Spiritual warfare is a controversial topic within the church, even though it is something we see Jesus Himself engaging in and teaching on. Paul also taught on the need for spiritual warfare, making several very bold statements about the battle that we, as believers, are engaged in, whether we believe in it or not. Our enemy, Satan, believes in it; so it would be to our benefit to have a basic understanding of spiritual warfare and how to use it against that enemy.
For clarification, allow me to say that deliverance ministry and spiritual warfare are not the same thing, even though there are many who think of them as being the same. This misunderstanding comes from the simple fact that both involve unclean spirits, whether one wants to call them demons, fallen angels or some other name.
For the sake of this article, when we talk about spiritual warfare, we are talking about a part of the believer’s prayer life, where they come directly against the works of the enemy in their own lives and in the lives of others. The purpose is not to overthrow the kingdom of Satan; but to overcome his works, for the purpose of setting people free from those works.
This brings up another common misunderstanding about spiritual warfare. There are those who engage in “acts of spiritual warfare,” with the intent of “taking territory” from the enemy. This is not what God is interested in. He really doesn’t care about the territory, but about the people living in it. Any efforts in the area of spiritual warfare should be focused on setting people free from the works of the devil, so that they be free to follow Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
We know that there is evil in the world and that said evil is propagated by none other than Satan himself. It is such a commonplace thing that Jesus included it in what we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”… (Matthew 6:13a).
Paul adds much more clarity to this, when he speaks of the “Full armor of God,” giving us the reason for our need to clothe ourselves with that armor.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. – Ephesians 6:11-13
It is clear, from this verse, and others, that we can expect to be attacked by the devil, the title, if you will, of Satan. Other evil spirits might be referred to as “devils” or “demons,” but only Satan holds the title of “the devil.” It is also clear, especially from verse 12, that many of the attacks that we receive in life are not from people, but from devils and demons, working for Satan.
Our greatest challenge in the area of spiritual warfare is recognizing the attacks that Satan and his hordes throw at us. Many people speak of problems in their lives as “the attack of the devil” giving Satan credit for those problems. Whether or not they actually came from Satan or not is a subject too broad to discuss at this time, suffice it to say that if someone believes the attack came from Satan, then for them, it did.
What Power Does Satan Have?
Before talking about how to battle Satan, we need to ask ourselves what power he has to attack us. When looking at this question, many people think of Job and the attacks that he suffered. In that book of the Old Testament, Satan caused Job to lose his children, his wealth and his health. One thing that stands out to me in this story, which most people miss, is that Satan was only able to do those things, after God gave him permission to do them. That is made clear when he is before God in Job, chapters one and two. In both cases, God gave Satan specific permission, with limits on what he could do.
This then raises the question of why God gave Satan permission to attack Job, something that many a preacher and theologian has struggled with. The most common answer, that He gave that permission so that Job could serve as an example for us, paints God in a cruel light that doesn’t fit His character in any way. If God allowed Job to go through all that, then it was for Job’s benefit. Any benefit that you or I might receive from his suffering is incidental.
Fortunately, Job did receive benefit from Satan’s attack, as we see in the last chapter of the book. There, at the end of Job’s encounter with God, he admits his own failings and how his encounter with God had changed him. The entirety of the story was to bring him to this point, so that he could “know God,” rather than just having heard of Him. Job answers God, saying:
“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” – Job 42:5-6
It would seem logically, that if God allowed Satan to attack Job, He would also allow Satan to attack us, as long as there would be a similar benefit to us. But that’s leaving one thing out of the equation. That is, Jesus defeated Satan by going to the cross, stripping him of his power. There are many verses which speak of this, such as the second half of this verse in Hebrews, where Jesus striped Satan of his power over death:
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. – Hebrews 2:14
In other words, Satan no longer has the power that he once did. That is not to say that he is totally powerless, for he still has his voice. As long as he can find those who will listen to him, he will never be truly powerless. Sadly, believers can often be counted amongst those who listen to him, albeit unknowingly.
Satan’s Biggest Weapon
The biggest and perhaps only weapon that Satan has against us isn’t cancer. It isn’t the ability to steal out health. Nor is it some power over fire to burn down our homes. He can’t steal our money. Rather, the one thing that he can do is talk. Satan has a big mouth, and he uses it to tell us lies, convincing us to follow those lies, rather than to follow God.
When we look at the world around us, we see it filled with people who believe lies. Every unbeliever we encounter is believing lies, told to them by the devil, about what God will take away from them, if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But the unbelievers aren’t the only ones believing those lies. Satan and his demons are busy lying to us as well, convincing many believers of a host of things that go against the Word of God.
Winning Our Battle Against the Devil
The first battle we must all win against the devil is a personal one. We are not much use in spiritual warfare, while busy believing every lie the devil tells us. Therefore, as Paul told the church in Corinth:
For thought we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) 5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV
The biggest battle of spiritual warfare we face is the one in our own minds, taking control of our thoughts and “casting down” all those which are not in agreement with what God has told us in the Bible. Those thoughts are the biggest weapon the enemy has against us and he uses them relentlessly, often speaking to us in the first person, so that his words sound like our own thoughts.
If we don’t cast down those thoughts, we remain captive to the devil; useless in any other type of spiritual warfare. But there is hope, because we have power over the works of the devil; specifically, these works. As James, the brother of Jesus wrote:
Submit yourself therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. – James 4:7
Please don’t ignore the first sentence in that verse. We can only succeed in resisting the devil when we submit to God. If we expect the last part, the one about “he will flee from you” to happen in our lives, then we must do two things: submit to God and resist the devil. How? Where? In our thoughts and actions. Considering that our actions ultimately reflect our thoughts, we need to start there.
Going back to where we started, in Ephesians, we find that God has provided us with much that we can use in this battle; specifically, what is referred to as the “Full armor of God.” Please note that this is the same armor that God Himself uses, to protect Himself from attack. It is His armor, rather than being just the armor that God provides, as many think.
Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 13-17
Please note that these aren’t things that we put on from the outside, as some have taught. Rather, they are things that come from the inside; from the heart. We establish them in us through understanding God’s word and submitting to it. As we do, we close off many of the avenues that the enemy might use to attack us. Each of these pieces of armor closes off another avenue of that attack.
But what About Prayer?
It is interesting to note that the Bible really doesn’t teach us to pray for spiritual warfare. Rather, we are taught to “Fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Timothy 6:12). Our victory over the enemy doesn’t come through asking God for it; but rather through resisting his attacks. That comes through obedience to God’s commands, through praise and worship, and through standing on the promises of His Word.
There is, however, a place for prayer. That is in praying God’s protection over others; what is normally referred to as intercessory prayer. We are all charged with the responsibility of praying for one another (James 5:16). Why? Because there are always times when we are weak, unable to stand on our own. Our intercessory prayer for other believers is likened to the image of the Roman army, standing together in formation, with their shields interlocked. Even though individual soldiers might be struck or momentarily weakened in the battle, the shields of their neighbors protect them, while they regain their footing to continue in the battle.