Ephesians 6:12-13
We frequently overlook that Jesus Christ already won our victory over evil. We are led to feel we must fight for victory by the enemy and our own wants. The untruth claims that we were never successful in the first place. The adversary was vanquished when Jesus went to the cross and died for us. Even Jesus Himself gave us power over the foe.
“Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will ever harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20).
Major obstacles in your life will frequently look like spiritual warfare. The enemy tries to create as much of a barrier as possible between you and your heavenly Father. His strategies frequently entail taking advantage of human feelings like guilt, letdown, insecurity, and loneliness. Victory could mean conquering a blatant barrier to your faith, such as persecution related to your beliefs. On a daily basis, though, your ability to persevere through any situation that would make you doubt your ability to trust God can frequently serve as a sign of success.
It’s easy to forget to thank God when things in your life go according to plan, but it’s also quite tempting to blame Him when they don’t. However, the Bible cautions us that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Victory in employing prayer as a weapon in spiritual combat is primarily a matter of confidence. Do you think He is fighting for you in your conflicts? Do you believe that when you express a genuine need to God, He will hear you and act?
Your willingness to maintain your faith in the form of redemption that the rest of the world considers absurd is how you achieve victory. Victory in employing prayer as a weapon in spiritual combat is primarily a matter of confidence. Do you think He is fighting for you in your conflicts? Do you believe that when you express a genuine need to God, He will hear you and respond?
According to the Bible, the Lord will battle for you, and by conquering death on the cross for you, Jesus has already achieved the greatest triumph. His resurrection signalled that the war to end all wars had been won. However, spiritual warfare will continue in your life until Jesus’ return or until He summons you to Heaven. God wants you to feel victorious in the struggles you go through. His preferred method of giving that to you is through prayer.
The Whole Armor of God
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the Gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the Helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” (Ephesians 6:14-17).
Jesus is the belt of truth, and we should always seek Him (John 14:6). Turning to the Holy Spirit when your mind is at battle is vital. (John 16:3) He will lead you to all truth. Paul illustrates this using a metaphor, showing how God’s truth will always protect everything and be present around you.
Following God’s righteousness constitutes the breastplate of righteousness (Matthew 5:6). The first requirement is met since Christ has placed our feet firmly on the rock. If we, on our end, remain steadfast in the Gospel that brings peace into our hearts, that peace will enable us to stand firm no matter what force is directed at us.
To use your faith as a shield against the enemy, you must position it in front of you. According to 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” We know that God is already there with us, so we wear the armor of faith.
The Helmet of salvation works together with the sword of the Spirit to protect us from our ideas and desires if we don’t consistently renew our minds (Romans 12:2). Since the enemy is the father of lies (John 8:44), they provide protection from his lies.
It can be challenging to fully understand a threat that originates from something that cannot be seen. However, God does caution us that the peril of spiritual battle is very real and that we should arm ourselves with what He has provided. In the same way that a loving parent protects his children, our Father God equips us with all we need to resist the devil (1 John 4) and share Christ with those who do not yet know Him (Matthew 5:14–16).
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. (Ephesians 6:12)
Christ’s death, burial, and Resurrection gave Him complete triumph over sin, death, and Satan. And because we are His Body and are united to Him and Him via faith, we have access to Christ’s victory. While Satan will be imprisoned in the bottomless pit for a thousand years when Christ returns to rule and govern as King of kings and Lord of lords on Earth, we are already engaged in a spiritual conflict with unseen spiritual forces of evil. As spiritual Body of Christ members, we are engaged in a spiritual conflict with a spiritual foe.
We do not struggle against a flesh and blood foe; rather, we wrestle against an enemy who can never be defeated in the natural world or the physical realm. The authors of evil, deceit, lies, fear, sin, wickedness, unrest, and war are wicked fallen angels, several evil principalities and forces, and we are engaged in a spiritual conflict with them. The evil happening in this world now is controlled by spiritual lords of darkness, who are beyond the reach of natural weapons and conventional methods.