Introduction
Welcome to the Spiritual Soldier Series! I’m excited to talk about matters of spiritual warfare. We will be discussing many subjects under this new series in Divine Discourse. I’m thankful to all of you who contributed to enhance this series.
Some people misunderstand what spiritual warfare is. But we will be discussing that in another post. I want to introduce the series by discussing 5 reasons to study and practice spiritual warfare for every believer in Jesus Christ. Let’s dive in!
- Satan and his demons exist and wage war against Christians.
First and foremost, every Christian must realize that there is a spiritual realm. There are several players in the spiritual realm that we must be aware of. God and His angels, Satan and his demons, evil spiritual forces, and you are in the battle.
As a Christian you must know that there are spiritual battles all around you. Satan and his demons combine with evil spiritual forces against you and God and His angels. Some Christians are already well aware of this fight.
But you because you have both a physical (your body) and spiritual (your spirit and soul) nature are in the fight. Some people don’t believe in Satan or demons. They think these are mythological creatures from the past.
But the Bible confirms that Satan and his demons exist. There is a darkness that currently has some jurisdiction in this world (Ephesians 2:1-4). These beings are enemies to your soul. We will be digging deeper into who they are and what they do.
But for now know that you are involved in a battle that began before you were even born. As a Christian you must know how to defend yourself and how to advance God’s Kingdom behind enemy lines in this world.
If you don’t realize this first fact you are already in danger of attack. The Bible teaches us how to defend ourselves. It shows us how to wage war against these evil forces under God’s authority. So prepare yourself for the fight as we study Scripture together and practice spiritual warfare.
- The Bible talks about spiritual warfare.
Throughout the Bible God addresses the fact of spiritual warfare and the tactics and strategies of the enemy. But He also gives us the power through the Holy Spirit and His Word to put the enemy in his place.
Weapons like the whole armor of God and a mental mindset, an understanding of the devils devices and our ability in Christ to defeat every attack can be found in its pages. Jesus makes us aware of the battle at hand and gives us the tools to stand against these evil forces.
But the battle is not just about you as an individual. It’s one thing to stand and defend yourself. But like any fighting force throughout our world today we are also called to defend others and train them for war.
Unbelievers are unaware of this fight. Through tools like prayer, proclamation, authority, and worship we take the fight to the enemy and ask God for his preservation of our loved ones. We stand in the gap for others and ourselves.
The Bible provides principles and practices that defeat the enemy and give us victory in Jesus. It will be our main spiritual warfare manual to wage war against the enemy of our souls, and even defend those around us until they join the fight with Christ.
- Every Christian is under spiritual attack.
I cannot say it enough. Not everything that happens to you is a physical problem. There are spiritual forces at work. Jesus gives you the discernment to know if it is a physical or spiritual issue.
Sometimes physical issues can also be spiritual ones. Demons often possessed people and caused physical reactions in the process. One of the biggest challenges is recognizing a spiritual attack. You cannot defend yourself in a spiritual attack if you are not aware it is a spiritual attack.
The devil wants to stop you from pounding down the gates of Hell in the name of Jesus. If you are one of His spiritual soldiers you must be aware of the lay of the spiritual land. You cannot take the battlefield for Jesus if you are unaware of the players and the field.
But you cannot suspect that the devil is after you personally. Unlike God who is everywhere the devil cannot be everywhere at once. He is only one being and is limited in his movement. But he has demons he controls and he also controls this world at this moment.
We will discuss the weapons of your defense. You must have the mindset to conquer the enemy. But with everything we will talk about throughout this Spiritual Soldier series the Bible equips you well to serve Jesus and live in victory.
Do not be caught unaware of the battle or those against you. The battle belongs to the Lord and he will give you victory. Just because you are under siege does not mean you are powerless. See the battlefield and the enemy. Know your weapons and how to use them and you will see victory.
- Christians live behind enemy lines in this world.
When Jesus left this world to return to the Father he prepared the disciples in the New Testament and us to live in this world but not have its values (John 17: 11, 14-18). Because we understand the physical world more than the spiritual world at first we may get too comfortable here.
But Satan has designed the world system around us to work against Christians. Even if you are not under physical persecution now, he still has ways to intimidate you. The world governments and culture around you are not your friends.
Because we live in the world but we work for Jesus we must be prepared for everything the enemy has to throw against us. But we must also not live a paranoid life. That will not advance God’s Kingdom or show others a different Lord.
The way you live in this world shows God’s power through you. If you live is a defeated foe or act like you are planning for the other team through your comfortable occupation of this world you will be less effective for Jesus.
This is not a war for your pastor or spiritual elders to fight for you. The enemy is coming after you. You must arm yourself and prepare for the battle. You must know what to do when the enemy comes to fight you. The Bible speaks to you today as it did to Jesus’ disciples and soldiers in the past.
Jesus has placed His Spirit in you to take this world for Him. And His Spirit is greater in you than he, the devil, who is in the world (1 John 4:4). When you know you are behind enemy lines you realize what you can do for Jesus.
He gives you the ability to be a witness and ambassador for Him (2 Corinthians 5:20). You can do a lot of damage to the enemy through the weapons and principles found in God’s Word. But you must not become a battle casualty or prisoner of war through complacency.
You have become a Spiritual Soldier in the battles of spiritual warfare. You have been activated and called up for duty to serve Jesus behind enemy lines. You are part of the winning side even though it doesn’t look like it now. But God is with His soldiers. And His presence with us gives us His power and peace.
- Jesus has given Christians authority in the spiritual realm.
One of your most powerful weapons is the authority Jesus gives you against the evil one and his demons. When Jesus sent out his disciples they came back excited that even demons fled from them (Luke 10:17-20). But Jesus said spiritual warfare must be understood in the context of loving and serving Him.
Christians are first secure in their relationship with Jesus. Then they are secure in their duty as His soldier. You need not worry about anything the enemy can bring to your door. Jesus has already given you power and defeated the enemy.
But you cannot just sit back and say the battle is over. He gave you authority to trample the enemy and take spiritual ground for His Kingdom. Use His authority to do damage to the enemy. Destroy the works of darkness in Jesus’ name.
We will study your authority in Jesus and the authority of Jesus’ name. You don’t need to fear any of the evil forces that will come against you. As you advance Jesus’ Kingdom through service to him they will not be happy. But you are well prepared by your Commander in Chief.
The weapons he gives you are strong for tearing down spiritual fortresses (2 Corinthians 10:4). When you remain in constant and vibrant relationship with Jesus He will give you every weapon you need right when you need it. All you must do is stand in the authority of Christ given to you.
Paul calls each of us to stand four times when he introduces us to some of the principles and gear to wage war in this world (Ephesians 6: 11-14). So prepare yourself to stand against the devil and his demons. And you will be victorious not because you are great in yourself that because God’s power rests in you.
Wrapping Up
Get ready to not only study spiritual warfare but to be armed to use the principles and weapons we discuss to take the battle to the enemy. Spiritual warfare must not be overemphasized.
But in our day and age it is underemphasized and underutilized by many believers. Too many in the Church are sleeping and already defeated by the devil. But you know better. If you aren’t ready now, these posts will help you train for the battle. You will no longer be one of the devil’s pawns.
So join me in preparing for the battle and sharpening your weapons. And if you have any ideas for me to cover or questions about spiritual warfare, you can always contact me and ask your questions. Throughout our training I will address them. My goal in this Spiritual Soldier Series is to help you take this world for Jesus.
Up Next
Our next training gives us the lay of the land. We’ll talk about the battlefield and our Commander in Chief, Jesus the Victor. Knowing Who you fight for will give you energy and encouragement to not only face the enemy but defeat him in Jesus’ power.
