Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is the believer's daily struggle against unseen powers, fought with God-given weapons in Christ's authority.

Paul's armor of God in Ephesians 6 — six pieces every believer puts on by faith to stand in the evil day.

Prayer is not preparation for the battle — it is the battle. The believer's chief weapon is access to the throne of God.

Strongholds are entrenched patterns of thinking that resist the knowledge of God — and Christ has given us weapons to pull them down.

The belt of truth is the foundation of the armor — God's truth and inward integrity that hold everything else in place.

The breastplate of righteousness guards the heart with Christ's righteousness imputed to faith and lived out in obedience.

The shoes of the gospel give the believer firm footing in the peace of Christ and readiness to carry that peace into the world.

The shield of faith — active trust in God's character and promises — quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The helmet of salvation guards the mind with the unshakeable assurance of what God has done in Christ.

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God — the believer's only offensive weapon and the same blade Christ used in the wilderness.

Revelation 12 unveils war in heaven — Michael and his angels cast the dragon down, and the saints overcome him by the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 19-20 unveils the final battle — Christ returns on a white horse, defeats the beast and false prophet, and reigns in victory.

Fasting humbles the body and sharpens prayer — Jesus said some battles go out only by prayer and fasting.

Revelation 12:11 — the saints overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb. Christ's blood is the believer's unanswerable defense.

James 4:7 — submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Resistance flows from surrender.

Praying in the Spirit is prayer led, prompted, and empowered by the Holy Spirit — the atmosphere in which the armor works.

Binding and loosing is Jesus' grant of kingdom authority to His church — to declare on earth what heaven has already settled in the Word.

Strongholds are fortified patterns of thought raised up against the knowledge of God — and the believer's mighty weapons tear them down.

Discerning of spirits is the Spirit-given ability to distinguish truth from error, the Holy Spirit from counterfeit, and Christ's voice from the deceiver's.

Resistance to the devil begins with submission to God — surrender first, then standing firm.

Revelation says the saints overcame the dragon 'by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony' — the spoken confession of Christ.

The name of Jesus is not a magic word but the authority of the risen Christ, in which demons are cast out and prayers are heard.

'Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation' is Christ's pattern for spiritual vigilance — alert eyes paired with dependent prayer.