What is Spiritual Warfare, and how can God help me?

For anyone declaring Jesus as Lord over their life, it’s important for you to be aware that there is an enemy as old as the beginning of our time in direct opposition to God, and, therefore, because of your faith in Jesus, is determined to corrupt and destroy you. This enemy of God is named in Revelation 12:9 (ESV). “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”  Satan and his angels were defeated by that great leader of God’s angelic army, Michael, and his angels, and they were cast out of heaven into the void of darkness (Revelation 12:7-8) before the word of creation was spoken over the earth (Genesis 1:1-2). Disguised in the form of a serpent, Satan entered the Garden of Eden and tempted Adam and Eve, who disobeyed God and were cast from the Garden to fend for themselves in the fallen world—a place of darkness filled with the demons who were once part of the angelic realm of heaven, but now, corrupted and aligned with Satan. Their realm is a spiritual one unseen by the human eye; nevertheless, powerful and deadly.

The Apostle Paul warns against these demonic forces in his letter to the Ephesians, reminding them to be diligent and persevering in prayer for one another. In Ephesians 6:10-18 he says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 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. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

      By putting on our “spiritual armor” daily, we trust God to protect us in battle, thus ensuring victory over the enemy and his schemes to thwart the Holy Spirit’s sanctification of our hearts to be more like God’s Son, Jesus. When we focus on the resources and weapons for our spiritual strength, we will see how God gives us victory over the everyday challenges that are sure to come our way. Let Us Pray for the full armor of God before we encounter a new day.

Scriptures used in this module:

Psalm 25:5 (NIV) 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

John 17:17 (ESV) Psalm 86:11 (ESV)

Mark 13:22-23 (NIV) Colossians 2:4 (NASB)

John 18:37-38 (ESV) Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

Proverbs 8:20 (ESV) Romans 8:29 (NIV)

Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) Psalm 23:1-4 (ESV)

John 14:27 (ESV) Romans 10:15 (NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:1-6 (BSB) Romans 10:8-10 (NLT)

1 John 5:14 (ESV) Titus 3:5 (NLT)

1 Peter 3:15 (BSB) Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

1 Peter 1:5 (NLT) Romans 8:1 (BSB)

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) 1 John 5:4 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 1:21 (NLT) Revelation 12:10-12 (NIV)

Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

1 Peter 1:8-9 (ESV) Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV) Philippians 4:7-8 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 (ESV) 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) Psalm 119:11 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV) Psalm 119:33-40 (NIV)

Psalm 119:99-105 (ESV) Closing Prayer 

Music Selections: All music themes used in this module are royalty-free and taken from Envato Elements.

Theme 1: Emotional Piano Inspiration by Sound_Forces

Theme 2: Beautiful Piano with Cello by Olexandrignatov

Theme 3: Motivate by audio_atomy

Theme 4: Reasons to Distrust by Phil Larson

Theme 5: Dramatic Piano by GentleJammers

Theme 6: Sinister Atmosphere by Crypt-of-Insomnia