The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (KJV)

 When you are a threat to the enemy, it’s a sure indication that you are doing something that upsets him. You are a threat to the enemy. A threat to his kingdom. The good news is that God is behind us when we are walking in His ways.

Psalm 34:19 says, “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

If you think our fight is with people and people alone, then we have war with each other. We fight each other and miss the root issues we should be fighting. If there is anything the enemy tries to convince us of when we are in the middle of a spiritual battle is that he has won, that he has the power, and that he somehow reigns.  Let us just expose that lie right there where it stands.  The victory is ours because our Lord has already won. If you read the back of the book, we WIN. Jesus conquered the grave and paid the debt in full.

Satan wants what he cannot have and will never be able to obtain.  The victory. Saints of God, I don’t care how many times the devil huffs and puffs. He cannot blow anything down.

Know the power you hold.  Know the authority you stand in.

Jesus makes a lot of powerful promises:

• He promises we can ask for anything in His name, and he will do it (John 14:13-14).
• He promises to never turn away anyone who turns to Him (John 6:37).
• He promises to have compassion for us, even despite our shortcomings (Mark 2:17).

The first step towards these promises is faith (via trust), and true faith demonstrates itself through action. God has given us practices that build our faith and continually align us with him to experience his protection, provision, and power. Here is a quick list of some of the biggest, most accessible tools we can all leverage at any moment to fight back:

All around us there is a battle going on. Each person’s battles are different. Each season are different. Sometimes we do not always realize it is occurring, and other times it is extremely obvious. How do you fight spiritual warfare when you do not even understand what is going on? Scripture gives a glimpse at what is happening spiritually and what you can do about it.

How to Prepare for Spiritual Warfare?

1. The Devil and Spiritual Warfare
2. What is Spiritual Warfare?
3. What Are Strongholds?
4. Jesus Faced Spiritual Warfare
5. Jesus Created Space to be Alone With God
6. The Holy Spirit’s Role in Spiritual Warfare
7. Scriptures Confessions That Help You Pray Through Spiritual warfare

Satan is committed to preventing people from knowing God and trusting Him with their lives. The enemy’s tactics may differ depending on whether someone is already a believer or not, but his ultimate purpose is always to keep people from experiencing the love of God.

” The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) NIV

Whether you feel under spiritual attack right now, you know someone else who might be, or you just want to understand spiritual warfare better, below are some resources to help you understand this topic and how to use one of the greatest tools God has given us in our battle: prayer.

 The Devil and Spiritual Warfare

Ultimately, the devil has already been defeated by what Jesus did when He died on a cross. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead demonstrates that He won the victory over death. But the devil wants to blind people to the truth of what Jesus has done.

The devil’s attempts to send us off course in our relationship with God go right back to the beginning of the human story. He was the author of the first temptation humankind faced.

The temptation of Adam and Eve, which we read about in Genesis 3, provides a clear picture of what you can expect from the devil:

• He is craftier than any wild animal.
• He comes alongside you pretending to be an ally.
• He deceives you by trying to bend the truth God speaks to you.
• He tries to plant doubts in your mind about the things God has said.
• He wants you to think God is restricting you when in reality He is protecting you.
• He encourages you to rebel against God by telling you that you deserve to be the ultimate authority of Your life.
• He uses your pride and your sense of shame to turn you against others.

Be mindful that our enemy, the devil, is real. He is single-minded and dangerous, so be wise in how you conduct your warfare with him. If you follow Jesus, God has given you incredible resources by placing the Holy Spirit within you, but you need to resist letting your pride tempt you to try to fight the enemy on your own.
 

When it comes to spiritual warfare, Paul has already equipped us for spiritual battle. He has demonstrated to us the proper way to fight in a spiritual battle, wear spiritual armor, and win the war.

“When Paul talks about spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6, each piece of the armor plays a different role. Each part is important. One missing piece will cause you to lose the battle. 

What is Spiritual Warfare?

A stronghold is defined as “1. a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack; 2. a place where a particular cause or belief is strongly defended or upheld.” Strongholds are designed to be a safe place. 

Spiritual warfare is the battle between good and evil inside the in- visible, spiritual realm. It’s the evil spirits you don’t see but is there.  At the same time God is drawing us to Him- self, the Bible says Satan wanders around like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Spiritual warfare is also about recognizing that we have an enemy, the devil, who is battling to pull us away from God. 

What the devil’s attempts to do, like he did with Adam and Eve, he will try to send you off course in your relationship with God. He will try to destroy your identity, who you are in Christ Jesus, as well as your relationship with God.

When it comes to spiritual warfare, God has already given us victory. We can overcome because Jesus overcame.

Ephesians 6:12 says the same, “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”

We seem to get this statement confused. Our battle is not against people. The Bible made that clear. Your battle is with spiritual interties. Satan and his evil forces. Spiritual Warfare in the spiritual realm is very real, and believers must learn how to fight spiritual battles, the right way.

Paul writes,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And Paul went on to say, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)

As believers, God gives you every resource you need to engage in spiritual warfare.  You do not have to fight in any battle, because He has already won the ultimate battle through Jesus’ death and resurrection. He literally gives us His strength by giving us his Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit Lives Inside You.

Everything Paul went through in his life, paved the way for us to win spiritual battles in our lives, and he wants follows of God to know how to fight in this spiritual battle and, ultimately, how to win.

So often, people struggle to recognize that the battles they face every day are not against other people but against spiritual forces. Human nature leads us to believe the conflicts we face in life are because people have wronged us. While sometimes that is true, there is also a bigger, spiritual enemy whom God wants us to focus on defeating, that is why the armor is so important.

Paul said, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 2 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV)

What are Strongholds?

The Apostle Paul uses the term to describe a mindset or attitude.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 ASV)

Our weapons are from God. They have divine power to demolish strongholds. 

Jesus Faced Spiritual Warfare

Throughout His life on earth, Jesus faced spiritual warfare in many forms. He was tested by the devil during His 40 days in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13). He was provoked, falsely accused and verbally abused by people who did not like what He was saying. And it’s important to remember that Jesus was a man — fully human — so He faced all the temptations any other man would face.

But He never lost any of His spiritual battles. Even His wrongful conviction and execution on the cross, which looked like bitter defeat, were ultimately His greatest victory. So, what examples does Jesus give us about using prayer in spiritual warfare?

Jesus Created Space to be Alone with God.

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16, NIV)

Many times, in the Gospels, Jesus withdrew from situations we can interpret as scenes of spiritual warfare. One example is when Jesus heard the news that His cousin, John the Baptist, had been killed by Herod. It never says that He retreated from His enemy. Instead, He withdrew from a particular place.

There is nothing wrong with praying in a coffee shop or while walking in a public place. But it’s important to take regular time alone with God, preferably as free from distractions as possible.

Jesus wanted to give God His full attention and spend time with His heavenly Father. If even Jesus needed to withdraw from crowds and His friends to be alone with God — and Jesus is God — how much more do, we as His followers need to do the same?

Taking time alone with God reminds us that He is ready and waiting to spend time alone with us, healing our wounds and renewing our strength.

The Holy Spirit’s Role in Spiritual Warfare

God is three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the most often misunderstood member of this Trinity. But to experience consistent victory in spiritual warfare, it is crucial to know and understand His role in your life.

After Jesus was raised from death, He appeared to His closest friends and followers. They were scared and confused. They did not know what was going to happen to them because they felt surrounded by enemies, including the Jewish authorities. But Jesus knew this, and He knew the spiritual battles that lay ahead of them.

The Bible says, “As He met with them, He commissioned them for the work of making Him known throughout the world — the same work believer’s today are invited to join and one of the reasons Satan is so determined to wage war on believers.

Jesus wanted His friends to have peace and clarity for their spiritual battles. So, He told them that their greatest source of strength, His Holy Spirit, would now live within them: “‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.’ And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21-22, NIV).

We rightly think of God as someone separate and different from humanity. But Jesus entered our humanity and experienced the same struggles we do. When He was leaving to return to His Father in heaven, He left us with the greatest gift He could. He offered each of us the chance to experience His own presence living within us — His Holy Spirit.

So, as you experience spiritual warfare, you are not just looking for strength from outside yourself or from the tools God gives you, such as prayer and the Bible. God is working within you, giving you everything you need to live the way you are designed to as His child.

Find out more about the Holy Spirit and how you can experience God’s presence in your life.

Scriptures That Help You Pray Through Spiritual Warfare

When you are battling the world, the flesh, and the devil, try praying the following verses from the Bible as battle scriptures. You can even insert your own name or the name of someone you are praying for to personalize the verse.

• 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)
  “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
   
• Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)
  “‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD.”
   
• John 8:32 (NIV)
  “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
   
• 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
  “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
   
• John 15:7 (NIV)
  “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

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