Written by: Elizabeth
Oath of God Ministries
Not every difficulty or challenge in our lives can or should be classified as spiritual warfare. We live in a fallen world and sometimes hardships or trials occur for many different reasons. Should, however, a situation rapidly manifest to an alarming level of deceit and temptation and should a struggle ensue – the believer might be facing spiritual warfare. Jesus warns us about the enemy in John 10:10. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”.
Actually there are many battles that take place in the spirit realm surrounding us but remain unbeknownst to us. We don’t often see into the spirit realm but if the veil was lifted and we were given a brief peek, we’d be quite surprised at the view. Therefore, we should be thankful to God for the car accident that never happened and the illness that never touched us. A believer never operates from luck but only God’s grace that embraces one’s life.
This was particularly true in 2 Kings 6: 17 when the King of Syria sent his great army to find Elisha the prophet. When Elisha’s servant saw the city surrounded by the king’s horses and chariots he became concerned and said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” With composure Elisha spoke, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Elisha then prayed and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” These were not normal chariots but chariots of fire in the spiritual realm which were encamped on the mountain to protect both the city and Elisha. Clearly Elisha understood that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment, You shall condemn.” (Isa 54:17)
Lies and Deceit
On a less monumental level, just how might a spiritual battle take place? Often times the catalyst that stirs a spiritual battle will frequently come in the guise of an aggressive lie. Sometimes a singular lie can be so aggressive that it comes in the form of an attack but it can also be very subtle. In Matthew 4:1-11 Satan, also known as the devil or tempter, made three separate attempts to deceive Christ Jesus. Although this may not have been an invisible battle to Christ Jesus the exchange between Satan and Christ Jesus reveals a great lesson for us on how to defeat the enemy when we come under attack. Clearly, Satan wanted Jesus to sin so that he might rule over Jesus from an eternal standpoint. Naturally, Lucifer failed and Jesus remained sinless. So let’s review the spiritual warfare exchange between Jesus and the devil in closer detail.
“Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4)
“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ” (Matthew 4:7)
Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. (Matthew 4:10-11)
Jesus responded all three times by declaring, “It is written” followed by His quoting scripture from the Old Testament. Jesus knew the only way to respond to deception is to declare the Truth. In John 8:32 Jesus further states, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) We are told in John 1:1 that the Christ or Second Person of the Trinity was and still remains the Word which is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We are also told in John 1:14 that the Word or Truth came in the form of human flesh for our sake. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” It was impossible for Jesus to lie because He was and still is the absolute and unwavering standard of Truth for each of us.
Similar to Jesus’s encounter with Satan, our warfare starts with a spoon-fed lie or counterfeit doctrine. Sadly too many people live most of their lives believing in lies and subsequently operating in those same lies. If a lie is not challenged then people spend a lifetime believing it as truth and remain anchored in its deception. “…who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom 1:25)
If a Christian doesn’t know the truth then he can’t walk in faith regarding it nor can he please God unless he walks in faith with it. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb 11:6) The believer’s reward for not succumbing to a lie is being set free by the Truth whereby you will not go into bondage or be entangled by it.
What does Apostle Paul say regarding spiritual warfare? “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.” (Eph 6:10-12)
The devil has his own host of followers and they are much more powerful than any human. In the spirit realm they can see our weaknesses and therefore know exactly what strategy to use against us in order to make us fail. Therefore, we are unable to stand against the wiles or enticements of the demonic host in our own strength. Every day we should be dying-to-self so that Christ can live in and through us. When this becomes the believer’s daily objective the battle becomes God’s and not ours. The demonic host or individual spirits will come against believers on a regular basis by way of direct attacks, circumstances or other people. This is why Apostle Paul edifies us that it is not people, meaning flesh and blood, which we are battling but instead the demonic host that influences other people to come against us. If other people believe in a lie they will begin operating in that lie thereby putting it into action against another person. By doing so they have allowed themselves to become living instruments to the demonic host.
Apostle Paul gives us great advice in Ephesians 6:13, “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.” Apostle Paul continues by giving us a list of the spiritual weaponry we will need in order to succeed when we find ourselves in the thick of a spiritual battle. He uses the analogy of a Roman soldier’s armor to explain the weaponry that a Christian will need during a spiritual attack or spiritual warfare. “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.”
Here again, we see the importance of girding our waist with the Truth. Roman soldiers wore belts where both their sword and dagger hung. Metal clips and loops on the belt made it possible for them to connect various accouterments at the waist. This is why Apostle Paul emphasized girding our waist with the Truth because other spiritual weapons must be connected with the truth as well.
The breastplate of righteousness helps protect the physical heart which is a major organ in a person’s body. If threatened, impaled or struck it could bring imminent death. From an emotional standpoint, whenever our hearts are wounded it keeps our focus on the problem and off of God. Unless we forgive the person who wounded us, we may become crippled during spiritual warfare. Additionally, the heart so often represents our conscience which cannot afford to be defiled. Our conscience or heart must be covered by the righteousness of Christ Jesus who died for us. With His righteousness, for we have none of our own, the enemy’s fiery darts bounce right off of our armor during a spiritual battle.
The Roman soldier also carried an enormous shield which basically protected his entire body from the enemy’s arrows. This allowed the Roman soldier to keep advancing despite the adverse circumstances that came against him during battle. In turn, believers must do the same by holding firm to the shield of faith. No matter what our eyes might see during the battle we must claim the truth and remain steadfast because “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7) For our benefit, Apostle Paul continues to list the spiritual weaponry. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”. (Eph 6:17-18)
As believers we are to wear the helmet of salvation which protects our mind from the spiritual enemy who taunts us with lies. The enemy is always attacking our mind and thoughts. Once again, whenever a lie is believed then it is typically acted upon whereby the door to sin is opened. We must keep that door closed by speaking the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit into our lives. In the spirit realm the Word of God pierces into the darkness while ushering in light whereby new territory once lost is taken back. As already discussed, this is the weapon that Jesus used when He was tempted by the devil. Three times He declared, “It is written” whereby He quoted scripture and Satan fled.
Praying steadfastly will improve our relationship with God as well as increase our faith levels. Supplication is a type of petition or humble entreaty that is set before God in prayer. Despite the deep-seated need to have our prayer met, we must still move with great confidence and faith knowing that our Heavenly Father is sensitive to our voice. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16) We should not only pray for ourselves but for all the saints (believers) within the Body of Christ that we might glorify His Name with great testimony.
In Daniel 10:13 Daniel was praying and mourning for three full weeks or 21 days and during that time-frame he did not eat any pleasant food or drink. Unbeknownst to Daniel there was spiritual warfare taking place which deterred the angel from reaching him so that his prayer might be answered. We learn that that an angel had been dispatched 21 days earlier to give Daniel understanding and knowledge regarding his prayer for Israel. The angel was detained by the prince of the kingdom of Persia. This was not a worldly prince but instead a demonic entity that the angel of God was battling in the spirit realm. This entity had great strength and power. Evidently it was an even match between the angel of God and the demonic entity but it took Michael’s assistance to tip the scales in the angel’s favor. In the hierarchy of God’s angels, we are told that Michael was one of the chief princes. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. (Dan 10:13) It is wonderful to know that God has established His own hierarchy of angels to minister.
As believers we have a very powerful weapon which is called “Truth”. Speaking the truth as well as meditating on the Word of God helps to build our faith in order to overcome the hurdles of deceit that might try to clutter our path to victory. Should our Heavenly Father also deem it necessary to send His ministering angels to garner support for you during a spiritual battle, be grateful and ready to give great testimony which glorifies Christ Jesus.