Understanding the meaning of spiritual warfare and the armor you must bear
Spiritual warfare can seem like a scary topic to talk about, and as such, some people avoid it. It can be unsettling to know that there is a world we cannot see that is just as active as the one we can.
Satan and his fellow demons are at war with God and the prize is souls. This spiritual war rages every day with you, me, and the entire world smack in the middle.
Over the past few weeks, God has been bringing this topic up to me. It started when I bought a product that I thought was fine and found my spirit disturbed. After doing some research on the company’s values, I realized why.
A few days later, I found myself scrolling on social media. Usually, my timeline is a mixture of Christian encouragement, comedy, news, and lifestyle videos. However, I somehow found myself on another side of TikTok.
Christians were debating about if it’s appropriate to watch this or do that. Other videos noted Christians being offended over words spoken by other Christians that were intended to be for correction.
I saw the division and my soul became grieved as I realized who the true culprit was causing the chaos for unbelievers to watch.
I also started having dreams of wild animals attacking young women. I was there, but unreachable. It was like watching a horrible movie and I could do nothing to help them. The Holy Spirit helped me to realize that the dreams were pointing towards spiritual warfare.
So here I am typing this article to encourage you in Christ and Christ alone. In the last days, we must be careful that we are not deceived. The spiritual battle is raging and Jesus wants you to be well-equipped.
Unlike in my nightmare, where I felt helpless, my goal for this blog post is to encourage and strengthen you in the realm of spiritual warfare. Because the way the Holy Spirit has been moving, I’m convinced we will need this encouragement now more than ever.
What is spiritual warfare?
Spiritual warfare is the fight against good and evil in the unseen spiritual realm.
However, spiritual warfare didn’t always exist. It started with Satan’s rebellion in heaven. Pride entered the heart of Satan and instead of worshipping God as he was created to do, he wanted to be God. He was kicked out of heaven and now roams the Earth, causing chaos and spreading sin whenever and however he can.
Satan hates us and there’s no sugarcoating it. The Bible tells us his goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. When Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and placed in the Garden of Eden, Satan first hated them.
He deceived them and due to this deception, sin was allowed to enter the world. The price for sin is death…spiritual death. However, by the blood of Jesus, we are saved. The Bible states that whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life with God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
But, that still has not stopped Satan from going all in with his goal. If he can distract, deceive, and corrupt God’s children, he can lead them on the path of eternal destruction.
And because God loves us, He fights for us…for our souls. But, for us, it’s important that we also fight as God trains us to.
Examples of spiritual warfare in the Bible
God’s people have been fighting spiritual battles for thousands of years. Here are a few examples of spiritual warfare from the Bible.
Job
The Bible introduces Job as a God fearing, righteous, and rich man. This made Job a target on Satan’s radar.
When God asked Satan if he had considered Job, He wasn’t serving Job up on a platter. He likely asked because he knew Satan had his eyes on Job.
Satan, the accuser, accused Job of only serving God because God had blessed him. He argued that if God struck Job, then Job would curse God.
This was God’s response,
The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Job 1:12
In short, Satan wreaked havoc on Job’s life. He lost his children and his wealth. He was left lying in ashes covered by sores. Job’s friends came to him thinking that he must’ve committed some sin against God for these tragedies to fall upon him.
Job proclaimed his innocence, but never cursed God. His story does have a happy ending. God restored Job and gave him back twice as much as he had before.
In addition, the Bible states,
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.
Job 42:12
Daniel receiving a message from God
In Daniel 10, we learn that a revelation was given to Daniel that he did not initially understand. He fasted and prayed to God for the answer, but received nothing for three weeks. That is until an angel showed up.
What the angel described gives us a glimpse into the spiritual world. The angel tells Daniel in verse 12 that God heard Daniel’s prayer on the first day and sent an immediate answer. The next verse tells us why it took three weeks.
But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel 10:13-14
When the passage refers to the king of Persia, it’s not referring to a human being. It’s talking about a demonic force that put up a resistance to Daniel receiving the answer to his prayer. The angel speaking to Daniel warred with this demonic force and Archangel Michael came to help.
Jesus and Satan
Jesus himself entered the arena of spiritual warfare during His time on earth. Before starting His ministry, Jesus went into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days and nights. In His most vulnerable state as a human, Satan showed up to tempt him.
He tried three times before leaving Jesus alone. The first time, he attacked Jesus’s identity stating,
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Matthew 4:3
Jesus responded using the truth of God’s word. Satan’s next line of attack was to tempt Jesus by twisting the word of God. Jesus continued to correctly use the truth of God to resist Him.
His final temptation is seen in Matthew 4:8-9. Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth and told Jesus that He could have it all if he would bow down and worship him. Satan was offering Jesus things that already belonged to Him.
How often does He try to tempt us in the same way? If we are not aware of the promises of God through His word, it wouldn’t be difficult to fall for these tricks, trying to gain something that God has already declared is ours.
Why is spiritual warfare important to understand
We must understand spiritual warfare so that the true enemy that we fight against is revealed. One of Satan’s greatest tactics is for the world to think that he doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, it’s him working behind the scenes to bring destruction and calamity. It’s sort of like when football players and boxers study their opponents. If you don’t understand who you’re fighting, it’s going to be more difficult to beat them.
It’s also important to understand spiritual warfare so that we use the right weapons as we fight. In the next section, we will discuss some some key points that you need to know about fighting spiritual battles.
7 powerful truths to remember in spiritual warfare
We have been drafted into a spiritual battle whether we like it or not. There is no choice but to fight. But, if God be for you, who can stand against you? It surely isn’t Satan or his demons.
So here are some key takeaways to remember as you take up your weapons of warfare.
Recognize your enemy
I was listening to my sister talk about someone who had angered her. As she was speaking, she mentioned the words jealousy, envy, and misery throughout the conversation. After she had finished venting, I reminded her of who the true enemy is. It’s those spirits of envy, jealousy, and misery that she had unknowingly called out.
It’s the same for us as we walk the halls of a school, sit in our cubicles at work, or enter establishments with rude customer service. The enemy wants you pointing your finger at the person across from you while failing to recognize that they are not your intended target. Satan is the puppeteer orchestrating the drama behind the scenes.
He wants to be invisible so that he can scheme from the shadows without ever catching your attention. This is why it’s important to call him out and rebuke him and his minions.
Believe me I know that it can be hard to remember this when you’re staring the offender in the face or hearing their condescending voice on the phone. As humans, we want to lash out. But, ask the Holy Spirit to help you.
Satan is using this person as a pawn for his bidding, which is to destroy your joy and peace. Do not give him a footstool to stand on in your life.
It’s also helpful to remember how God sees this person or persons. A lost soul in need of Him. You are the only representative of Jesus that some people may see. Represent Him well.
Do not fear
When you think about spiritual warfare, the spirit of fear is the first thing that can attack. The scary imagery that we obtained from movies or art comes to mind and becomes unsettling.
But, God did not give us the spirit of fear. He gave us the spirit of love, power and a sound mind as stated in 2 Timothy 1:7. We were never created to fear, but to worship God and God alone.
This is why it’s important to remind ourselves and the enemy of just who God is. He is the all-powerful, ever-present God—the Alpha and the Omega, a just and righteous Father who loves you with a love beyond human understanding.
As the song What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong states, He has no rival and He has no equal, now and forever He will reign.
Satan wants you to see him as this big, bad thing to be scared of. Yes he’s an ancient and cunning serpent, but he is no match for the Heavenly Father and he never will be. He has limitations and must submit to the authority of God. This brings me to my next point.
Remember that God holds all authority
If a good, yet imperfect earthly father would protect his children with every ounce of his being and every resource at his disposal here on earth, how much more do you think our perfect parent in Heaven will?
The enemy recognizes this, but it’s what he hopes you and others don’t. Therefore, it’s important to understand that nothing happens without God’s authorization. We see this in Job’s story discussed above.
Another key point to realize is that even the demons recognize the name and authority of Jesus leading to their submission to Him. See Matthew 8:28-34.
So not only do they revere God, they are fully aware of how their story ends. It involves a lake of fire. So why should YOU fear when they already do?
Remember that God fights for you
Here’s the truth. God loves you with a love that you will never understand here on earth. He literally left the glory of heaven and came to earth knowing that he would undergo unimaginable pain that would end in His death on the cross.
He gave you His all and is still working at this very moment to defend you. The same way he fought for the Israelites in the Bible, He fights for you. He never changes.
So remember, Satan is against you. God fights for your sake and He always will.
Remember that you fight from victory
A simple, yet powerful truth to remember is that God has already won. Revelations tells us how the story ends. He is and will always reign as the undefeated champion. Thus, know that in any battlefield that you enter, you are fighting from victory, not for it. God has given you the upper hand.
Put on the full armor of God
Given that this fight is spiritual, worldly weapons will be absolutely ineffective. Trusting in your degree, money, and/or connections will surely get you a spiritual black eye.
But, good news. God has given us armor and weapons to protect and defend ourselves in spiritual warfare. Paul tells us about the armor of God in Ephesians 6. For the sake of the length of this article, we will discuss each of the seven components of the armor of God in our next article.
Sharpen your spiritual weapons
Ever watch one of those medieval or ancient movies and you see the soldier by the fire sharpening his sword? That’s because he knows he can’t take a dull weapon into battle. It won’t be effective enough and will throw off his skill.
Well, it’s the same with us. We don’t know when the next battle will show up at our doorsteps. We only know that it will.
So we must keep our weapons of spiritual warfare sharp and ready for the fight. When we spend time with God consistently by studying His word, praying, and worshipping, we are sharpening our weapons. Not only that, Heaven will join us on the battlefield.
Guard your heart and mind
The heart and mind are where the enemy likes to attack. Because if he can corrupt your spiritual heart and mind, then he can lead you away from God. Be careful of the movies that you watch, the movies tha you listen to and the people that you keep company with.
In any battle, guarding the most sacred and vitals parts of the body is crucial. If you want to learn more about how to guard your heart and mind in Christ, check out my article on it.
Final thoughts on spiritual warfare meaning.
My message to you is that spiritual warfare is real and you must be ready for battle. But, do not be afraid. The power of Jesus runs through you and Heaven fights for you. You are never alone and never forsaken. The enemy is no match for God which means he’s no match for you.
Until next time,
-Dr. Jay
