Jesus experienced this firsthand with James and John. After a Samaritan village rejected Him, the two brothers, appropriately nicknamed the “Sons of Thunder,” asked, “Lord, do You want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9:54). Jesus turned and rebuked them, saying, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.” Their passion was real. Their courage was unquestionable. But their zeal was not governed by the heart of God.
King Josiah provides another sobering example. Few kings in Israel’s history matched his devotion to God. Yet, despite being warned not to engage in battle, he marched out against Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo. Pharaoh essentially told him, “This is not your fight.” However, in his zeal, Josiah ignored the warning and entered a battle that was not his to fight, and it cost him his life. An archer’s arrow pierced his armor, and Josiah died on the battlefield (2 Chronicles 35:20–24). Even godly zeal can become deadly when it leaves the boundaries of God’s direction.
Then there is Jehu.
Before Elijah was taken into heaven, the Lord gave him three specific assignments: anoint Elisha, Hazael, and Jehu (1 Kings 19:15–16). Jehu would later be anointed through the ministry of Elisha’s prophetic community. His zeal was unmistakable. He destroyed the house of Ahab, judged Jezebel, and swept away the prophets of Baal. His passion accomplished a sweeping reformation.
Yet Scripture records a tragic conclusion:
“But Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam…” (2 Kings 10:31).
His zeal confronted obvious evil but tolerated hidden compromise. He removed Baal while preserving the golden calves. His zeal for reform was not matched by wholehearted obedience.
There is an incredible responsibility within the Body of Christ for zeal to pass through the lens of wisdom. Jesus corrected James and John because they mistook personal passion for the Spirit of God. Jehu’s zeal brought dramatic change, yet he overlooked the high places and continued in the sins of Jeroboam. Josiah’s courage led him into a battle God had not assigned him, and it cost him his life.
Passion without wisdom is dangerous.
Proverbs 11:1 declares, “An unbalanced scale is an abomination to God.” The principle extends beyond business transactions. God loves balance. An unbalanced life, an unbalanced ministry, or an unbalanced zeal becomes an abomination because it misrepresents His character.
Those who are young and burning with passion may sometimes hear calls for balance as though they are invitations to compromise. Often, however, the opposite is true. Many in the older generation speak of balance not because they have lost their fire, but because they remember the wounds their own unchecked zeal produced. Their counsel is not meant to extinguish passion, but to preserve it—to help a younger generation avoid unnecessary casualties and finish the race well.
Proverbs 11:1 declares,
“An unbalanced scale is an abomination to God.”
One of the finest introductions I have ever read on this subject comes from Francis Frangipane’s book, The Three Battlegrounds. While the entire book is an excellent read, it was the Introduction that stopped me in my tracks.
With the gracious permission of Arrow Publications, I have reproduced the Introduction below for your encouragement and edification.
The Three Battlegrounds
Introduction:
This is a book about spiritual warfare. Before we proceed, however, I have two concerns. The first is our need for wisdom. There is an old European proverb worth heeding. It reads: “Age and treachery will always defeat youth and zeal. ” Before we engage in spiritual warfare, we should know this about Satan: He is an ancient and extremely treacherous foe. On the other hand, the strength of most Christians lies primarily in idealism and untested fervor. It is not long, usually five to ten years in the ministry, and most zeal has waned. Without warning, the minister’s call has deteriorated from a walk of vision to a mere job.
What occurred was that zeal, by itself, challenged the treachery of hell and lost. The brightness of youthful dreams dimmed under the dark cloud of relentless satanic assault. Under the weight of growing frustrations and discouragement, compromise increased, and with it came iniquity and spiritual bondage.
Yet, the real villain was not sin but ignorance. We put the devil in a doctrinal box and expected him to stay there. He did not. He undermined relationships, and our love grew cautious. He resisted us in prayer, and our faith turned weak. Disillusionment set in. After spending much time with struggling pastors, I have seen a common trend in most: They failed to discern the assault of the devil. They stood unprotected against an ancient, treacherous foe.
Jesus prepared His disciples for everything, including war. They saw Him casting out demons. In fact, He sent them forth doing the same. But before He sent them out, He charged them to become wise “as serpents” yet innocent and harmless “as doves” (Matt. 10:16). This fusion of divine wisdom and Christlike innocence is the taproot of all spiritual victory. Indeed, we can defeat the enemy, but wisdom must precede warfare and virtue must come before victory.
Consequently, the goal of this book is to train the church in wisdom and call the church to innocence. We will not disregard what we have previously learned; we will still live by faith. But we must learn the ways of God, which means we must think with wisdom. And we must be pure of heart, that we may see God and gain discernment. Indeed, it is this very ignorance that has left us vulnerable to satanic attack.
Of my second concern, let me say that there are no shortcuts to successful warfare, only ways to make it longer and more perilous. One way of peril is to enter battle blinded by presumption. When it comes to waging war effectively, consider carefulness to be the essence of victory.
Whatever lofty spiritual plane you imagine that you are on, remember: Adam was in Paradise when he fell. Before your increased knowledge and religious experiences make you overly self-confident, recall that Solomon wrote three books of Scripture; he actually gazed upon the glory of God, yet he fell. Yes, even in your deepest worship of the Almighty, do not forget in long ages past Lucifer himself was once in heaven pouring out praise to God.
We all have seen many who have fallen. Jesus warned that the love of many would grow cold. Do not presume it cannot happen to you. Our enemy has been deceiving mankind for thousands of years. Our experience, on the other hand, spans but a brief moment. It is wisdom to recognize that we do not know all there is to know concerning warfare.
Therefore, be bold but never brash or arrogant in your prayer life. Use your spiritual authority administratively, compassionately, but never presumptuously. Multitudes of well-meaning but ignorant Christians have approached the field of spiritual battle with flippant attitudes and have suffered greatly for it. Study several books and seek confirmation from the Lord for your strategies. As it is written, “Prepare plans by consultation, and make war by wise guidance” (Prov. 20:18).
Thus, our purpose here is to help equip you for battle in each of the three primary battlegrounds: the mind, the church, and the heavenly places. There are other fields or subcategories of spiritual warfare; however, these are where most of us will face conflict.
One last note. A few of you will be instrumental in actually saving your cities. Our prayer is that these chapters will help guide and equip you for that goal. The promise of the Spirit speaks thus: “There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his wisdom” (Eccl. 9:14-15).
While many are predicting the destruction of our nation and the collapse of our cities, they have not considered the power of Christ in you. But remember, “Wisdom is better than strength … wisdom is better than weapons of war” (Eccl. 9:16, 18). -Francis Frangipane, July 1989
As we come to the end of this introduction, the question before each of us is this:
What kind of zeal do we possess?
Do we have the zeal of James and John, willing to call down fire without first discerning the heart of Christ? The zeal of Josiah, rushing into a battle God never assigned? Or the zeal of Jehu, bold enough to confront obvious evil yet overlooking hidden compromise? All three were great men, yet all three needed wisdom to govern their zeal.
May God raise up a generation whose passion never outruns its discernment, whose courage is marked by surrender to His will, whose zeal is matched by wisdom and humility, and whose walk is marked by simple obedience.
— Steve Coder
Excerpt from the Introduction to:
Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds: Cedar Rapids, IA: Arrow Publications, 1989
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