satan’s attacks—not to actively fight—while representing Christ in everyday situations.

Dr. Crawford first begins his look into the ambassadorship of Christians by examining why the image of a warrior does not fit with the Christian model. He explains that while Christians are not designed to seek and destroy Satan—because Jesus has already defeated Satan—Christians will get caught in the crossfire and must know how to withstand attacks.

Through the remaining chapters of Ambassadors on Mission, Dr. Crawford takes an insightful journey through Ephesians 6:10-20. This passage, which lists the spiritual armor a Christian should use, is often thought to promote the role of a warrior. However, as Dr. Crawford examines each phrase as well as the overall message in the chapter, he quickly shows that the essence is one of prayer and proclamation to stand against spiritual warfare.

His step-by-step walk through the Scripture in Ephesians 6 also includes an explanation of some of Satan’s strategies, as well as what methods Christians should employ as ambassadors of the Truth. Dr. Crawford’s personal stories of spiritual warfare and his down-to-earth commentary on spiritual warfare in the 21st century provide a firm foundation for believers to achieve God’s mission as ambassadors.

Dan R. Crawford is senior professor of evangelism and missions, chair of prayer, emeritus, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, and author/compiler of 17 books including, God’s Formula for Genuine Happiness and Mud Hen in a Peacock Parade: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven. He and his wife, Joanne, are retired and living in Fort Worth.