Spiritual Warfare and Your Best Weapons Against It

2 Corinthians is a beautiful book in the Bible. Paul details some of the sufferings he incurred for preaching the gospel, and he offers up warnings and instructions to those of us fighting spiritual warfare. We often hear about spiritual warfare and spiritual oppression. But, not so often are ways discussed on battling spiritual warfare. Today we are going to discuss some of the ways to stand your ground with spiritual warfare and some of what the Bible says about spiritual warfare. 

What does the Bible say about powers and principalities of darkness?

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places“. Here it shows how the things we battle are the powers of darkness and spiritual warfare. Things like strongholds, addiction, lust, envy, idolatry, and more, are a few examples of the powers of darkness.

The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak

Our flesh is naturally attracted to things of darkness. We see before Jesus’ arrest in the garden when Jesus says, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Jesus had been praying and came back and found the disciples sleeping instead of praying, this happened three times. Jesus knew the disciples’ spirit wanted to do what was right, but that their flesh was weak and overpowering their spiritual desire.

Only Through Jesus’ Authority Can We Overcome Darkness and Temptation

There is much we can learn from this as we face the same temptations. The temptations that we face are no different than what any man has faced, but Jesus is faithful and offers us a way out; never tempting us beyond what we can bear. We must recognize first that our flesh is weak. We may long to do the right thing in our spirit, but we of our own authority are unable to overcome spiritual warfare and temptations of our flesh. It is only by Jesus’ authority that we may overcome the darkness we face. 

What does the Bible say about holding thoughts captive?

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled“.

Pray before Acting

We are to hold every thought captive unto Jesus like the example Paul gives here. Allowing a single sinful thought to continue in your mind can lead to devastating consequences. We usually do not act without thinking about something first. This is why we must stay vigilant and pray continuously.

Categorize Your Thoughts Based on the Bible

 When a thought first comes to mind, we need to recognize if that thought is godly or ungodly. If ungodly, we need to pray. It can be a simple short prayer such as, Lord, I know this thought is not pleasing to you. I surrender it to you now and hold it captive to be cast down from my thoughts. 

Battlefield of the Mind

Once you get in the habit of this you will notice over time how much your thought pattern changes. As one of the best books I’ve read, Joyce Meyer’s book mentions, the battlefield is in the mind. If the enemy can win over your mind, he has you right where he wants you. We are waging war in our minds constantly, our flesh against our spirit. We must stand watch and pray continuously. In Peter it says that we must be sober and vigilant, because our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

A Sober Mind is Free of Distraction and Mind-Altering Substances

We often think of only alcohol or drugs clouding our minds and keeping us from being vigilant, but when our minds are consumed with worries and distractions, like TV or our phones, this is the same as having a non-sober mind for we are not on guard and vigilant. This easily gives a foothold to the devil to creep in. He is always waiting for you to drop your guard.

God has given us Authority through Jesus

He’s very subtle. It will typically start with just a single thought. A thought that may even seem harmless, but the next thing you know, that thought can lead you to sin if you are not very careful. The enemy is called the great deceiver for a reason. He deceives people. If we can be deceived by those around us, imagine how much easier it is for the enemy to deceive us. He’s had plenty of time and practice. This is why God has given us authority through Jesus to overcome the enemy and the armor of God. If we try to fight spiritual warfare alone, we are sure to succumb to sin. 

Temptation is not a sin, but it can lead to sin.

We must at all times set our minds on the things above. Often the enemy will try to condemn you by even having thoughts of temptation, but being tempted is not a sin. We see in the Bible where Jesus was tempted by the devil, but we all know Jesus never sinned. This shows we can be tempted without sinning. Allowing that temptation to roam free is typically what leads to sin. 

What does the Bible say about the armor of God?

One of the tools we have at our disposal is the spiritual armor of God. Each day we need to equip ourselves with the armor of God. Ephesians says, “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”. The armor of God gives us a fighting chance against spiritual warfare.

What is the armor of God?

It goes on to say we are to put on the belt of trust, the body armor of God’s righteousness, for the shoes, the peace that comes from the Gospel, the shield of faith, salvation as your helmet, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Then it says, we are to pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.

Seek God in Everything You Do

If we utilize the tools and examples given to us in the Bible, we can stand strong against the enemy’s attacks. It is no easy task and requires dedication daily, but even the strength you need for the dedication must come from God for our flesh is weak. Seek God in everything you do. Keep Him at the forefront of your mind. If you are unsure of anything turn to the Bible for answers and prayer with Jesus for even those with good intentions can accidentally lead you astray. 

Know the Word of God like You Know the Back of Your Hand

Know the word of God enough that if anyone tries to deceive you, you know better. Question what you are told or taught against the Bible. Don’t take anything for face value for someone may themselves be deceived and mislead you easily if you do not know the Word for yourself. You cannot put on the full armor of God without having the knowledge of the Word to stand on. The sword of the Spirit (Word of God) may be one of the strongest weapons you have.

Pray at All Times

Pray continuously. If you are always speaking with God it is going to make it harder for sinful thoughts to come to mind. But if they do, you are already on your guard and able to hold that thought in captivity and obedience of Jesus Christ to be cast down before you give it a foothold to lead to sin.

Do Not Waiver in Your Faith

Keep your faith strong. Prayer and staying in the word keeps your faith strong. If you notice, just how armor all goes together, the armor of God all goes hand in hand. It is difficult to have one without having the other. 

I challenge you to do a Bible study on the armor of God and delving in deep about each one and ensuring that they are incorporated into your everyday life.

Study. Learn. Apply

It may take time, but once you study and learn to put these things into practice you will be much better off for it. Sometimes the hardest thing is just recognizing the enemy’s attacks. That’s why knowledge of the Lord is so valuable. It is easier to spot the attacks of the enemy if you know what is pleasing and displeasing to God. Study the Word, learn the meaning and how to utilize the tools given, then apply it to your life. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but without applying it, it is useless.

Some Information Was Sourced From:

What does it mean that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? | GotQuestions.org