hey! In this book, I will be breaking down spiritual warfare from a christian perspective and teaching you how to be victorious over the schemes of the enemy.
Fighting against spiritual warfare can seem like such a difficult task but it's actually easy when you know what you're doing. Thankfully, the book of Ephesians gives us a full outline.
Ephesians 6 reads:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.
Basically, you have to find your strength in the Lord. There is no way that you can overcome the devil in your own strength. You just aren't strong enough. Thankfully, we serve an all powerful God who has already defeated the devil. Therefore, we have the victory through Christ.
HOWEVER, we have to do the work to access it.
To fight against the tricks of the enemy and ensure victory, you have to put on the FULL armor of God.
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Remember in the first chapter how I told you that you are now in a war? Well, this is literally your war attire. This armor will not only protect you from the tricks of the enemy, it will also make you victorious.
The helmet of salvation is given to you when you accept Christ into your heart. When you are a child of God you are protected and covered in so many ways. Just think about parent-children relationship in the natural. Most parents will go to war about their kids. God will do the exact same (& more) for you. You are the child of the Most High! Think about it.. He is going to protect you no matter what.
The breastplate of righteousness will close the door for the enemy to be active in your life. God calls us to be holy and set apart (2 Timothy 2:21). In order to win spiritual battles, we need to be pure. If we are playing and dabbling in sin-- no matter how big or small-- we have to repent and turn away from it.
(SIDENOTE: Christianity is not about being perfect, it is a process which means fighting certain battles when the time comes.)
For example, if i'm fighting to stop smoking weed, I have to cut out every single thing that will make me think about it. I can't have a pack of rillos in my drawer while fighting to quit. It will eventually lead me back to smoking again. To properly put on the breastplate of righteousness, you must repent for your sins and let go of the things that are hindering you.
The belt of truth is what keeps your entire armor together. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth (John 16:13). This truth will keep the armor in tact because it's what our entire battle is based upon.
For example, if you are trying to overcome sexual sin outside of marriage, you have to know that God says it's wrong. The devil is a liar. It's what he does. He can spin something so much to the point where you believe it's completely true. When the Holy Spirit steps in, he will help you to see what lies you are believing and in turn hold you together during your battle.
The shoes of the gospel of peace allow you to stand. One of the fruits of the spirit is long suffering/patience (Galations 5:22-23). During your battle, you will need this spirit to be able to win. Most times, spiritual warfare is not a quick and easy battle. It takes time. The devil is VERY persistent with his tactics, in hopes that you will grow weary and give up fighting. The gospel of peace lets you feel at ease and sure of your victory no matter how long it takes.
The shield of faith is what protects you from the darts the enemy throws at you. Hebrews 11:1 says "now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." When you are in spiritual warfare, the enemy will try to make you feel discouraged. That's where your faith comes in. You have to believe what God says despite what the enemy throws at you. It may be difficult because the enemy will make it LOOK like the world is coming to an end but you have to trust in God with all your heart to ensure victory.
Last but not least, the sword of the spirit is what you will use to overcome the enemy. Your sword is scripture. Knowing scripture is a direct dagger into the enemy's heart.
One time I was praying in my room late at night. All of a sudden, the spirit of fear came over me. I was getting thoughts about being attacked. Immediately I said, "God has not given me the spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind"(2 Timothy 1:7). As soon as I recited the scripture, the thoughts left me. At that moment, I learned that scripture really is the most important part to winning spiritual warfare. The enemy has no chance of victory against you when you know scripture. It's what makes him flee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put on the FULL armor of God:
(1) helmet of salvation
(2) breastplate of righteousness
(3) belt of truth
(4) shoes of gospel of peace
(5) sheild of fatih
(6) sword of the spirit
to ensure your victory against the enemy.
Now let's talk about other resources that will help you defeat the enemy.
