What is Spiritual Warfare?
Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent.
If we choose to follow Christ, we’re engaged in spiritual warfare. It’s unseen and often undetected, but just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent. Our spiritual enemy desires to disrupt our lives so we’ll live miserably. Find victory by relying on God’s strength because it’s available. We just have to begin using it.
What is spiritual warfare?
Spiritually speaking, there’s an unseen world that our human eyes can’t see. In this unseen world, there’s a battle taking place that was instigated by our spiritual enemy, Satan. He’s also referred to as the devil, the evil one, and the thief, among other names.
Satan is the father of lies. Every plan of attack and activity from Satan begins with a lie. That’s his ammunition against the Christ follower. If he can get us to believe a lie, that’s the beginning of our deception. That’s why we must know, live, stand on, and share God’s truth.
We must understand that Satan isn’t omnipresent. There are eight billion people in the world and our good, amazing, God is with each and every one of us. But, Satan isn’t. Yes, there are other evil spirits and forces at work, but he’s unable to be everywhere all the time. So, let’s not give him too much credit.
If we choose to follow Christ, we’re engaged in spiritual warfare. Why? Because Satan hates that we’re followers of Christ so he’ll do whatever he can to trip us up. And while Satan has some power, he isn’t all-powerful like our great God. In fact, he’s on a short rope and actually has to ask permission from God to do anything.
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31–32 NIV
The fact that Satan has to request permission from God is both encouraging and hard to hear, isn’t it? If God is 100% sovereign, why does He allow Satan to cause problems? This is where our faith must engage. We’ll never grasp why God hasn’t sent Satan to his eternal home of torment, but Revelation 20:10 tells us that’s exactly what will happen to him one day.
Our spiritual enemy would love nothing more if we focus on the imperfections of others and forget that he’s even there. It’s a huge part of his strategy to lead us to think that the person who offended us on the highway or the family member who treated us poorly is the enemy. They aren’t — he is.
Just because our spiritual enemy is constantly looking for ways to ruin our lives doesn’t mean we have to live in defeat. The One who resides in us is far greater than the one who sets out to destroy us. We have some tools that we can use to protect ourselves so that we don’t fall into the traps he sets for us.
The Belt, Breastplate, and Shoes (Armor of God — part 1)
Much like a soldier would put on metal armor during battle, Ephesians 6 describes the spiritual Armor of God and how it works in our lives. This is an illustration for us in how to fight the forces of darkness in the spiritual realm. The armor consists of six pieces and is complete when we activate prayer in our lives.
Belt of Truth
For the soldier, this was the first part that was put on. Every other part of the armor was attached to this. God’s Word is our source of truth and it’s the “belt” we must put on first, before we incorporate the rest. As Christ followers, we must stand on God’s truth at all times. We use it to guide our prayers, to help us not sin, and to strengthen us when we’re afraid. Knowing God’s truth prevents us from having to redefine what truth is depending on the circumstances we’re facing. Our spiritual enemy’s main goal is deception. Deception is so hard because when we’re deceived, we become blind to it. That’s why we must know God’s truth.
Breastplate of Righteousness
For the soldier, the breastplate protected the most vital organs. When we live righteously or the right way, this brings an added measure of protection. Choosing to live right before the Lord and doing our best to obey God will give Satan less ammunition to bombard us with. We don’t do this to earn love from God, but to prevent us from unnecessary hardship that we bring on ourselves with our poor choices. When we choose sin, we symbolically remove our breastplate and that opens us up to attacks from Satan. This isn’t about achieving perfection or living according to our opinion of “right,” but choosing to live a life that lines up with God’s truth.
Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
For the soldier, the shoes provided protection as well as a strong foundation. When a soldier went to battle, it was vital that he didn’t have to worry about his feet. The gospel of peace is our firm footing for it helps us stand tall and protects us as we step into the battle. Being assured of this will keep us firmly planted when life’s struggles and Satan’s attacks come our way. Not only that, but our “feet” must be ready at all times so that we can share the gospel of Jesus. This gospel, the good news, is the salvation for all mankind. We must know it, live it, and be ready to proclaim it.
The Shield, Helmet, and Sword (Armor of God — part 2)
Shield of Faith
For the soldier, the shield provided a great amount of protection from attacks. It wasn’t something he put on like the helmet, belt, or breastplate, but something he must “take up.” Much like a soldier, we’re required to do our part with our shield of faith. We can’t just secure it to our arm. We must “take it up” and stand on our faith so that we can be protected from the spiritual darts. What are those darts? Anything Satan throws at us that’s contrary to God’s truth. We’re given a “measure of faith” (Romans 12:3), and as we trust in Him, our faith grows. Exercising our faith in God, His truth, and His promises, protects us like a shield protects a soldier from arrows or bullets. Because the enemy comes at us with lies, insults, and temptations, we can fight off his darts and arrows with our shield of faith.
Helmet of Salvation
For the soldier, the helmet was always the last part he put on. The helmet in any armor is the most vital for it protects the head. Wearing the helmet of salvation keeps us safe from the lies and schemes of Satan. The enemy wants us to doubt and wonder if God loves us or if we’re even saved. This helmet protects our minds from such attacks. When discouragement comes our way, we can find hope and comfort in knowing that Jesus has saved us from the penalty of sin and given the hope of eternal life through Him.
Sword of the Spirit
For the soldier, the sword was used defensively but was also his only offensive weapon. While the soldier had all of the other pieces of armor on, without a sword, he would have just been a body covered in metal. The Sword of the Spirit is God’s Word and both a protector for us and a destroyer of Satan. Hebrews 4:12–13 describes the Bible as “living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword.” We can wield our swords by claiming God’s Word when we’re in a spiritual battle because it cuts to the core and uncovers God’s truth. Jesus used God’s Word when He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and we should do it, too. We have to know God’s Word in order to know how to use it so that we can be victorious. Swords dull over time but for the believer in Jesus, regularly studying God’s Word will sharpen it.
- Matthew 4:1–11, Ephesians 6:10–17, 1 Thessalonians 5:8–9, Hebrews 4:12, Hebrews 11:1–2, Hebrews 11:6
The Final Piece of Armor
The six pieces of armor we’ve talked about have a specific job to do. And they do it well when applied! You might think that’s enough to go into a battle, but there’s one final component of our armor that’s necessary.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…
Ephesians 6:18 NIV
And pray. We’ve outfitted ourselves with the appropriate gear necessary for spiritual battles. But that gear won’t get us very far if we’re not continually praying for God’s strength to carry us in, during, and through the battle. All of our efforts are in vain if we do them in our own strength. When we pray throughout the battle, we’re deepening our relationship with God and our need for God. It’s what we do to grasp the power that God stands ready to give.
An attitude of surrender must accompany our prayers. James 4:7 beautifully tells us what we must do first: submit to God. Submitting to God means fully abandoning our lives to Him. With our spiritual armor fully in place and prayer in our hearts, we’re yielding to the One who has the ultimate authority. We’re given the strength to resist the devil when we surrender our entire lives to God. And then guess what happens? The devil flees.
Yet, what we often try to do instead is resist the devil or rebuke him, first, when we have yet to really submit to God. Resisting the devil is hard when we haven’t submitted our will, our ways, and our wants and yielded to what God calls us to. It shouldn’t surprise us when we experience spiritual attack when we don’t submit to God. Submitting to God is not only the first step, but our submission to God is actually us resisting Satan at the same time.
So, pray for yourselves, your friends, and the Church to unite and stand strong in the battle. Praying gives strength to the weary and hope to the downcast. Praying reminds us that our human power is insufficient and that moving forward in our battles is actually done in a surrendered stance. Prayer is a marvelous remedy for Satan’s sly tactics.
The days ahead for you will be filled with hope, joy, and peace as a Christ follower, but that doesn’t mean the spiritual battles have stopped. They haven’t. There’s more peace and hope when we’re consistently praying to our great God. Pair that with standing on God’s truth that we’ve learned is most appropriately applied in situations that we understand the least.
Attack Back
Our spiritual enemy is a schemer. The original Greek word for schemes is noema and it means “an evil purpose.” He’s purposing pain for our lives and planning for our downfall. He’s looking into anything and everything that might set us off on the wrong path so that we’ll ruin the key relationships in our lives and turn our backs on God.
When we’re under spiritual attack, it’s easy for us to focus on the attack and the things going wrong in our lives. But, it’s in these harsh, overwhelming moments when we must allow the armor to work for us. Instead of just wallowing in our apparent defeat, let’s recognize that we aren’t defeated and that we need to attack back.
So, when your shield is filled with holes, your helmet doesn’t fit, your feet are shaky, your breastplate is too heavy, your belt is falling off, and your sword is dull, stand firm on God’s truth and attack back. After you submit to our perfect and all-powerful God, use this declaration to resist the devil:
My God created the world, set the earth on its foundation, and at His rebuke, the waters flee. I am His child, a co-heir with Christ, a citizen of heaven, and my salvation is secure. I am God’s workmanship, His very own possession, the temple of His Holy Spirit, and I have been justified by faith. I am not perfect, but I am free from condemnation for God does not treat us as our sins deserve. When troubles arise, I know that God is already working in them and for my good and that He will complete the work He started in me. I am more than a conqueror and have not been given a spirit of fear but one of power, love, and a sound mind because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Because of this, I may approach God with confidence because I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Your spiritual enemy has no power over you because of the power of God that resides in you. We shouldn’t allow him to keep us from living the victorious life we have in Christ. When he makes attempts to remind you of your past failures, remind yourself of what Christ has done for you.
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