September 22, 2022
Spiritual Warfare Scriptures: Facing Life’s Battles-Part 1
What is Spiritual Warfare?
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 breaks it down clearly for us when the Apostle Paul writes, “For though 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.” Unfolding these verses of scripture we can plainly see that we are not fighting against flesh, in other words our battle is not with our family member, spouse, or even our children. No, in fact our battle is against spiritual forces of evil or the devil and the evil spirits that he uses to accomplish his tasks here on Earth. Whether we want to believe it or not, we are engaging in a spiritual battle every single day. The more equipped that we are, the more we can handle the schemes of the devil when he comes to steal, kill, and destroy, John 10:10.
Make no mistake about it, our true enemy absolutely hates every single one of us, his sole purpose is to take as many people as he can with him down to the lake of fire for eternity. He will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal including using the people around you to do it. He will take full advantage of your ignorance regarding the heavenly realms, spiritual wickedness, and spiritual things. That is why it is so important to understand and know his devices, 2 Corinthians 2:11. The Word of God explicitly says that we perish for lack of knowledge which has to do with the knowledge of God, Hosea 4:6. How does one learn of the devil’s schemes? You get into God’s Truth which is His Word!
One of the number one lies that the enemy loves to promote is that he doesn’t exist. A lot of Christians will hear the word Satan but will think of him as an imaginary character that isn’t real. He is very real and extremely powerful and cannot be defeated within our own strength. We need the power of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God’s Word to overcome him. He is the father of lies and will trick you into opening up doors that will give him the legal right to come into your life and turn it upside down.
The Lord explains to us that we must fight the good fight of faith against the spiritual attacks of the powers of darkness in the spiritual realm. Make no mistake about it, they have wicked plots against you. One misconception is that the devil comes to you as a hideous looking creature in a red suit with horns. Not even close, he comes to you camouflaged as an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:14. When in reality he is a roaring lion equipped with every flaming arrow you can imagine!
One of the most used devices that the devil loves to use is showing up as a loved one that has passed away. You will think that you are being visited by your dead grandmother, or aunt, husband, or even a child and you want so badly for it to be them that you fall right into his trap. What is really happening is the devil is sending what you call “familiar spirits” which are really demons to make you think that they’re your loved ones. The goal is to get you to engage with these entities which will cause you to break the law of God that forbids us to have anything to do with speaking to “familiar spirits”, Leviticus 19:31.
Spiritual warfare is real, there is a battle for your soul and the enemy does not play fair. That is why it is vital that you arm yourself daily with the Word of God and prayer. The Bible is literally your Spiritual Sword and it is a Powerful Weapon! It will guard you from the devil and any of the many devices that he uses against you, but you have to learn how to use it.
Below I am listing some Spiritual Warfare Scriptures that you can meditate on that will help you remain equipped for the battle that you will face as a Christian. You are a soldier for Christ Jesus, the Son of God and He has given you all the tools that you need to succeed against the schemes of your adversary the devil!
Ephesians 6:10-12
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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.”
There is a lot to unpack in these powerful Bible verses of Scripture out of the book of Ephesians. The Apostle Paul is speaking to the church of Ephesus explaining to them how important it is to put on the full armor of God in order to stand against the demonic attacks that they were facing at that time. He goes into great detail about the structure and rank of the powers that they were up against.
The devil and his kingdom is very coordinated and organized just like how a military army would be nowadays. Here Paul is showing us that there is a ranking system pertaining to the powers of this dark world: principalities, powers, darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. He is pointing out the different levels of power that Satan’s army consists of. One thing that the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul is making known is that we are not to underestimate the adversary that we face but instead we are to learn how he operates and the strong holds that he uses against us.
A thing to point out in Ephesians 6:10 is that God is telling us that we must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” In other words in order for us to stand against the kingdom of darkness we HAVE to stand strong in the Lord and the Power of His might, and not our own. There is absolutely no way that you can handle the power of the enemy in your own strength. He will eat you up and spit you out! Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to open up those doors that will allow him to come in and destroy your life!
Ephesians 6:13-17
“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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Here we can see that the Apostle Paul is telling us that we must put on the whole armor of God in order for us to have the ability to stand against the devil. The special attire that Paul is describing to us through these verses of Scripture is not physical, but spiritual. The reason for that is because the warfare that we are facing is not against a physical person, but against the devil and his kingdom which are the rulers of the darkness of this world that one cannot see with the naked eye.
Belt of Truth: Ephesians 6:14
As we dive into the parts of God’s armor we can see that he is instructing us to gird our waist with truth. Referred to as the belt of truth, this piece of armor is referencing the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the Word of God. We have to understand that the Holy Scriptures are not just words on sheets of paper. It is living and powerful and has the ability to break every single chain that the devil will try to shackle you with.
Breastplate of Righteousness: Ephesians 6:14
This piece of armor is designed to primarily protect your heart. We cannot stand in our own righteousness but must rely on the righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our hearts can easily deceive us and that is why it is imperative that we saturate our minds and hearts in the Lord’s Word. The Holy Spirit will guide us in the right direction and convict us when we are veering off track. Remaining obedient to the Bible will ensure that we don’t create any unwanted kinks in our armor.
Shoes prepared with the Preparation of Peace: Ephesians 6:15
As Christians we are going to have to face the enemy at one time or another. When that happens we are required to make sure that we can stand against the strikes that he will attack us with. The only way that we can obtain this level of stability is by placing our complete Trust in the strength and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. Another purpose that our shoes are used for is to boldly move forward spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as we possibly can. You will receive push back from the devil because he does not want others to know the true Power of the Word of God. That doesn’t matter; we have to keep moving no matter what!
Shield of Faith: Ephesians 6:16
This piece of armor is extremely important because we need to have faith in order to overcome the battles that we are going to have to fight daily. We know that faith=Word of God. So, the more Bible that you have embedded in your heart and your mind; the more your faith will naturally become activated. Once that faith is established it will make it difficult for the enemy to come in and take territory in your mind. As you see God’s Promises to be true, your faith will continue to develop. Your shield of faith directly coincides with the Word of God, which is why it is imperative to get in and stay in your Bible.
Helmet of Salvation: Ephesians 6:17
Your helmet’s primary focus is to guard your mind. The devil loves to come after your thoughts! He knows that once he can convince you that the thoughts he’s planting are yours, he has you right where he wants you. We know that as born again Christians we are saved by the grace of God, Ephesian 2:8-9. So, what that means is now that we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, He has given us His authority over the devil and his demons, Luke 10:19. In order to exercise that authority we have to make sure that we maintain an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and saturate our hearts and minds with the Word of God. So, we can’t just sit around and allow the arrows that the enemy is throwing our way to take root. We must cast down every adverse thought and imagination that is contrary to the Word of God, 2 Corinthians 10:5.
Sword of the Spirit: Ephesians 6:17
In this spiritual battle that you are facing daily, one thing that you have to make sure that you understand is how Powerful the Word of God is. It is literally your double-edged Sword, Hebrews 4:12. Once you can grasp that concept you can understand the piece of armor that the Lord has afforded you called the Sword of the Spirit. The way that your Sword works is by the Holy Spirit bringing the scriptures that you have stored up in your heart and your mind to your remembrance in your time of need. The only way that you can truly be effective with this piece of armor is if you get into the Word of God and stay in the Word of God!
For more on the Armor of God, check out my blog: The Armor of God
James 4:7-8
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
James guided by the Holy Spirit is revealing to us some Powerful verses of scripture pertaining to spiritual warfare. His first guidelines are to submit to God, but what does that look like? In order to be submissive to the Lord you have to comprehend what the Word of God is telling you regarding the Lord’s spiritual rules and laws. The Bible is your guide that will instruct you on how you are to conduct yourself as a child of God.
A lot of people assume that the Lord is giving us these instructions because He “just wants to be strict,” or “he just doesn’t want you to have fun.” No, that is so far from the case! The Lord is trying to protect His children from the wiles and the snares of the enemy. Here is where the second set of directions that James is giving us comes into play. He lets us know that we are to resist the devil. What that really means is that we are to have no part of the devil or anything that remotely resembles him, John 17:16-17.
What are some of the devil’s characteristics? Any form of sin like: drunkenness, doing drugs, fornication, pornography, stealing, cheating or lying and that is just naming a few. Other characteristics include sin in your heart like: anger, hate, animosity, unforgiveness, lust, or jealousy. Whether you believe it or not these are all open doorways for the enemy to come right on in. That is why the last part of the verse states that we are to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts.
Why is this so important? When we engage in sin and other things that the Word of God explicitly forbids us to participate in; it is giving the devil and his demons the legal right to come into our lives and create absolute chaos and destruction. And he will! I was spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally bound because of all of the doors that I opened up allowing the devil to almost completely destroy me!
That is why I make it a point to try to help as many people as I can avoid making the same mistakes that I did. I am not going to sugar coat the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the repercussions that can happen if you do not obey the Word of God. It can be devastating and you do not want to go that route. That is why it is important to resist the devil and all of his temptations. To avoid him having a foot hold in your life, Ephesians 4:25-29, all you have to do is get yourself into the Bible with the Holy Spirit guiding you and learn what it is telling you pertaining to the laws of God and follow them!
Luke 10:19
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
This verse of scripture is extremely significant when it comes to spiritual warfare. The Holy Spirit through Luke is giving us the knowledge that as believers of Jesus Christ, we have the authority over the devil and his minions! That is relieving and reassuring. The thing that we want to make sure to put into perspective is what the word authority means.
The Lord is letting us know through this verse of scripture that He has given us the power over anything that the devil will ever try to do in our lives. Within our own strength this would not be possible but through the authority and power of God we are granted that privilege. He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world (devil), 1 John 4:4.
However, when we take a closer look at what the Greek word for authority or power is its Exousia which means ability or privilege. Breaking this down just a little further we can conclude that our level of authority or privilege that we obtain is directly correlated with: our relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, as well as our knowledge of the Lord’s Word.
Let’s look at some Scripture to give us more of an understanding; in Acts 19:11-13 we can see the illustration played out perfectly, it states “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
The Apostle Paul through the power of the Name of Jesus Christ was casting out demons, healing the sick, performing miracles left and right. I mean, he was really on hands helping God’s people get set free as the Lord had called Him to do. Some of the Jewish onlookers that called themselves exorcists “thought” that they could just obtain the privilege or authority that Paul had simply by just saying the Name of Jesus. Let’s look at what happens.
Acts 19:16-17 gives us the aftermath, “And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” Basically what these verses are showing us is that you can’t just say the Name of Jesus and feel like you have the authority or privilege against the devil and his demons.
You have to actually know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which means spending intimate time with Him when nobody is around, spending time in His Word, spending time with the Holy Spirit, fasting, and praying. There has to be no doubt in your mind that He would ever tell you, “depart from me, I never knew you,” Matthew 7:23. This is the kind of relationship that the Lord wants with you and you should want that same relationship with Him.
The deeper you go with Christ and truly repent, the easier your deliverance will be. I had to learn this lesson the hard way! You can’t come against the demons that are tormenting you in your life but still want to be sinning at the same time and expect to get rid of them. It will not work that way. The devil will not take you seriously. As long as you have those open doorways, the enemy has the legal right to invade your space and create chaos! That is why John the Baptist’s first message was for everyone to repent, Matthew 3:1-2.
Spiritual Warfare is an everyday reality whether you are a believer or non-believer. You are fighting in this battle as a participant of the kingdom of darkness or the kingdom of light, there is no in between, Matthew 12:30. These are some of the many Scriptures that will help you obtain the knowledge and power needed to overcome your adversary the devil.
One of the main things that you want to keep in mind is in order to get rid of those strongholds in your life that are keeping you bound is you have to repent! Turn away from anything that even remotely resembles the characteristics of the enemy, and take your walk with Christ seriously!
There was a time in my life when I was so demonically oppressed that I couldn’t even think straight; the devil had me bound mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I never thought that I was going to get set free, but God! If He did it for me, He can do it for you too…never give up!
I am linking other blogs pertaining to this topic below:
The Importance of Forgiveness!