In our Spiritual Soldier Series we have been discussing all the entities for and against us as we fight spiritual warfare battles. We will now transition to the tactics and strategies of spiritual warfare that bring victory.
Some of the weapons I will mention we have already discussed but many of these have not been discussed in depth. Some are foundational and others are complementary to the fight. All of these weapons are necessary to win spiritual battles. Let’s dive in.
- Relationship with Jesus
The most foundational weapon of spiritual warfare is your relationship with Jesus. This must be solid, ongoing, and vibrant. Jesus tells us that without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Your relationship with Jesus is vital not only to victory but survival.
We must have Jesus at the center of our lives. As our Commander in Chief on the battlefield we must be able to hear His voice (John 10:27-28). Our connection with Him helps us to know the strategies of the enemy in that moment.
The authority of every believer against demons and evil spiritual powers comes from Jesus. They are not afraid of you as an individual. But they are afraid of Jesus and you know Him. The seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:11-16) learned this firsthand.
They were relying on the reputation of Paul and the name of Jesus almost as a magical incantation because they saw Paul’s power in casting out demons. But you will not be victorious in casting out demons if you rely on the authority and reputation of another Christian.
If you have a close and vibrant relationship with Jesus demons will flee because you speak in the name and power of Jesus. I will talk about the authority of the believer in spiritual warfare in another battlefield training.
Jesus’ name is above all other names (Philippians 2:9-11). Demons flee when they hear His name from those who know Him. Your relationship with Jesus is the personal covering that protects you from the enemy. Everything else I will discuss in this battlefield training works with this relationship.
Tend first to your relationship with Jesus. Don’t let anything steal the intimate time you share with Jesus. Regularly connect with Him for personal growth and time in His presence. It will prepare you for anything you face in your day.
- The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a Person, the third member of the Trinity. We cannot think of Him as a weapon per se. But your ability to listen to the Spirit and obey Him is just as important as your relationship with Jesus.
As I discussed in the battlefield training on the Holy Spirit and His involvement in spiritual warfare, the Spirit guides you in many ways. He helps you with living a holy life to combat temptation and fleshly desires. He has greater power than anything you encounter in this world (1 John 4:4).
The Holy Spirit uses your knowledge of the Scriptures from meditation to memorization to study as you fight the evil spirits of this world. He explains Scripture to you and then uses the ammunition you have built up through your study and meditation of the Bible against the enemy.
Jesus won His spiritual battle against the devil with a proper understanding of Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). Don’t just memorize Scriptures because the devil knows the Bible as well as you do. But he doesn’t apply it properly. Study as much as you memorize.
Listen to the Holy Spirit and obey every word. He is with you, dwelling in you, and gives you the strategy and power to defeat the enemy at every turn. Know His voice and pray for the spiritual gift of distinguishing of spirits. This is an invaluable gift for spiritual warfare.
- Prayer
We will discuss prayer and its power in spiritual warfare in another battlefield training in depth. But prayer has great power for turning down strongholds in the spiritual realm. It is direct communication with Jesus.
Throughout the history of warfare communication has become faster and greatly affected the speed and intelligence of wars. Through prayer you have a direct connection with Jesus and there is no need to wait on His answers.
This is a strategic advantage over the enemy. We are not held in limbo waiting for the next instructions from the Lord. We hear from Him directly and can continue to fight the enemy. Some people believe our communications with Jesus through prayer are invisible to the enemy.
They believe he cannot decipher what we say to the Lord. This would truly be a strategic advantage in the midst of spiritual warfare. We’ll take a closer look at this idea and prayer in another battlefield training.
- Evangelism
One of the most powerful weapons you have in your fight with the enemy is the word of your testimony (Revelation 12:11). Satan cannot defeat the story of how Jesus has changed you completely from the person you used to be before you met Him.
Your testimony points out the power of Jesus over the darkness and bondage of sin you used to endure. Jesus has brought freedom and made you a light for His Kingdom. Satan can accuse you of many things but he cannot come close to your testimony.
Through sharing your testimony the light within you invades the darkness. You overcome the darkness just by being present and sharing your testimony. As you tell the story of how Jesus has brought freedom to you others are exposed to His power to change their lives.
Every time you show your faith you reveal the better way of Jesus to those in bondage with darkened hearts and futile thinking. As you live your life before people they are watching you. They want to know why you are so different from them.
Telling them about Jesus shares with them how He can also change them by His power. With your testimony Jesus is taking captives from the enemy and bringing them into the Kingdom of light. Sharing your testimony is an offensive weapon of power.
- Armor of God
Most people think of the armor of God first when they consider the weapons of spiritual warfare. The armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) contains defensive and offensive weapons. Paul speaks directly about spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6.
These seven pieces of armor begin with defensive pieces like the breastplate of righteousness to protect you as you advance Jesus’ Kingdom. Offensive weapons like the sword of the Spirit give you a way to penetrate the darkness.
Many people realize that though Paul does not mention a piece of armor with prayer at the end of this section it is one of the most powerful spiritual warfare weapons in the armor of God. We will study each piece of armor in depth in later battlefield trainings.
- Spiritual Weapons against Arguments
We will discuss the spiritual weapons of warfare against the mind and mental blockages. The world is full of arguments against God and philosophies that oppose Him. But Paul talks about spiritual weapons of warfare to destroy these arguments and mental strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Because Satan, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), has had so long to establish the world system we fight against he has set it up to oppose God and us at every turn. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to defeat arguments and philosophies against God.
These philosophies and arguments can combat the godly mindset in the Christian mind if we do not renew our mind (Romans 12:2) and oppose the thoughts of this world regularly. Our minds must become a fortress of salvation and glory to the Lord.
As we continue in our battlefield trainings for the Spiritual Soldier we will discuss the mind and the effects of spiritual warfare upon it. The helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17) and renewing our minds in Christ (Romans 12:2) keep our minds spiritually sharp for the battle.
- Casting Out Demons
In a previous battlefield training we have discussed casting out demons in depth. Some myths and out-of-control practices have kept many Christians from realizing the power of the Spirit in them and the name of Jesus they carry as weapons to cast out demons like Jesus did.
Exorcism has become shrouded in mystery and frightening accounts of long, drawn out battles with Satan and demons. In most cases all you need is your relationship with Jesus and to declare His name and tell the demon to flee.
There are some demons that only come out with greater effort, like those who take prayer and fasting to be expelled (Mark 9:29). But there’s no need to have a long, drawn out conversation with demons or to be afraid of casting them out.
Every believer in Jesus has the authority to cast out demons. You don’t have to have special credentials or be a priest. You don’t need long preparation in school to handle demons. Speak from your relationship and authority in Christ and they cannot stand up against you.
Wrapping Up
These are the majority of the weapons for spiritual warfare we have available to us. You can see the power, the weapons, added onto our relationship with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
We have seen the lay of the battlefield, all the entities involved from Satan and his allies to Jesus and His allies. Now we know the weapons of our warfare. It is time to find out how to use them in the battles we face. What other spiritual warfare weapons do you know of?
Up Next
We have studied all the entities involved on the spiritual battlefield. We have also looked at the weapons of our spiritual warfare. Now it is time to look at the battlefield of the mind and how it affects spiritual warfare.
