Week 9 - Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:10-12
“Be strong in the Lord and in His might, and put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Ok, I am just going to say it. Demons are real. Satan is real. The powers of darkness are real. In addition, those forces are actively working against what God is doing in this world, and in the body of Christ. I am not going to lie; it is a very real war with casualties. The Devil hates you. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy. You, in your own strength do not have the ability to stand against him and his demons.
I am going to start with a very bold statement. You, as a spirit-filled believer, already have everything within you to defend yourself against the attacks of the devil. Paul begins the verses in Ephesians by telling us to be strong in the Lord. The Lord is within us. Allow yourself to be continually strengthened by the power already available to you through your faith in Jesus. He then tells you just how to do that, and it is the ultimate strategy in spiritual warfare.
Tongues? Nope
Deliverance? Nope
Is it through any other manifestation mentioned throughout the Bible? Nope
It is by putting on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD so that we may “stand firm against the strategies of the devil.” The question is do we know how to recognize them and, if need be, go to combat against the devil and his strategies? Well, since this is Spiritual Warfare 101, I am going to start with five basic truths that the Bible teaches about Spiritual Warfare.
1. There is an invisible world surrounding you that is just as real as the visible world
There is a world that is as real as touching your skin, kissing your child, or watching a sunset. In the book of 2 Kings, it tells the story of Elisha and his servant being surrounded by a king and his army, and Elisha telling his servant not to worry because there were more with them than against them. The servant must have thought Elisha was crazy, but when Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes be opened, he saw that the hills around them were filled with horses and chariots of fire all around them. The point is that there are worlds surrounding us that we cannot see but are as real as what our senses can take in.
2. We are involved in an invisible war that has been being waged for millennia and has eternal effects
In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul writes, “For although we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” What Paul is saying is that while we may think that warfare is something out of the Exorcist movies, the majority of the battles will take place in our own hearts and minds.
3. Our foe is formidable
Satan in real. 1 Peter tells us that, ”our enemy, the devil, prowls the earth like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan was a created angel of the highest order who was given the job as guardian of God’s glory. HE let his pride motivate him to desire to be exalted over the throne of God. His pride caused him and one-third of the angels to be swept to earth. He and his angels have been working against the Kingdom from the beginning and they try to hit us in our deepest fears to cause us to lose sight of our greatest weapon, Christ living in us. The devil knows he has to distract us, disconnect us, and discourage us from claiming our mantle as a child and servant of the Most-High
4. Our foe is to be respected, but not feared.
Did you hear that? Respect him, but do not fear him. Be aware of his methods, but do not become preoccupied by them. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2 that “And if I have forgiven anything, I did so for you before the face of Christ, so that we would not be exploited by the adversary, Satan, for we know his clever schemes.” He attacks governments, deceives men, destroys life, persecutes the saints, prevents service, promotes division, and plants doubts. He provokes feelings of anger, pride, worry, self-reliance, discouragement, worldliness, lying, immorality, and as always, his battlefield is our minds and hearts. However, here is the silver lining - Satan’s power is limited and we have a greater power within us than he has.
5. As believers, we do not fight for victory – we fight FROM victory
In Christ’s power, we are INVINCIBLE. You are not going into battle against Satan trying to win. You have already won. 1 John 4:4 – Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 5:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world, our faith.” Finally, Romans 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.
Your greatest power. Your greatest weapon. The key to spiritual warfare is that you are God’s child. You are His sons and daughters. Jesus faced the devil in the wilderness and did not go all power and glory on him to defeat him, he simply said, “It is written” and showed that the word of God wins. Moreover, when Jesus says “It is written” or you say, “It is written,” the authority of Scripture is over the demonic forces. They are literally UNDER YOUR FEET. There is nothing to be afraid of.
So, to sum this all up… Satan and his demons are a defeated foe. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil and we are victors in Christ and have the power to resist Satan and his demonic attacks. We must gird ourselves with the armor of God through the scripture and by living an active, committed Christian lifestyle if we want to experience daily living in the victory THAT WE ALREADY POSSESS. Our ultimate weapon and our ultimate posture in Spiritual Warfare is to make sure that we have the strongest foundation possible, built on the ROCK. Knowing and claiming who you are in Christ is enough to equip you to overcome any attack of the enemy. So, fall in and get prepared for battle by realizing that you are already equipped beyond your wildest dreams.
“Be strong in the Lord and in His might, and put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Ok, I am just going to say it. Demons are real. Satan is real. The powers of darkness are real. In addition, those forces are actively working against what God is doing in this world, and in the body of Christ. I am not going to lie; it is a very real war with casualties. The Devil hates you. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy. You, in your own strength do not have the ability to stand against him and his demons.
I am going to start with a very bold statement. You, as a spirit-filled believer, already have everything within you to defend yourself against the attacks of the devil. Paul begins the verses in Ephesians by telling us to be strong in the Lord. The Lord is within us. Allow yourself to be continually strengthened by the power already available to you through your faith in Jesus. He then tells you just how to do that, and it is the ultimate strategy in spiritual warfare.
Tongues? Nope
Deliverance? Nope
Is it through any other manifestation mentioned throughout the Bible? Nope
It is by putting on the FULL ARMOR OF GOD so that we may “stand firm against the strategies of the devil.” The question is do we know how to recognize them and, if need be, go to combat against the devil and his strategies? Well, since this is Spiritual Warfare 101, I am going to start with five basic truths that the Bible teaches about Spiritual Warfare.
1. There is an invisible world surrounding you that is just as real as the visible world
There is a world that is as real as touching your skin, kissing your child, or watching a sunset. In the book of 2 Kings, it tells the story of Elisha and his servant being surrounded by a king and his army, and Elisha telling his servant not to worry because there were more with them than against them. The servant must have thought Elisha was crazy, but when Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes be opened, he saw that the hills around them were filled with horses and chariots of fire all around them. The point is that there are worlds surrounding us that we cannot see but are as real as what our senses can take in.
2. We are involved in an invisible war that has been being waged for millennia and has eternal effects
In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul writes, “For although we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” What Paul is saying is that while we may think that warfare is something out of the Exorcist movies, the majority of the battles will take place in our own hearts and minds.
3. Our foe is formidable
Satan in real. 1 Peter tells us that, ”our enemy, the devil, prowls the earth like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan was a created angel of the highest order who was given the job as guardian of God’s glory. HE let his pride motivate him to desire to be exalted over the throne of God. His pride caused him and one-third of the angels to be swept to earth. He and his angels have been working against the Kingdom from the beginning and they try to hit us in our deepest fears to cause us to lose sight of our greatest weapon, Christ living in us. The devil knows he has to distract us, disconnect us, and discourage us from claiming our mantle as a child and servant of the Most-High
4. Our foe is to be respected, but not feared.
Did you hear that? Respect him, but do not fear him. Be aware of his methods, but do not become preoccupied by them. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2 that “And if I have forgiven anything, I did so for you before the face of Christ, so that we would not be exploited by the adversary, Satan, for we know his clever schemes.” He attacks governments, deceives men, destroys life, persecutes the saints, prevents service, promotes division, and plants doubts. He provokes feelings of anger, pride, worry, self-reliance, discouragement, worldliness, lying, immorality, and as always, his battlefield is our minds and hearts. However, here is the silver lining - Satan’s power is limited and we have a greater power within us than he has.
5. As believers, we do not fight for victory – we fight FROM victory
In Christ’s power, we are INVINCIBLE. You are not going into battle against Satan trying to win. You have already won. 1 John 4:4 – Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 5:4-5 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world, our faith.” Finally, Romans 12:11 “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.
Your greatest power. Your greatest weapon. The key to spiritual warfare is that you are God’s child. You are His sons and daughters. Jesus faced the devil in the wilderness and did not go all power and glory on him to defeat him, he simply said, “It is written” and showed that the word of God wins. Moreover, when Jesus says “It is written” or you say, “It is written,” the authority of Scripture is over the demonic forces. They are literally UNDER YOUR FEET. There is nothing to be afraid of.
So, to sum this all up… Satan and his demons are a defeated foe. Jesus destroyed the works of the devil and we are victors in Christ and have the power to resist Satan and his demonic attacks. We must gird ourselves with the armor of God through the scripture and by living an active, committed Christian lifestyle if we want to experience daily living in the victory THAT WE ALREADY POSSESS. Our ultimate weapon and our ultimate posture in Spiritual Warfare is to make sure that we have the strongest foundation possible, built on the ROCK. Knowing and claiming who you are in Christ is enough to equip you to overcome any attack of the enemy. So, fall in and get prepared for battle by realizing that you are already equipped beyond your wildest dreams.