Philippians 2:5-8 gives a perspective on Christmas that can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping, tree-decorating, gift-giving, Santa Claus, the Christmas Spirit, and vague references to light conquering darkness:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

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The birth of Christ is, in a real sense, an act of spiritual warfare. The Second Person of the Trinity left his divinity behind for a season and allowed Himself to be dropped into the God-hostile world, behind enemy lines, as a baby. It almost feels like cloak-and-dagger stuff. The long-awaited Messiah arrived as a helpless baby born into a humble family from a town of ill-repute in the filthy stable of an overcrowded inn. His birth was announced to people who’d receive it – shepherds and star-gazers – humble and eager for the truth. And sure enough, as soon as the word was out, Satan unleashed his fury through Herod, who went on a murderous rampage out of misplaced jealousy, and the little family had to flee to Egypt (see Matthew 2:1-18).

Having the mind of Christ at Christmas means, among other things, seeing the significance of Jesus’ birth in the light of the cosmic war between God and Satan. Let me explain. God had disinherited the nations at the Tower of Babel, dividing them by confusing their language (see Genesis 11:7-8) and giving them over to the reign of their gods (see Deuteronomy 32:8), which would turn the world hostile to Him. He then began setting apart for Himself a new sanctuary, a people holy unto Him (see Leviticus 20:26), from whom ultimately a Messiah would come (see Isaiah 11:1-10).

The birth of Christ heralded a new covenant, under which God’s sanctuary would be a people born again by the Holy Spirit. The baby’s obedience to the Father’s will unto death on a cross would pave the way for that to happen.

Satan knew that the Messiah would end his reign in the created world. He knew that a substitutionary death on the cross would disarm him by removing the power of sin and death (see Colossians 2:15).

That’s why he sought to undo the birth of Christ with all his might, and that’s why the coming of the Messiah had to take place in secret. And that’s also why he has been attacking the celebration of Jesus’s birth, Christmas, with all his might. The truth that God came as a human being to make atonement for the sins of the world is the heart of the gospel that sets captives free from Satan’s reign, and he will stop at nothing to obscure it.

Consequently, Christmas fuels intercessory prayer, for several reasons:

1. The incarnation of God in Christ, as described in Philippians 2, opened the door for our access to the throne of God and for His invitation to bring all our requests and concerns to Him – for ourselves and others.
2. Satan’s attempts to obscure the true message and meaning of Christmas with worldly alternatives are an attack on the gospel and a call to arms to pray that it will continue to be proclaimed and be understood clearly.
3. The Church’s tolerance of worldly ways of remembering the birth of Christ robs the gospel of its power.
4. Christmas offers an opportunity to share the gospel almost like no other holiday apart from Easter. People sing carols and put up nativity scenes, which provides a foothold to share the true meaning of Christmas with people who rarely think about Jesus at any other time.

So let us thank God that the birth of the Messiah marked the beginning of the end for the power of sin and Satan and the start of the formation of a new people of His own possession who live by the power of priestly prayer!

And let us intercede for the world around us that has increasingly succumbed to the despair of not knowing lies from truth, freedom from bondage, and emotional happiness from joy in the Lord.

Father in heaven, thank You for demonstrating the depth of Your love for us by becoming one of us in Christ, leaving divinity behind to take on the form of the lowliest of men and being obedient to the point of death on the cross. Empower Your Church to preach that message loud and clear, especially in our material, greedy, Western world where the birth of Christ has been obscured by overspending, over-receiving, and overeating. Open the eyes and ears of an increasingly anxious and stressed world to the existence of the Messiah and bind Satan from obscuring the gospel. In the Name of Jesus, our Messiah. Amen!

Remco Brommet is a pastor, spiritual-growth teacher, and prayer leader with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, and the U.S. He was born and raised in the Netherlands and pastored his first church in Amsterdam. He moved to the U.S. in 1986. He and his wife, Jennifer, live north of Atlanta. When not writing books, he blogs at www.deeperlifeblog.com and assists his wife as a content developer and prayer coordinator for True Identity Ministries. Jennifer and Remco are passionate about bringing people into a deeper relationship with Christ.