7. Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual Warfare (Audio Only)
Like our message last week, Word By Mail has quite a few messages on Spiritual Warfare. So, like last week, if the Holy Spirit is convicting you in this area, ask us for all the messages (and notes) on this subject and dive in – because, guys, there is a war going on.
The war is really between God and Satan. It started with Satan’s fall and it ends with his final judgment and you become part of that war by accepting Jesus Christ. By your sin nature, you were once on Satan’s side. But now, by your faith in Christ, you are on God’s side. The only place you cannot be is in the middle, as Jesus says in Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me.
So, the Christian life is not like a war – it is a war! And as long as we’re in it we need to understand how to fight it and how to win it.
Your spiritual enemy has two objectives regarding you.
#1) To destroy your life
#2) To use you to damage other lives
Now, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, then your eternal life is secure and guaranteed. But that does not make you off-limits to the enemy’s attacks. Have you ever seen a Christian whose life has been absolutely destroyed – even though they’re going to heaven? And have you ever seen a Christian radically damaging other lives even though they’re going to heaven? That’s why we have the strong exhortation in 1 Peter 5:8-11.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV)
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
That is a description of the spiritual war every Christian is in and so since you are in that war, it would be very wise for you to know the battle plans of your enemy. What weakness is the enemy looking to capitalize on? What area of your life is the enemy looking to attack you in?
If we will understand some basic facts about our enemy then it will be easier to see his battle plan to try to destroy us. In Isaiah 14:12 and following and in Ezekiel 28:12 and following we learn that Satan was beautiful and powerful until he became filled with pride. And five times in Isaiah 14 he proclaimed “I will!” exerting his own will over God’s and in his rebellion, he was thrown out of heaven.
And then he began his greatest and most successful tactic in the Garden of Eden. He deceived Adam and Eve into sin and destruction. And deceiving God’s children into sin has worked so well for Satan, he stuck with it. And he’s primarily used that same tactic of deceit and temptation to bring destruction ever since the Garden.
The war is spiritual, but the enemy’s tactics are primarily focused on your flesh and the world because these are your natural weaknesses. Again, your enemy has two objectives.
#1) Destroy your life
#2) Use you to damage other lives
And your own flesh and your desire for the things of this world are the easiest ways for him to accomplish those objectives.
Listen to this quote from the Discipleship Workbook taken from the classic commentary Barnes’ Notes.
Albert Barnes – (1798 - 1870)
“...Satan does not carry on an open warfare. He does not meet the Christian soldier face to face. He advances covertly; makes his approaches in darkness; employs cunning rather than power, and seeks rather to delude and betray than to vanquish by mere force...Satan does not openly appear. He approaches us not in repulsive forms, but comes to...lay before us some temptation that shall not immediately repel us. He presents the world in an alluring aspect; invites us to pleasures that seem to be harmless, and leads us in indulgence until we have gone so far that we cannot retreat.”
So, since this is true, today we are going to focus on the enemy’s two primary areas of attack.
#1) The Flesh – which takes most of us out
#2) The World – which takes most of the rest of us out
#1) The Spiritual War with the Flesh
(As we read) your enemy is Seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) and the easiest way for him to devour you is to destroy your life through habitual sin. Conscious habitual sin swings the door wide open giving the enemy an easy foothold for destruction.
James 1:14-15 (ESV)
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
The highest percentage of Christians are defeated right here, which is why your enemy concentrates so much here. Jay Adams calls this war with the flesh “The War Within” and the vast majority of Christians are taken out right here in the war with their own flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity (hostility), strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries (selfish ambition), dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do (LITERALLY - continually practice) such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Which means your enemy wins. You are devoured so easily by your enemy just feeding your own sin nature. He doesn’t even have to work that hard to devour most of us. He uses deception and temptation to feed our own flesh and then we simply destroy ourselves.
#1 Primary attack – Spiritual War with the Flesh
#2 Primary attack – Spiritual War with the World
The other thing that occurred at the Fall in the Garden is Satan gained control of this world. 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him the god of this world and now he offers the temptations of this world in a subtle attempt to devour as many as he can. That’s why 1 John 2:15-16 says,
1 John 2:15-16 (ESV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Many Christians are defeated by the spiritual warfare with the world. In fact, this is where Satan even tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness and when Satan offered Jesus all the things of this world Jesus never said Satan didn’t have the right to offer them. Don’t be fooled into thinking that God wants to give you all the things of this world. That, my friends, is a lie designed by the god of this world whose intent is to destroy your life.
Remember the war is spiritual, but the primary battles involve our flesh and this world because your enemy knows the easiest way to destroy your life is by focusing on your natural weaknesses.
The good news is 1 John 4:4 says,
1 John 4:4 (KJV)
4 . . . greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Jesus Christ has already won this victory. But we still need to count the cost of the battle and be ready to make sure we don’t become an easy target for our enemy.
So, how do we stand against his attacks – his conniving and deceiving – attempting to destroy your life? First, we must know this. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says,
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Our weapons have divine power to destroy the strongholds of our flesh and of this world and by them, we destroy every argument raised against God, and by them, we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
But this battle cannot be fought in our own strength. Our divine power comes from the Holy Spirit overflowing in our lives. Since lesson four in this series, we’ve talked about the dire need we have to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to live the Christian life.
To live the victorious Christian life, we must be continually asking God for the power of the Holy Spirit. If you try to fight this battle in your own strength you are taking a bb gun to a nuclear war. Please continually ask God to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
And so, with the divine power of the Holy Spirit what battle plans do we see in Scripture for victory in the spiritual war? I have two favorites. The first one is in Revelation Chapter 12.
The setting in Revelation 12 is heaven rejoicing over the devil and his angels being thrown out – for good. And in verse 11 is a reference specifically to the martyrs of the Tribulation. But in it is a great three-step battle plan for victory in our own spiritual warfare.
Revelation 12:11 (ESV)
11 And they have conquered him [1] by the blood of the Lamb and [2] by the word of their testimony, [3] for they loved not their lives even unto death.
The martyrs of the Tribulation conquered the enemy with the same three-step battle plan you and I can use today.
1) by the Blood of the Lamb - (Salvation in Jesus Christ)
2) by the word of their testimony - (Living their Faith)
3) by not loving this life - (Even unto death)
So, let’s apply this three-step battle plan to our own lives.
#1) Get saved – commit your life to Jesus Christ – be covered by the Blood of the Lamb
Honestly, until you are saved and “in Christ” there’s not even any battle because you are, in essence, on the devil’s side and headed for destruction already. So, if you’ve never truly committed your life to follow Jesus, make that commitment to follow Jesus (make him your Lord).
Now, once you’re saved (and in Christ)
#2) Start living the word of your testimony – which means start living your faith! (become a disciple)
In order to be victorious in the spiritual war, we’ve got to actually live out our faith. Just saying we believe, or saying we prayed the salvation prayer once in church, honestly just doesn’t cut it. We have to begin actually living for Jesus. We’ve got to daily give ourselves to God and not give ourselves to the sin that’s destroying us. Look at how Romans 6:12-13 puts it.
Romans 6:12-13 (NLT)
12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
This is a choice you must make – every day. And your enemy knows all he’s got to do is just the opposite of what these verses tell us to do.
Get you TO LET SIN control the way you live
Get you TO GIVE IN to sinful desires
Get you LET YOUR BODY become an instrument to serve sin
And then he will win the spiritual war in your life. See, God wants your heart and ultimately that will transform your behavior. Satan wants your behavior and ultimately that will destroy your heart.
But, again, you don’t have the power in yourself to do this. There’s not enough TRY in you. This takes the supernatural power that comes from being continually filled with the Holy Spirit. So, please, come up front afterward and ask for prayer to be filled with his power of the Holy Spirit.
So, the three-step battle plan of Revelation 12:11:
#1) Get saved (commit your life to Jesus)
#2) Start living your faith (become a disciple)
#3) Do NOT love this life – even unto death
James 4:4 (ESV)
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
The ruler of this world is Satan and if you are chasing after the things of this world, you are playing right into his hands. We must be careful where our treasure is because where our treasure is, there our heart is also. We cannot love the things of this world and love God at the same time.
#1) Get Saved – commit your life to Jesus
#2) Start living your faith – become a disciple
#3) Do NOT love this life – even unto death
That is the overall victory plan. Now I want to give you a daily battle plan. How do we get up every morning and fight this good fight? Let’s turn over to Ephesians Chapter 6. Starting in Ephesians 6:10 we have possibly the greatest call to spiritual warfare in the Bible.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 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. [that makes it pretty clear]
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 firm.
This is a call to daily spiritual warfare, to take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And then verses 14-17 list six character traits of Jesus Christ that we are called to put on in our lives in order to stand against the enemy. This text is often taught by describing a Roman soldier preparing for battle, but really this text is about you “putting on” Jesus Christ every day like you would “put on” armor. Every piece of this armor is a part of Jesus Christ that we either put on or take up for the spiritual battle.
Ephesians 6:14a
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, . . .
We must put on truth every day – live in it.
Ephesians 6:14b
. . . and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
We must put on righteousness every day – live in it.
Ephesians 6:15
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
We must walk ready to give the Gospel (Good News) of peace.
Ephesians 6:16
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
We must take up faith – live in our faith every day so we can extinguish the Flaming Darts of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:17a
17 And take the helmet of salvation . . .
We’ve got to allow our salvation to protect our mind – we must filter everything in our mind through our salvation.
Ephesians 6:17b
. . . and [take] the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Take up the Sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God – the most powerful weapon
However, the most important place to use the Word is on ourselves. Remember, the enemy’s primary attack is to deceive you and tempt you – appealing to your own sin nature. And so, using the Word of God on our own hearts first is the most successful use of the only offensive weapon listed.
If we will daily put on in our lives like armor. . .
Truth
Righteousness
Peace
Faith
Salvation
The Word
. . . then we will daily be ready to walk in victory in the spiritual war.
And finally, Ephesians 6:18 gives us the final preparation for the battle that is waiting out there for us. Our final and critical preparation for this battle is prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
There is coming a day when Satan’s time to steal, kill and destroy will be over. But until then, we’ve got to walk victorious in the spiritual battle because Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Don’t let it be you!
#1) Get Saved – commit your life to Jesus
#2) Start living your faith – become a disciple
#3) Do NOT love this life – even unto death
And then daily put on the spiritual armor and pray at all times in the Spirit.
The war is really between God and Satan. It started with Satan’s fall and it ends with his final judgment and you become part of that war by accepting Jesus Christ. By your sin nature, you were once on Satan’s side. But now, by your faith in Christ, you are on God’s side. The only place you cannot be is in the middle, as Jesus says in Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me.
So, the Christian life is not like a war – it is a war! And as long as we’re in it we need to understand how to fight it and how to win it.
Your spiritual enemy has two objectives regarding you.
#1) To destroy your life
#2) To use you to damage other lives
Now, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, then your eternal life is secure and guaranteed. But that does not make you off-limits to the enemy’s attacks. Have you ever seen a Christian whose life has been absolutely destroyed – even though they’re going to heaven? And have you ever seen a Christian radically damaging other lives even though they’re going to heaven? That’s why we have the strong exhortation in 1 Peter 5:8-11.
1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV)
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
That is a description of the spiritual war every Christian is in and so since you are in that war, it would be very wise for you to know the battle plans of your enemy. What weakness is the enemy looking to capitalize on? What area of your life is the enemy looking to attack you in?
If we will understand some basic facts about our enemy then it will be easier to see his battle plan to try to destroy us. In Isaiah 14:12 and following and in Ezekiel 28:12 and following we learn that Satan was beautiful and powerful until he became filled with pride. And five times in Isaiah 14 he proclaimed “I will!” exerting his own will over God’s and in his rebellion, he was thrown out of heaven.
And then he began his greatest and most successful tactic in the Garden of Eden. He deceived Adam and Eve into sin and destruction. And deceiving God’s children into sin has worked so well for Satan, he stuck with it. And he’s primarily used that same tactic of deceit and temptation to bring destruction ever since the Garden.
The war is spiritual, but the enemy’s tactics are primarily focused on your flesh and the world because these are your natural weaknesses. Again, your enemy has two objectives.
#1) Destroy your life
#2) Use you to damage other lives
And your own flesh and your desire for the things of this world are the easiest ways for him to accomplish those objectives.
Listen to this quote from the Discipleship Workbook taken from the classic commentary Barnes’ Notes.
Albert Barnes – (1798 - 1870)
“...Satan does not carry on an open warfare. He does not meet the Christian soldier face to face. He advances covertly; makes his approaches in darkness; employs cunning rather than power, and seeks rather to delude and betray than to vanquish by mere force...Satan does not openly appear. He approaches us not in repulsive forms, but comes to...lay before us some temptation that shall not immediately repel us. He presents the world in an alluring aspect; invites us to pleasures that seem to be harmless, and leads us in indulgence until we have gone so far that we cannot retreat.”
So, since this is true, today we are going to focus on the enemy’s two primary areas of attack.
#1) The Flesh – which takes most of us out
#2) The World – which takes most of the rest of us out
#1) The Spiritual War with the Flesh
(As we read) your enemy is Seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) and the easiest way for him to devour you is to destroy your life through habitual sin. Conscious habitual sin swings the door wide open giving the enemy an easy foothold for destruction.
James 1:14-15 (ESV)
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
The highest percentage of Christians are defeated right here, which is why your enemy concentrates so much here. Jay Adams calls this war with the flesh “The War Within” and the vast majority of Christians are taken out right here in the war with their own flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity (hostility), strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries (selfish ambition), dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do (LITERALLY - continually practice) such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Which means your enemy wins. You are devoured so easily by your enemy just feeding your own sin nature. He doesn’t even have to work that hard to devour most of us. He uses deception and temptation to feed our own flesh and then we simply destroy ourselves.
#1 Primary attack – Spiritual War with the Flesh
#2 Primary attack – Spiritual War with the World
The other thing that occurred at the Fall in the Garden is Satan gained control of this world. 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him the god of this world and now he offers the temptations of this world in a subtle attempt to devour as many as he can. That’s why 1 John 2:15-16 says,
1 John 2:15-16 (ESV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Many Christians are defeated by the spiritual warfare with the world. In fact, this is where Satan even tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness and when Satan offered Jesus all the things of this world Jesus never said Satan didn’t have the right to offer them. Don’t be fooled into thinking that God wants to give you all the things of this world. That, my friends, is a lie designed by the god of this world whose intent is to destroy your life.
Remember the war is spiritual, but the primary battles involve our flesh and this world because your enemy knows the easiest way to destroy your life is by focusing on your natural weaknesses.
The good news is 1 John 4:4 says,
1 John 4:4 (KJV)
4 . . . greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Jesus Christ has already won this victory. But we still need to count the cost of the battle and be ready to make sure we don’t become an easy target for our enemy.
So, how do we stand against his attacks – his conniving and deceiving – attempting to destroy your life? First, we must know this. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says,
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV)
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
Our weapons have divine power to destroy the strongholds of our flesh and of this world and by them, we destroy every argument raised against God, and by them, we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
But this battle cannot be fought in our own strength. Our divine power comes from the Holy Spirit overflowing in our lives. Since lesson four in this series, we’ve talked about the dire need we have to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit in order to live the Christian life.
To live the victorious Christian life, we must be continually asking God for the power of the Holy Spirit. If you try to fight this battle in your own strength you are taking a bb gun to a nuclear war. Please continually ask God to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
And so, with the divine power of the Holy Spirit what battle plans do we see in Scripture for victory in the spiritual war? I have two favorites. The first one is in Revelation Chapter 12.
The setting in Revelation 12 is heaven rejoicing over the devil and his angels being thrown out – for good. And in verse 11 is a reference specifically to the martyrs of the Tribulation. But in it is a great three-step battle plan for victory in our own spiritual warfare.
Revelation 12:11 (ESV)
11 And they have conquered him [1] by the blood of the Lamb and [2] by the word of their testimony, [3] for they loved not their lives even unto death.
The martyrs of the Tribulation conquered the enemy with the same three-step battle plan you and I can use today.
1) by the Blood of the Lamb - (Salvation in Jesus Christ)
2) by the word of their testimony - (Living their Faith)
3) by not loving this life - (Even unto death)
So, let’s apply this three-step battle plan to our own lives.
#1) Get saved – commit your life to Jesus Christ – be covered by the Blood of the Lamb
Honestly, until you are saved and “in Christ” there’s not even any battle because you are, in essence, on the devil’s side and headed for destruction already. So, if you’ve never truly committed your life to follow Jesus, make that commitment to follow Jesus (make him your Lord).
Now, once you’re saved (and in Christ)
#2) Start living the word of your testimony – which means start living your faith! (become a disciple)
In order to be victorious in the spiritual war, we’ve got to actually live out our faith. Just saying we believe, or saying we prayed the salvation prayer once in church, honestly just doesn’t cut it. We have to begin actually living for Jesus. We’ve got to daily give ourselves to God and not give ourselves to the sin that’s destroying us. Look at how Romans 6:12-13 puts it.
Romans 6:12-13 (NLT)
12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
This is a choice you must make – every day. And your enemy knows all he’s got to do is just the opposite of what these verses tell us to do.
Get you TO LET SIN control the way you live
Get you TO GIVE IN to sinful desires
Get you LET YOUR BODY become an instrument to serve sin
And then he will win the spiritual war in your life. See, God wants your heart and ultimately that will transform your behavior. Satan wants your behavior and ultimately that will destroy your heart.
But, again, you don’t have the power in yourself to do this. There’s not enough TRY in you. This takes the supernatural power that comes from being continually filled with the Holy Spirit. So, please, come up front afterward and ask for prayer to be filled with his power of the Holy Spirit.
So, the three-step battle plan of Revelation 12:11:
#1) Get saved (commit your life to Jesus)
#2) Start living your faith (become a disciple)
#3) Do NOT love this life – even unto death
James 4:4 (ESV)
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
The ruler of this world is Satan and if you are chasing after the things of this world, you are playing right into his hands. We must be careful where our treasure is because where our treasure is, there our heart is also. We cannot love the things of this world and love God at the same time.
#1) Get Saved – commit your life to Jesus
#2) Start living your faith – become a disciple
#3) Do NOT love this life – even unto death
That is the overall victory plan. Now I want to give you a daily battle plan. How do we get up every morning and fight this good fight? Let’s turn over to Ephesians Chapter 6. Starting in Ephesians 6:10 we have possibly the greatest call to spiritual warfare in the Bible.
Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 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. [that makes it pretty clear]
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 firm.
This is a call to daily spiritual warfare, to take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And then verses 14-17 list six character traits of Jesus Christ that we are called to put on in our lives in order to stand against the enemy. This text is often taught by describing a Roman soldier preparing for battle, but really this text is about you “putting on” Jesus Christ every day like you would “put on” armor. Every piece of this armor is a part of Jesus Christ that we either put on or take up for the spiritual battle.
Ephesians 6:14a
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, . . .
We must put on truth every day – live in it.
Ephesians 6:14b
. . . and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
We must put on righteousness every day – live in it.
Ephesians 6:15
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
We must walk ready to give the Gospel (Good News) of peace.
Ephesians 6:16
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
We must take up faith – live in our faith every day so we can extinguish the Flaming Darts of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:17a
17 And take the helmet of salvation . . .
We’ve got to allow our salvation to protect our mind – we must filter everything in our mind through our salvation.
Ephesians 6:17b
. . . and [take] the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Take up the Sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God – the most powerful weapon
However, the most important place to use the Word is on ourselves. Remember, the enemy’s primary attack is to deceive you and tempt you – appealing to your own sin nature. And so, using the Word of God on our own hearts first is the most successful use of the only offensive weapon listed.
If we will daily put on in our lives like armor. . .
Truth
Righteousness
Peace
Faith
Salvation
The Word
. . . then we will daily be ready to walk in victory in the spiritual war.
And finally, Ephesians 6:18 gives us the final preparation for the battle that is waiting out there for us. Our final and critical preparation for this battle is prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 (ESV)
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
There is coming a day when Satan’s time to steal, kill and destroy will be over. But until then, we’ve got to walk victorious in the spiritual battle because Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Don’t let it be you!
#1) Get Saved – commit your life to Jesus
#2) Start living your faith – become a disciple
#3) Do NOT love this life – even unto death
And then daily put on the spiritual armor and pray at all times in the Spirit.