Module 6: Spiritual Warfare

Introduction

Regardless of the much debate, the spirit world exists and influences the life we live in this physical world. You need to understand that every war we fight in the physical is a manifestation of what has already happened in the spiritual realm.

As we learned, you are a spirit being living in a body and controlled by your soul. Consequently, our spirits war in the spiritual realm even though physical signs might be absent. So then, how do we know that we are in spiritual warfare, and how do we wage war in the spirit? We begin this journey by first understanding what prayer is because it is the gateway to the spiritual realm, where the actual war occurs.

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Defining Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is a divine war that believers face every time the fallen man (our past behaviors and habits) and the devil attack. The enemy knows that even now that you are saved, you still struggle with weaknesses such as anger, bitterness, lack, perversion, envy, and other patterns of bad behavior. Consequently, he uses these weaknesses to deceive us into believing that we are not enough.

Scriptural Reference:

• Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

The only weapon the devil has against the believer is deception (wiles). Since we are in Christ, the devil has nothing on us, and the only way he can fight us is through deception.

Scriptural Reference:

• John 14:30: “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

The devil has no power or weapon that can harm you. Therefore, the weapons we use in warfare are not carnal (human artillery); they are divine and can cast down any deception that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Scriptural Reference:

• 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

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Defining Prayer

Prayer means to ask for something humbly and earnestly. It is a divine connection through which a person intimately asks for aid or help from the supernatural. As a New Testament believer, Jesus Christ taught you how to pray, emphasizing two critical elements: the closet and the door.

Scriptural Reference:

• Matthew 6:6: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

a) The Closet – Secret Place

The closet is a chamber or secret room. The closet, therefore, is the secret place where you commune intimately with God the Father. This secret place is a spiritual space, where you are covered and protected by the Almighty God.

Scriptural Reference:

• Psalms 91:1: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

You need to approach God in this secret place with the assurance that He has already protected you from every evil or demonic power warring against you. You should not fear anything when you come before God in prayer.

Scriptural Reference:

• Psalms 27:5: “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”

b) The Door – Portal

The door refers to a portal or gate. When you shut the door of your closet while praying, it means you have moved away from all the distractions of the physical world and entered into the spiritual space.

Scriptural Reference:

• Colossians 4:2-3: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance…”

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The Power of Thanksgiving

Another critical tool in prayer is thanksgiving. Every prayer must begin and be made with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving acknowledges your victory through Christ in every warfare. In other words, you begin the war with the guarantee that it is already won by Jesus Christ.

Scriptural References:

• Colossians 4:2: “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”
• Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Therefore, begin your war in prayer with these words:

• Thank you, Lord, for making me more than a conqueror in all things.
• Thank you, Lord, for winning all my battles.
• Thank you, Lord, for healing me from all sicknesses.
• Thank you, Lord, for already supplying all my needs according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
• Thank you, Lord, for refuting every tongue that curses or accuses me.
• Thank you, Lord, for ensuring that no weapon formed against me shall prosper.

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The Armor of God

Our warfare is not carnal; therefore, our weapons are not carnal. The armor of God consists of seven critical elements. These cannot simply be put on and off but represent a way of living a Christian life in the spiritual realm. The armor you put on reflects how you look in the spirit realm while waging war.

Scriptural Reference:

• Ephesians 6:13-18

1. The Belt of Truth – Understand that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The truth sets you free from any bondage, such as generational patterns, addictions, and evil (John 8:32).
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness – Maintain the consciousness that you are the righteousness of God by faith and that the just must live by faith (Romans 3:22).
3. The Gospel of Peace – Follow the way of Christ and let peace guide you in every situation. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and His way is the way of peace (Luke 1:79).
4. The Shield of Faith – View every trial, persecution, and temptation as a test of your faith. Stand firm in faith and resist the devil (1 Peter 5:9).
5. The Helmet of Salvation – Live by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, for you were saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
6. The Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Use it to make critical decisions, especially when divided or confused from within.
7. Praying Always in the Spirit – As the Holy Spirit gives you utterance, strive to always pray in the Spirit (Colossians 4:3).

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The Battle of the Mind

Another battle that we face is the lies that the devil tells us on a daily basis through other people, the media, philosophers, activists, social influencers, and so forth. An idol is anything that goes against the truth (Jesus Christ) or simply, everything that contradicts the Word of God. Hence, we must cast down every thought process, ideation, arguments, opinions, reports, or philosophy that makes us feel less worthy or limited in any way.

Scriptural Reference:

• 2 Corinthians 10:5: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

This scripture basically means:

• Divine health is yours because by His stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
• Prosperity is yours because He became poor so that through His poverty we might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
• You are free from every addiction and bondage, for who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36).
• Sin shall no longer have power or dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14).
• You cannot be bound by generational curses or territorial patterns of enslavement since you are a new creature, and all things have been made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
• Count it as joy when you face adversities, persecutions, trials, and temptations because they produce endurance and ensure that you lack nothing (James 1:2-4).
• All things are yours, whether financial stability, marital destiny, or ministerial life (1 Corinthians 3:22).
• In all of life’s challenges, you are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).

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Guarding Your Spirit

Contrary to what has been taught about the demonic world, the devil is very deceptive when it comes to the subject matter of principalities, powers, rulers, and spiritual wickedness. The kingdom of darkness uses a spiritual technology that makes believers fight amongst themselves, forgetting who the real enemy is. Our warfare is not carnal.

Scriptural Reference:

• Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The trickery of the enemy is that he manifests himself through conflict among people, particularly those who give expression to the very character or traits of principalities, such as bitterness, anger, malice, greed, hatred, and jealousy.

By reason of being first in rank, principalities have dominion over unbelievers and territories. Their primary strategy is to create an offense and place a believer in a situation where they cannot master their spirit. For instance, this demonic power:

• Aggravates to make a person angry and bitter.
• Creates an environment of malice, gossip, and slander.
• Arouses lust and greed, where people struggle to tame or control their appetites.

The guarding of your spirit, therefore, entails striving not to take offenses.

I. Guard Your Tongue:
This involves taming our tongues to ensure that we do not confess negative things either about ourselves or others.
Scriptural Reference:

• Proverbs 4:18: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
• Luke 6:45: “… For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

II. Pray to Increase Your Faith:
Working to exercise faith involves acknowledging every good thing in you through Christ Jesus.
Scriptural Reference:

• Philemon 1:6: “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”

III. Experience the Fullness of God’s Love:
God’s love enables us to live peacefully and joyously with others irrespective of personal differences and diverse backgrounds.
Scriptural Reference:

• Ephesians 3:16-17: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height.”

IV. Indwell the Word of God:
The Word of God transforms your mind and guides every step or action in life.
Scriptural Reference:

• Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

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Digest Questions