Topic: Spiritual Warfare

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

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• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

God has not left us naked before the enemy!

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!

Before we go on in our study of the armor, we need to mention the perfect balance that exists in the armor of God. There are three offensive weapons, three defensive weapons, and one neutral weapon.

One neutral piece of the Armor: The loinbelt of Truth

Three defensive weapons:

• The breastplate
• The shield
• The helmet

These weapons protect you and give you confidence and assurance so you can move forward in your spiritual growth.

Three offensive weapons:

• The shoes
• The sword
• The lance

These are weapons that enable you to enforce and demonstrate Satan’s already secured defeat.

The Lance of Prayer and Supplication

The lance although not mentioned by name in the text is clearly included.

When you wield the “lance of prayer and supplication”, this powerful prayer tool is thrust forward into the spirit realm against the works of the enemy. By forcibly hurling this divine instrument in the face of the enemy, you exercise the power God has given you to stop major obstacles from developing in your personal life.

The Roman lances varied greatly in size, shape and length. Some were used for gouging the enemy up close and some were used for hurling at the enemy at a distance.

After hitting his enemy with longer lance, the soldier would draw his sword and run to finish off the opponent – cutting off his head while he lay wounded on the ground.

This is what the Roman soldier used to pierce Jesus’ side:

John 19:33-34 NKJV But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. (34) But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

Various Kinds of Prayer

(Ephesians 6:18 NKJV) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

(Ephesians 6:18 NIV) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

God has made many kinds of prayer available to us for different purposes in our fight of faith.

Just as a Roman soldier had the short lance for thrusting into his enemy at close range, nothing can compare to the believer’s prayer of faith that is filled with authority!

Similarly, just as the Roman soldier had a long lance to hurl at his opponent from afar, we have the weapon of intercession that allows us to thwart an enemy attack in our lives or in someone else’s life before it even occurs.

Unseen spirits continually seek to bombard the flesh and hassle the minds of believers. These wicked spirits hate the presence of Jesus Christ and His church on the earth, making prayer an indispensable offensive weapon for believers to use to ward off the enemy’s attacks.

We simply cannot maintain a victorious position apart from a life of prayer!

Yes, Jesus has already won the victory through His death, burial, and resurrection, but it is our responsibility to enforce and maintain that victory.

How often should we pray?

(Ephesians 6:18 NKJV) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

The phrase “praying always” comes from the Greek phrase:

“en panti kairo” which means “at every time or season.” It can be accurately translated “at every opportunity” or “every chance you get.”

Paul is telling us, “Anytime you get a chance, no matter where you are or what you are doing, at every opportunity, every season, and every possible moment – SEIZE the time to pray!”

Prayer is not optional for the Christian who is serious about his spiritual life!

Prayer is the most ignored piece of weaponry the Body of Christ possesses today yet is equally as important as all the other pieces.

Seven Kinds of Prayer for the Believer

1. Prayer of Consecration
2. Prayer of Petition
3. Prayer of Faith (or Authority)
4. Prayer of Thanksgiving
5. Prayer of Supplication
6. Prayer of Intercession
7. Prayer of Worship

1. Prayer of Consecration

In the New Testament, the word for prayer used 127 times is “proseuche”.

“Pros” is the Greek prefix meaning “face to face”, “close” or “up-front.”

(John 1:1 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

It tells us there is an intimate face to face relationship with God.

Prayer should bring us face to face and eyeball to eyeball with God in an intimate relationship.

This word for prayer is much more than praying a prayer request. It is also an act of surrender, consecration, and thanksgiving.

The idea behind “proseuche” is this: Come face to face with God, and surrender your life in exchange for His, consecrating your life on an ongoing basis.

(Matthew 26:39 NKJV) He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

2. Prayer of Petition

The second most often word for “prayer” is taken from the Greek word “deesis”.

This word has to do with the basic spiritual needs that must be met for a person to continue in his or her existence.

It can mean a cry for God’s help that exposes a person’s insufficiency to meet his or her own needs.

(Hebrews 5:7-8 NKJV) who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, (8) though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

Jesus was praying for the Father to provide divine assistance to help Him in his humanity.

“Deesis” has to do with humility and a deep dependency on God.

(James 5:17 NKJV) Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

A prayer of petition is therefore prayer that exposes a person’s insufficiency and his continual need for God.

3. Prayer of Faith or Authority

“Aiteo” is used approximately 80 times in the New Testament. This word means “I ask” or “I demand”.

This word describes someone who prays authoritatively, almost demanding something from God. This person knows what he needs, and he isn’t afraid to boldly ask to receive it!

“Aiteo” has more to do with tangible needs such as food, shelter, money, etc.

(John 15:7 NKJV) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

This is not disturbing when you keep this thought in context with the first part of the verse.

When we allow the Word of God to permanently and habitually lodge in our hearts, that Word so transforms our minds that when we pray, we do so in accordance with God’s will.

(1 John 5:14-15 NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (15) And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

God’s desire is that you move forward boldly and courageously in prayer in order to seize His will for your life and bring it into manifestation!

(Psalms 4:1 NKJV) To the Chief Musician. With Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

(Psalms 17:1 NKJV) A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.

(Psalms 39:12 NKJV) “Hear my prayer, O LORD, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were.

(Psalms 54:2 NKJV) Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.

(Psalms 61:1 NKJV) To the Chief Musician. On A Stringed Instrument. A Psalm of David. Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.

4. Prayer of Thanksgiving

“Eucharista” – good and grace – wonderful feelings and good sentiments that freely flow up out of the heart in response to something.

(Ephesians 1:15-16 NKJV) Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, (16) do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

“My feelings concerning you cannot be contained. I can’t help but thank God for you!”

(Colossians 1:3 NKJV) We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

(1 Thessalonians 1:2 NKJV) (2) We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,

(1 Timothy 2:1-2 NKJV) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, (2) for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

5. Prayer of Supplication

“Enteuxis” – This word can be translated in some cases as “intercession”. It carries the thought of earnest, heartfelt continued prayer for someone else.

The prayer of supplication can be prayed for believers and unbelievers alike depending on the need.

(James 5:16 AMP) Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

6. Prayer of Intercession

“Entugchano” – This is where we stand in the gap for another and bridge two people together. It means to fall into a situation or happen into a circumstance with someone else.

Intercession is when someone is under pending trouble or judgment, one stands in the gap for them to stop the danger.

(Hebrews 7:25 NKJV) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

“Huperentugchano” – This word is only found one time in the New Testament.

This word is when someone falls into a deep situation and calls out for a rescue operation to begin.

(Romans 8:26 NKJV) Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

The Holy Spirit does this work on our behalf.

It speaks of those times when the Spirit of God supernaturally joins us in our circumstances, shares our emotions and frustrations, and then begins working a rescue plan that ultimately get us out of that mess.

7. Prayer of Worship

“Proskuneo” – The simple definition of the word for worship is to kiss the hand like a dog would lick the hand of its master.

John 4:23-24 NKJV But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (24) God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

---

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

God has not left us naked before the enemy!

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!

Before we go on in our study of the armor, we need to mention the perfect balance that exists in the armor of God. There are three offensive weapons, three defensive weapons, and one neutral weapon.

Three defensive weapons:

• The breastplate
• The shield
• The helmet

These weapons protect you and give you confidence and assurance so you can move forward in your spiritual growth.

Three offensive weapons:

• The shoes
• The sword
• The lance

These are weapons that enable you to enforce and demonstrate Satan’s already secured defeat.

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• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

God has not left us naked before the enemy!

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!

Before we go on in our study of the armor, we need to mention the perfect balance that exists in the armor of God. There are three offensive weapons, three defensive weapons, and one neutral weapon.

Three defensive weapons:

• The breastplate
• The shield
• The helmet

These weapons protect you and give you confidence and assurance so you can move forward in your spiritual growth.

Three offensive weapons:

• The shoes
• The sword
• The lance

These are weapons that enable you to enforce and demonstrate Satan’s already secured defeat.

Ephesians 6:16 NKJV above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

We must remember that the Roman Soldier’s shield and loinbelt were inseparably linked together.

The massive shield rested on a small clip attached to his loinbelt when not in use.

The loinbelt is representative of the written Word of God. Attached to the written Word of God is faith.

Your faith is attached to the Word of God.

The presence or absence of faith is determined by the presence or absence of God’s Word. Faith and the Word of God are inseparable.

Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Word of God is central and foremost to everything else that we have in God.

Your ability to walk in the knowledge of who you are in Christ hinges entirely on the Word of God; so does peace and strong faith.

Faith is a result of the impartation of God’s Word into the human heart.

It will be impossible for us to grow in faith unless the Word of God has a priority in your life.

Although Born Again and destined for Heaven, you will not be able to enjoy the benefits of your salvation NOW – in this life – unless you permit the power of God’s Word to continually work to transform your mind.

Furthermore, there will no sword of the Spirit (rhema word) at your disposal when you desperately need it.

Thank God for the times when the Holy Spirit speaks that special word to your heart, but you do not have to depend on that. You can have the “loinbelt” of God’s Word in your heart for the Holy Spirit to draw upon in bringing help and insight.

The Roman Soldier possessed two types of shields:

1. Aspis – a smaller, round shield that was primarily a decorative piece of equipment to be used in public ceremonies and parades.
2. Thureos – in the Greek refers to a door that was wide in width and long in length. These shields were shaped like a door.

The Holy Spirit chose to refer to the second shield as the illustration of faith versus the aspis.

Like a wide and long shield, the faith God has given you is adequate to cover every need that could ever arise in your life.

God has given you enough faith through His Word to cover every need or battle.

The shield was made up of multiple layers (usually six) that were tightly woven together. They were woven tightly that they became almost as strong as steel.

Because the soldier’s shield was made of all of the animal hides, is was extremely strong and exceptionally long lasting and hard-wearing.

Your faith is extremely tough and exceptionally durable – more so than you ever realized.

No matter how hard and how long the enemy beats against your faith, your faith can outlast his attack.

The shield must be properly taken care of.

Every day the soldier would wake up and would reach for his shield and a small vial of oil. After saturating a piece of cloth with this heavy ointment, he would thoroughly rub the oil into the leather of the shield to keep it soft and pliable.

Without proper care, the leather would become hard, stiff and brittle. Over time it would have hardened until, when it was put under pressure, it cracked and fell to pieces. Proper care of his shield could make the difference of life and death on the battlefield.

If the Roman Soldier wanted to live a long life, it was imperative for him to pick up that vial and apply the oil to his shield every single day of his military life.

Because the shield is representative of our faith, this analogy tells us that our faith requires frequent anointings of the Holy Spirit.

Without a constant, fresh touch of the Holy Spirit’s power on your life, your faith will become hard, stiff, and brittle.

Faith that is ignored nearly always breaks and falls into pieces during a confrontation with the enemy.

Play it safe and assume that your faith always needs a fresh anointing. By taking this approach, you will always seek to do what is necessary to keep your faith alive, active and well.

We do this by going to the Great Anointer and spending time in prayer and worship, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to us.

There was another reason the soldier’s shield was made of leather.

Before the soldier went out to war, he placed his shield in a tub of water, then he left it there soaking until his shield was completely saturated.

Why did he do this? Because his enemies used arrows that carried fire.

Even when those dangerous flaming arrows hit their targets, the wet surface of the shield would extinguish them on impact. These water saturated shields gave the soldier the upper hand in battle by putting out the enemies’ fire.

Ephesians 5:25-26 NKJV Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, (26) that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

We see that in order for Roman Soldiers to keep their shields in top-notch condition and effective in battle, it was required that their shields had daily applications of both oil and water.

We must make certain that we are allowing the Holy Spirit to freshly anoint our lives on a daily basis as we regularly saturate our faith with the water of the Word.

Ephesians 6:16 NKJV above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

This verse is not telling us that the shield of faith is more important than any other piece of spiritual weaponry. We already know that the loinbelt of truth (God’s Word) is what holds it all together and thus is the most important piece of armor.

The phrase “above all” in the Greek is “epi pasin”. The word “epi” means “over” and the word “pasin” means everything. This phrase is correctly translated: “out in front of all”.

It describes position not importance.

Faith is designed to be out front where it can completely cover you in every situation of life!

The phrase is telling us that the shield of faith is meant to completely cover us and protect us from harm – especially when we are marching forward to take new ground for the Kingdom of God.

Ephesians 6:16 NKJV above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

This word comes from the Greek word “analambano.” It means to take something up in hand or to pick something back up again.

This plainly tells us that the shield of faith can be laid down and picked back up again.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 NIV Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, (19) holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.

It especially assures us that if we have laid our faith down at some point along the way – if we have gotten discouraged and stopped believing God to work in our lives – it is not too late for us to “pick up” our shield and walk in faith again.

Ephesians 6:16 NKJV above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

This phrase comes from the Greek word “dunamis” and tells us that when we hold the shield of faith in front of us – when it is anointed by the Holy Spirit and saturated with the Word of God – your faith positions you to move in God’s explosive and dynamic power.

Power and faith working together in your life will spiritually equip you to hold your position against the enemy with out taking any serious blows to yourself.

What are the “fiery darts of the wicked?”

In Roman times there were regular arrows, similar to those we use today. Then there were also arrows which were dipped in tar and set on fire. Finally, there were arrows that contained combustible materials that could burst into flames on contact.

When Satan does not have direct access to your life, he will shoot fiery arrows into your emotions, weak places in your mind and heart in order to inflict the maximum damage.

By keeping your shield of faith anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit and saturated with the water of the Word, you will ensure that every fiery dart the enemy launches against you will miserably fail!

It is also important to note that we as Christians can march side by side with our shields joined together to help one another and strengthen a body of believers.

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

---

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

God has not left us naked before the enemy!

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!

Before we go on in our study of the armor, we need to mention the perfect balance that exists in the armor of God. There are three offensive weapons, three defensive weapons, and one neutral weapon.

Three defensive weapons:

• The breastplate
• The shield
• The helmet

These weapons protect you and give you confidence and assurance so you can move forward in your spiritual growth.

Three offensive weapons:

• The shoes
• The sword
• The lance

These are weapons that enable you to enforce and demonstrate Satan’s already secured defeat.

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Ephesians 6:14 NKJV Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

2 Corinthians 6:7 NLT We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.

Why did Paul call righteousness a breastplate in his list of armor?

The breastplate was the shiniest, most beautiful, and most glamorous piece of weaponry a Roman soldier possessed. This is what got your attention before anything else.

This breastplate could weigh upwards of 40 pounds. Goliath’s weighed 125 pounds.

Usually made of brass or bronze. As they walked, the pieces would rub together polishing each other to a bright luster.

Can you imagine what it must have looked like when a legion of soldiers walked out on the battlefield with their breastplates gleaming in the sunlight?

The more you wear your breastplate of righteousness, walking through life fully conscious of your righteousness in Christ, the more brightly you shine as a light in a dark world of sin.

Your righteousness is not only a defensive weapon to protect you from the blows of the enemy, but it is also an offensive weapon to assist you as you assault the enemy and take back lost territory!

“Diabalos” (Devil) – one who strikes again and again until he finally penetrates the mind with slanderous accusations.

Because the devil desires to penetrate and immobilize a person’s mind and emotions, he especially delights in finding believers who do not know they are righteous. They are easy prey!

He says things like, “You’re the worst believer who has ever lived. Do you think God is going to do anything with you? God can’t use you, you stupid thing!”

What happens when we don’t know we have been made righteous in Christ? We tend to habitually walk in guilt and condemnation.

On the other hand, when you know that God has made you righteous – when you have your breastplate of righteousness firmly in place – it does not matter how many arrows the enemy shoots against you because not one arrow will penetrate.

No word of condemnation, no false allegations, and no guilty thought will penetrate your heart or lodge in your mind when you are walking in your breastplate of righteousness.

Paul is telling us in Ephesians 6:14, “stand – throw back your shoulders, hold your head up high, and walk tall and confidently, as all proud and victorious soldiers do!”

So, what is righteousness? – It is to be right and approved in God’s sight. It means we can stand in the presence of a holy God as though sin never existed in our lives because of what Jesus did for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 AMP For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

2 Corinthians 5:21 MSG How? you say. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 TPT For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.

Why is this knowledge of righteousness so important?

Your mental attitude has everything to do with how well you perform in the midst of a fight.

If you are mentally and emotionally defeated before you go into a fight, you probably should not go into battle. Why? Because your negative attitude has already determined the outcome of your battle.

By understanding and developing an attitude of righteousness in your life and learning how to view yourself through the work of the Cross, you will receive a divine impartation of confidence and boldness that will always put you on the winning side of victory!

When a believer finally grabs hold of the truth that God has graciously imparted righteousness to him, that knowledge changes him.

He no longer views himself as a little, unimportant, defeated believer. He is so affected in his attitude that he begins to move with assurance from a life of chronic defeat to a life of reigning in life as a king!

An attitude of righteousness will profoundly affect your prayer life!

Your prayers will take on an attitude of power and authority. People wearing this breastplate know that they can come directly into the presence of God and pray with great boldness.

When you have been positively influenced by an understanding of righteousness, it gives you the assurance you need to step out and boldly do the work of God!

Example of Peter and John and the Man at the gate Beautiful!

Acts 3:4 NKJV And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”

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Ephesians 6:15 NKJV and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The shoes belonging to a Roman soldier usually made from brass and were composed of two parts: The greave and the shoe itself.

The greave was a tube-like piece of brass that started at the top of the knee and extended past the lower leg. The shoes themselves were made of metal and had inch or more long spikes on them.

Why would Paul call these shoes of peace?

Peace not only protects you, but it also provides you with a brutal weapon to wield against the enemy when he attacks.

Ephesians 6:15 NKJV and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The word “shod” means to “bind tightly.”

Hence, we must position peace firmly in place, “binding” it around our minds and our emotions in the same way that the Roman soldiers made sure to bind their shoes very tightly onto their feet.

The word “preparation” carries the idea of solidity, firmness, a solid foundation, or a firm footing.

Peace gives us a foundation so secure that we can step out in confident faith without being moved by what we see or what we hear.

The word “peace” is the Greek word “eirene”. It carries the idea of a peace that prevails or overcomes.

When used in a salutation, it carries with it blessings and prosperity in every area of one’s life.

However, the presence of chaos and the absence of peace does not necessarily mean that the enemy has attacked you. It may be an indicator that you have violated some principle of Scripture or disobeyed the will of God for your life.

Before you run out to fight the devil, look in the mirror! The devil is not always the source of your problems!

There are two types of peace the believer can experience:

1. Peace with God – this is what a person experiences when they come to the Lord for salvation.

Colossians 1:20-21 NKJV (20) and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (21) And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

2. Peace of God – this is a protective peace. It protects you from fretfulness, anxiety, worry, and everything else the devil comes to disturb your enjoyment of abundant life.

Colossians 3:15 AMP And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].

Colossians 3:15 GNB The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make…

Satan can’t play games with your mind or emotions when they are being governed by peace!

Remember the greaves the soldier wore?

The greaves were designed to protect the soldiers’ legs from bruises, cuts or a lacerated leg. A damaged leg almost always meant that the soldier could easily be overcome or killed.

They often had to walk or climb rocky places or scale difficult barriers.

These greaves protected the soldiers from danger and gave them the assurance they needed to proceed in their mission that had been given to them.

Likewise, God may give you an assignment that leads you through some challenging places. If you do not let the peace of God work in your life, it is highly possible you will be mentally and emotionally bruised and battered by rocky relationships and rough situations.

• • • The brass greaves enabled the soldier to walk through the rockiest of places and never get hurt.
    • The greaves enabled the soldier to walk through wicked thorn patches and never get scratched.
    • With these greaves, the enemy could not kick repeatedly at the soldier’s shins, and his legs never broken.

With the peace of God operative in your life, you can walk through the rockiest and most difficult situations imaginable and never get bruised, cut, or seriously injured.

The spikes keep you firm footed. Refuse to worry and let your heart be anxious.

Philippians 4:6-9 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (7) Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (8) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (9) Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me–everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Isaiah 26:3 NLT You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!

Isaiah 26:3 MSG People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don’t quit.

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare: 

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy 

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-14 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

God has not left us naked before the enemy!

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!

Before we go on in our study of the armor, we need to mention the perfect balance that exists in the armor of God. There are three offensive weapons, three defensive weapons, and one neutral weapon.

Three defensive weapons:

• The breastplate
• The shield
• The helmet

These weapons protect you and give you confidence and assurance so you can move forward in your spiritual growth.

Three offensive weapons:

• The shoes
• The sword
• The lance

Battles will come but they will not come every day.

God has given us spiritual weaponry so that when battles do come, we will be prepared to maintain our victorious position over Satan.

These lessons are not designed to help you run around looking for the devil under every bush and behind every door. It is designed to help equip you so that when battles do come, you are prepared to stand against them.

Ephesians 6:17 NKJV And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

There were five different swords that the Roman soldier could carry.

1. Gladius Sword – extremely heavy, broad shouldered sword with a very long blade.

Of the swords, the gladius was the most aesthetically beautiful, however, it was the most cumbersome and awkward to use.

It was referred to as the two-handed sword as it required both hands to use it against the enemy.

After a terrible defeat by the Carthaginians, the Romans abandoned these swords and adopted a smaller sword similar to the ones the Carthaginians used to defeat them.

1. Second Sword – was shorter and narrower. It was approximately 17” long and 2 ½ “ wide and much lighter and easier for the soldier to use.
2. Third Sword – even shorter than the second one and almost looked like a dagger and not a sword. It was carried in a small hidden scabbard beneath the soldier’s outer coat and was used to inflict a mortal wound in the heart of the enemy.
3. Fourth Sword – was a long and very slender sword and was used more in sport than actual combat. It was similar to a fencing sword.
4. Fifth Sword – (What Paul had in mind in Ephesians 6). It was the Greek Word “machaira”. It was approximately 19 inches long and both sides were razor sharp making it more dangerous than the other four. The tip was curved slightly upward and was used to gut the enemy causing his entrails to come out upon removal.

This particular sword was a terror to the imagination of the soldier’s enemy.

The reason Paul used this particular weapon in referring to the “Sword of the Spirit” is because it has the potential to rip our foe to shreds.

He goes on to say “…which is the Word of God…”

This is taken from the Greek Word “Rhema” which is a very familiar word used in the New Testament. It describes something that is spoken clearly, spoken vividly, spoken in undeniable language, and spoken in unmistakable, unquestionable, certain and definite terms.

The word carries the idea of a “quickened word” such as a word of Scripture or a “word from the Lord” that the Holy Spirit supernaturally drops into a believer’s mind thus causing it to supernaturally come alive and impart special power or direction to that believer.

John 14:26 NKJV But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

A rhema word is a specific word or message that the Holy Spirit quickens in our hearts and minds at a specific time and for a specific purpose.

When this happens, it floods our spirits with faith because the Holy Spirit has spoken to us in a way that is clearly spoken, unmistakable, undeniable, unquestionable, certain and definite.

One expositor translated this scripture, “The sword that the Spirit wields as He draws forth a special word from God.”

Like the other pieces of armor that God has given us, the sword and the loinbelt are in separable.

The loin belt held the shield on the right side and sword hung from a clip on the left side of the loinbelt.

A Rhema word quickened to your heart and mind by the Holy Spirit is as strong and powerful that it is as if God put a supernatural sword in your hand.

Rhema words are both given and supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit to enable you to withstand the adversary’s spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical attacks.

You might say that the written Word of God, the Bible, is like the gladius sword of a Roman Soldier, capable of making a sweeping blow against the enemy. On occasion, however, we need a specific rhema word – a smaller, two-edged sword – to deal the enemy a fatal blow.

Vegetius, the famous fourth-century Roman historian said, “…A stroke with the edges, though, made with ever so much force seldom kills, as the vital parts of the body are defended by both bones and armor. On the contrary, a stab, though it penetrates but two inches, is generally fatal…”

Many people mistakenly think that they must memorize the entire Bible before God can use them or speak to them.

It is not necessary for a person to know the entire Bible in order to have the “sword of the Spirit” at his disposal.

A specific Rhema word for the Lord does not have to be long and complicated in order to be valid. Although, the Holy Spirit can speak a lengthy personal word about our lives, however, this is the exception and not the rule.

Most great men and women of God who have earned a place in the pages of history have done so by obeying a single, simple word from God.

• Noah’s instructions about something as catastrophic as the flood were brief and very simple.
• Abraham’s instructions to leave his family and walk with God was a mere 75 words long.
• Joseph received a word about his destiny through two short dreams.
• Moses instructions to deliver the Children of Israel were relatively short considering the scope of what he was to do.
• Mary’s word through the angel Gabriel about the birth of the Messiah was only eight verses long.
• Paul’s life was dramatically changed one day on the Road to Damascus by three simple sentences.

The reason we enjoy many of our spiritual blessings today is that godly men and women obeyed the simple, specially spoken Rhema words they received from the Lord.

What is a two-edged sword?

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV (12) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Revelation 1:16 NKJV He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Revelation 2:12 NKJV “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:

Read notes from Sparkling Gems from the Greek by Rick Renner:

The phrase “two-edged” is taken from the Greek word distomos and is unquestionably one of the oddest words in the entire New Testament. Why is it so odd? Because it is a compound of the word di, meaning two, and the word stomos, which is the Greek word for one’s mouth. Thus, when these two words are compounded into one (distomos), they describe something that is two-mouthed! Don’t you agree that this seems a little strange? So why would the Bible refer to the Word of God repeatedly as a “two-edged sword” or, literally, a “two-mouthed sword”?

One sharpened edge of the sword came into being when the Word of God initially proceeded from the mouth of God. The second edge of the sword is added when the Word of God proceeds out of your mouth!

This is why meditation and confession of the Word of God are so important. You are adding to the reservoir of God’s Word you have stored up on the inside of you and the Holy Spirit can pull one of those scriptures up out of your inner man. Then as that verse begins to fill your mind and come out of your mouth, it becomes a two-edged sword.

The vital work of studying, meditating, and praying releases the Word to become a part of your own inner being.

But stopping short of confessing the Word of God keeps the Word from becoming that two-edged sword and will keep you from the victory you desire.

Your rhema – that word you need from God today – hinges entirely on the presence or absence of the written Word of God in your life.

Jesus had to do this very thing.

Luke 4:1-4 NKJV Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (2) being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. (3) And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” (4) But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD.’ “

The Holy Spirit was able to draw a rhema word for Jesus because Jesus had spend a tremendous amount of time in the written Word of God. We must do the same thing!

People who receive frequent rhema words from the Lord are people who have made the logos, the written Word, a central part of their lives.

---

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

2 Corinthians 6:7 NLT We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.

Why did Paul call righteousness a breastplate in his list of armor?

The breastplate was the shiniest, most beautiful, and most glamorous piece of weaponry a Roman soldier possessed. This is what got your attention before anything else.

This breastplate could weigh upwards of 40 pounds. Goliath’s weighed 125 pounds.

Usually made of brass or bronze. As they walked, the pieces would rub together polishing each other to a bright luster.

Can you imagine what it must have looked like when a legion of soldiers walked out on the battlefield with their breastplates gleaming in the sunlight?

The more you wear your breastplate of righteousness, walking through life fully conscious of your righteousness in Christ, the more brightly you shine as a light in a dark world of sin.

Your righteousness is not only a defensive weapon to protect you from the blows of the enemy, but it is also an offensive weapon to assist you as you assault the enemy and take back lost territory!

“Diabalos” (Devil) – one who strikes again and again until he finally penetrates the mind with slanderous accusations.

Because the devil desires to penetrate and immobilize a person’s mind and emotions, he especially delights in finding believers who do not know they are righteous. They are easy prey!

He says things like, “You’re the worst believer who has ever lived. Do you think God is going to do anything with you? God can’t use you, you stupid thing!”

What happens when we don’t know we have been made righteous in Christ? We tend to habitually walk in guilt and condemnation.

On the other hand, when you know that God has made you righteous – when you have your breastplate of righteousness firmly in place – it does not matter how many arrows the enemy shoots against you because not one arrow will penetrate.

No word of condemnation, no false allegations, and no guilty thought will penetrate your heart or lodge in your mind when you are walking in your breastplate of righteousness.

Paul is telling us in Ephesians 6:14, “stand – throw back your shoulders, hold your head up high, and walk tall and confidently, as all proud and victorious soldiers do!”

So, what is righteousness? – It is to be right and approved in God’s sight. It means we can stand in the presence of a holy God as though sin never existed in our lives because of what Jesus did for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 AMP For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

2 Corinthians 5:21 MSG How? you say. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

Why is this knowledge of righteousness so important?

Your mental attitude has everything to do with how well you perform in the midst of a fight.

If you are mentally and emotionally defeated before you go into a fight, you probably should not go into battle. Why? Because your negative attitude has already determined the outcome of your battle.

By understanding and developing an attitude of righteousness in your life and learning how to view yourself through the work of the Cross, you will receive a divine impartation of confidence and boldness that will always put you on the winning side of victory!

When a believer finally grabs hold of the truth that God has graciously imparted righteousness to him, that knowledge changes him.

He no longer views himself as a little, unimportant, defeated believer. He is so affected in his attitude that he begins to move with assurance from a life of chronic defeat to a life of reigning in life as a king!

An attitude of righteousness will profoundly affect your prayer life!

Your prayers will take on an attitude of power and authority. People wearing this breastplate know that they can come directly into the presence of God and pray with great boldness.

When you have been positively influenced by an understanding of righteousness, it gives you the assurance you need to step out and boldly do the work of God!

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare: 

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy 

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-14 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) 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. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

God has not left us naked before the enemy!

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us!

Before we go on in our study of the armor, we need to mention the perfect balance that exists in the armor of God. There are three offensive weapons, three defensive weapons, and one neutral weapon.

Three defensive weapons:

• The breastplate
• The shield
• The helmet

These weapons protect you and give you confidence and assurance so you can move forward in your spiritual growth.

Three offensive weapons:

• The shoes
• The sword
• The lance

These are weapons that enable you to enforce and demonstrate Satan’s already secured defeat.

The neutral weapon is the loinbelt which is representative of the Word of God. It is the central piece of armor that holds all of these other pieces together.

Without this central piece of armor, the written Word of God, the other pieces cannot function properly in your life.

These pieces of armor come from God. To walk in them and to see them working in your personal life mandates that you live in the presence of God.

Remember, God is the source of everything in this Christian life, including your spiritual armor.

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The Loin-belt of Truth

The loin-belt was the least attractive, the least noticeable, and the most boring piece of armor that the Roman Soldier wore.

Even today, the belt seems to be an insignificant thing. Without it though, your pants fall down, your shirt comes untucked and you would look like a mess.

The loin-belt was the most vital part of all the weaponry that the soldier wore. The loin-belt held it all together!

The loin-belt of truth is the written Word of God!

It is also the only visible piece of armor we have.

When you ignore the Word of God and cease to apply it to your life on a daily basis, you have willfully chosen to let your entire spiritual life come apart at the seams.

You absolutely cannot function as a believer without the Word of God having an active and central role in your life. You may run on a little steam from the past for a while, but you won’t run very far.

The Bible must be the governor, the law, the ruler, and the “final say-so” in your life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Paul tells us the inspired Word of God will equip us with the “gear” we need in order to walk in the power of God and to maintain our victorious position over the devil.

For the believer that neglects the Word of God, it is only a matter of time before they feel very condemned in every area of their lives.

Hebrews 5:12-13 NKJV For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

Need peace? Let the Word dwell richly in your heart.

Colossians 3:15-16 NKJV (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Want strong faith? Get in the Word on a daily basis.

Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is hearing on a continuous basis. If you want strong faith on a daily basis, then get in God’s Word and stay there.

If you do not have the loin-belt of truth positioned in your life, you will not be able to walk in the other pieces of weaponry God has given you.

The Helmet of Salvation

The Roman soldier’s helmet was a fascinating and beautiful part of his armor. It was a flamboyant piece, very ornate and intricate. It was highly decorated with etchings and could even be formed into the shape of the head of an animal such as an elephant, horse, etc.

Very often there was a large plume of brightly colored feathers or horsehair that stood straight up out of the helmet.

These helmets were very heavy and designed to protect not only the head but also the cheeks and jaws. They often had padding on the inside to ease the massive weight on the head.

These helmets undoubtedly made the Roman soldier very noticeable.

Why would the Holy Spirit compare a piece of weaponry like this to salvation?

Because your salvation is the most gorgeous, most intricate, most elaborate, and most ornate gift God ever gave you!

Remember, the more noticeable the soldier’s helmet was, the better.

When a person is confident of his salvation – and when he is walking in the powerful reality of all that salvation means for him – that person is noticeable!

Why was this helmet so important? Their enemies carried a battleax that we designed to take off your head. If the soldier did not have on his helmet – he was sure to lose his head.

If you don’t walk in your salvation and all that your salvation entails, you may feel the brunt of the enemy’s battleax coming to attack your mind and steal your victory.

Your enemy wants to chop the multiple benefits and blessings of your salvation right out of your belief system. He’ll whack away at your spiritual foundation, trying to tell you that healing, deliverance, preservation of mind, and soundness are not really part of Jesus’ redemptive work on the Cross.

To face the adversary without your helmet of salvation is the equivalent of spiritual suicide!

Never forget, the devil comes to attack your mind!

We must learn about our salvation and find out all that it includes:

• • We must spend time studying what the Bible has to say about who we are in Christ
  • We must spend time studying what the Bible has to say about healing
  • We must spend time studying what the Bible has to say about our deliverance from evil powers
  • We must spend time studying our redemption and its beneficial consequences in our lives

What is a stronghold?

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NKJV (3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

The word stronghold (Greek: ochuroma) Means a fortress or a prison.

This tells us that a stronghold is designed to keep outsiders from getting in and insiders from getting out.

When someone has a stronghold in their mind, he has walls around him that are so thick, others cannot seem to break through to help him.

Like impregnable, invisible walls, strongholds are rooted in people’s minds and emotions to keep others from getting too close to them.

This is a trick of the devil to keep people isolated and especially away from those who could help bring freedom.

These walls are built over time as lies from the enemy go unresisted in one’s mind. Suppose someone permits wrong thinking and wrong believing to go unchallenged hour after hour and day after day. The devil will begin to use those lies, insinuations, and unrealistic fears to build thick, impregnable walls around that person’s life.

Some examples of how these destructive strongholds can affect your life:

• • Unrealistic fears of rejection will keep you from developing healthy relationships in your life.
  • Unrealistic fears about the future of your marriage will hinder you from functioning in your marriage as God intended.
  • Unrealistic fears about potential failure will keep you from stepping out to obey God and do something worthwhile with your life.

The first step to eradicating strongholds in your life is to recognize YOUR responsibility in the matter!

Repentance for allowing the mental and emotion strongholds to develop in your life is absolutely essential – before all else.

There are two types of strongholds:

• • Rational
  • Irrational

Rational strongholds are the hardest to deal with because they usually make sense.

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Imaginations: Greek: logismos – where we get the word logic

The logical mind will begin to dictate your life from a stronghold of natural reason.

The logical mind, although necessary and wonderful, will work against your spiritual life unless it is submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Irrational Strongholds primarily have to do with fears and worries that are completely unrealistic and often are not founded on fact.

Fear of dying early in life, abnormal fear of rejection, a fear of financial collapse.

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

If you don’t take your thoughts captive, your thoughts will take you captive!

We must take those “mind games” (devices) that the enemy uses captive and force them into a subordinate position.

You must lay hold of your mind and tell it to submit and listen to what the Word of God has to say!

When a strong knowledge of your salvation is wrapped around your mind, you will never again fall prey to the devil’s deceptive tactics.

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

This means having a saved or delivered mind. This is a mind that has been set free and is thinking correctly!

This is what someone who has on the helmet will think like:

• • When you are walking in the full knowledge of your salvation, you think and talk like a saved man or woman!
  • When your mind is renewed with the Word of God concerning all the blessings contained in your salvation, you think and talk like a saved man or woman!
  • When your mind is filled with the goodness of God because salvation is tightly wrapped around your mind, you think and talk like a saved man or woman.

When you “walk” in the helmet of your salvation, you think like God thinks, you reason like God reasons, you believe like God believes and you act like God acts!

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare: 

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy 

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Paul is using the imperative tense in this text. This means he is not suggesting; rather he is issuing the very strongest kind of command that can be given.

We have a choice – we can reject Paul’s command, or we can accept it and do it.

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

This verse can be accurately translated, “Put on the whole armor that comes from God…”

Just as we draw our life, our new nature, and our spiritual power from God, this spiritual armor also comes from God as well. 

The Armor of God is ours by virtue of our relationship with God!

In other words, Paul wanted us to know that this armor originates in God and is freely bestowed upon those who continually draw their life and their existence from God.

As long as our fellowship with the Lord is unbroken, the Power Source for our spiritual weaponry also remains intact. Your unbroken, ongoing fellowship with God is your absolute guarantee that you are constantly and habitually dressed in the whole armor of God. 

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

This phrase comes from the Greek Word “Dunamis”. When we are equipped with the whole armor of God, we have explosive and dynamic power at our command!

To stand means in the spirit we are standing in an upright and victorious position as a Roman Soldier would stand. 

It also means that in a military sense, we are to maintain a critical and strategic military position over a battlefield.

We are to stand guard over the battlefields of our own lives.

(Like the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery)

You must stand guard over the will of God for your life! 

Maintain a critical position over the assignment that God has given you until it is completed. You must determine that you will not give the enemy an inch.

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The most important battlefield of your life is your mind!

There are three words that we all need to know in studying spiritual warfare:

• • Wiles
  • Devices
  • Deception

1. 1. The word “wiles” comes from the Greek word “methodos”, and it literally means “with a road” or “on a road.”

The enemy does not have as many tricks as he wants us to believe he does.

What Paul is saying to us is that the enemy travels one road, one lane, or one avenue. In other words, he primarily has only one trick in his bag, but he has learned how to use that one trick very well.

If the devil operates on one single avenue, what is the destination that diabolical road is headed toward?

2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV (11) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

1. 2. The word “devices” is the Greek word “noemata” and denotes the insidious plot of the enemy to fill the human mind with confusion.

Another way of saying this is that it bears the notion of “mind games”.

“…we are not ignorant of the mind games that Satan tries to pull on us…”

The devil loves to make a playground out of people’s minds!

He delights in filling their emotions and senses with illusions that captivate their minds and ultimately destroy them. Like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, we must bring every thought to the captivity of Christ.

We must make a mental decision to take charge of our minds. We must stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves.

We must speak to our emotions and senses dictating to them exactly what to believe.

The enemy knows that whoever controls a person’s mind also controls that person’s health and emotions.

If we do not renew our minds and yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls, it will be only a matter of time before a solid stronghold of deception begins to dominate and manipulate his self-image, his emotional status, and his overall thinking.

1. 3. Deception occurs when a person believes the lies that the enemy has been telling him.

For instance, the devil may assault your mind by repeatedly telling you that you are a failure. As long as you resist the demonic allegations, they can and will exert absolutely no power in your life.

The moment someone begins to accept Satan’s lies as truth is the very moment those wicked thoughts and mind games begin to produce the devil’s reality in his life.

When you embrace the devil’s mind games and perceive them as truth, you give power to them!

We begin to put faith in those lies and give them power to create that reality in our lives. The believers’ false perceptions empower the lies, and the devil uses those false beliefs to create his reality in the natural realm in their lives.

Example of Goliath and his Mind Games:

1 Samuel 17:1-11 NKJV Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. (2) And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. (3) The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. (4) And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (5) He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. (6) And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. (7) Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. (8) Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. (9) If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” (10) And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” (11) When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:16 NKJV And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

The devil wants to take you captive and destroy you with the same tools Goliath used against the Israelites. Satan wants to ruin your effectiveness with deceptive suggestions and lying allegations!

Once you pull the plug on Satan’s intimidating threats and lies, he will no longer be able to hold your mind captive. Learn how to SPEAK God’s truth to yourself rather than LISTEN to the enemy’s lies.

The enemy works just as Goliath did, striking repeatedly every day several times a day.

David was not afraid of the Philistine Giant – he was annoyed by Goliath’s verbal arrogance! We must get to this same place. We must grow annoyed at the arrogance of our adversary to constantly malign us with his taunts and lies like David.

Before the giant’s threats had an opportunity to take root in his soul and produce paralyzing fear, David spoke forth his declaration of war against the enemy!

1 Samuel 17:45-47 NKJV Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (46) This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

The name “Devil” comes from the Greek word “diabolos” and means the repetitive action of hitting something again and again, until the wall is so worn down that it can be thoroughly penetrated.

Make up your mind today that you are someone he will not be able to “wear down” until he can “pave a road” into your mind and confuse your emotions with “mind games.” You are not going to be able to be “deceived” until you believe his threats and false perceptions and cause them to become a reality in your life!

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV 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.

Wrestle (Greek: pale) struggling, wrestling, hand-to-hand fighting

Palestra was a huge complex for combat sports in the day. There were boxers, wrestlers, and pankratists that worked out in these facilities. These were dangerous and barbaric sports; extremely violent. The victories often went to those that killed their opponents. Boxers wore spiked gloves and had serrated blades attached. Wrestlers could break fingers, choke, gouge the face and eyes, etc. Pankratists were a combination of all of the above.

Paul uses this wording to convey to us that this is an intense conflict we are waging.

Whoever fights the hardest and the meanest and whoever lasts the longest is the winner in your confrontation with the enemy. Therefore, you had better be equipped, alert, and prepared before the fight begins.

We stated earlier that the majority of spiritual warfare is with the flesh and the mind. Is this a conflict with this thought?

Absolutely not.

Our real adversaries are an unseen host of wicked spirits that are working behind the scenes. However, they can’t do anything unless our flesh cooperates with them. That’s why they come to tempt, seduce, deceive, and assault our flesh and our minds.

By living a crucified, sanctified life on a continual basis, we are able to neutralize any attack the enemy would try to wage against our flesh. 

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV 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.

Notice that Paul (by the Holy Spirit) uses the word against four times in this verse. When the Holy Spirit repeats Himself, he is trying to emphasize something because it is important.

The word “against”, is used because it depicts a forward position or a face-to-face encounter. 

Paul tells us there are four classifications of demon spirits: 

1. 1. Principalities
   2. Powers
   3. Rulers of the darkness of this world
   4. Spiritual wickedness in high places

At some point in our Christian experience, we will come into direct contact with evil forces.

1. 1. Principalities – “achas” – denotes ancient times and they are at the top of Satan’s domain and they have held their lofty positions of power and authority ever since Lucifer fell.
   2. Powers – “exousia” – delegated authority. These demons have delegated authority to carry out all manner of evil and wickedness.
   3. Rulers of the darkness of this world – “kosmokrateros” – the rank and file demon spirits organized as a military force. It has to do with discipline, organization, and commitment.
   4. Spiritual wickedness in high places – bad, vile, malevolent, vicious, or malignant. These spirits are sent forth from the spirit realm to afflict humanity in all manner of bad, vile, vicious and malignant ways.

If we have the power and authority of Jesus Christ over all of these forces, then why is so much of the church living defeated lives? It is because they often have something we do not.

As Christians, we have no power shortage, nor are we short of God-given authority. We simply have a great lack of discipline, organization, and commitment. 

Once we match the discipline, organization, and commitment that the enemy possesses in his camp, we will begin to move into the awesome demonstrations of God’s power. 

Our lack of commitment and the secret places of our lives that have never been fully surrendered will stop us dead in our tracks whenever we try to deal with the devil’s attacks. 

On the other hand, when we choose to live holy and surrendered lives – carefully guarding our minds and equipping ourselves with the whole armor of God, we become AWESOME weapons in the hands of an Almighty God!

God has not left us naked before the enemy! 

God has given us spiritual weaponry that has the ability to counterattack and defeat any scheme that the devil would try to use against us! 

Ephesians 6:14 NKJV Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 

The Loin-belt of Truth 

The loin-belt was the least attractive, the least noticeable, and the most boring piece of armor that the Roman Soldier wore.

Even today, the belt seems to be an insignificant thing. Without it though, your pants fall down, your shirt comes untucked and you would look like a mess.

The loin-belt was the most vital part of all the weaponry that the soldier wore. The loin-belt held it all together!

The loin-belt of truth is the written Word of God!

It is also the only visible piece of armor we have.

When you ignore the Word of God and cease to apply it to your life on a daily basis, you have willfully chosen to let your entire spiritual life come apart at the seams. 

You absolutely cannot function as a believer without the Word of God having an active and central role in your life. You may run on a little steam from the past for a while, but you won’t run very far.

The Bible must be the governor, the law, the ruler, and the “final say-so” in your life.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Paul tells us the inspired Word of God will equip us with the “gear” we need in order to walk in the power of God and to maintain our victorious position over the devil. 

For the believer that neglects the Word of God, it is only a matter of time before they feel very condemned in every area of their lives. 

Hebrews 5:12-13 NKJV For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (13) For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

Need peace? Let the Word dwell richly in your heart.

Colossians 3:15-16 NKJV (15) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Want strong faith? Get in the Word on a daily basis. 

Romans 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is hearing on a continuous basis. If you want strong faith on a daily basis, then get in God’s Word and stay there.

If you do not have the loin-belt of truth positioned in your life, you will not be able to walk in the other pieces of weaponry God has given you.

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy
• Whatever the devil does, Jesus wants to match that attack with an even greater blessing and victory in your life!
• Most battles are fought and won because we are faithful to heed the Holy Spirit’s warnings to deal with some area of our lives before it got out of control.

We see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

The word “finally” in the Greek language lets us know there might have been a problem in this early church.

The word “finally” in the Greek language means the familiar saying, “If you don’t get anything else out of what I am saying to you, get this…”

Why would he have said this?

The believers in this church were not unlike a lot of believers today. They had gathered a vast amount of doctrinal knowledge, information and facts, yet they were still defeated in their lives.

Could it have been that they were spiritually lopsided?

They were mature and developed in the realm of doctrine but had failed to develop in other critical areas.

As the Early Church leaders developed, analyzed, and taught sound doctrine inside the church at large, they also needed to equip the saints to deal with the hostile surroundings outside the church.

While the Ephesian believers were growing in their intellectual understanding of the Word, they needed to simultaneously grow in their understanding of spiritual armor and spiritual conflict.

The needed to start acting on the knowledge they had obtained.

• They needed to learn how to take their intellectual understanding of the Word of God and turn it into a “sword of the Spirit.”
• They desperately needed to grab hold of the faith they intellectually possessed and turn it into a “shield of faith.”
• Their knowledge of salvation had to be forged into a “helmet of salvation.”
• Their understanding of God’s marvelous grace still needed to be transformed into a “breastplate of righteousness.”

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

“Brethren” – Greek: adelphos

Means: “You and I are brothers! We came out of the same womb of humanity. We have the same feelings; we have similar emotions; and we deal with the same problems of life…”

Paul was identifying with these believers and their personal struggles and their victories.

In Greek culture, to call someone “brother” like this was a high honor. It was saying, “Like me, you are still in the fight and are giving it your best shot. Therefore, I am personally proud to be affiliated with people like you.”

It isn’t how well we fight that really counts in life. What really counts is that we keep on fighting.

This “never give up” kind of attitude will eventually produce victory for us every time.

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

“Strong” – Greek: en-dunamis – Means: being infused with and excessive does of dynamic inner strength and ability

We are specifically designed by God to be receptacles of His divine power.

Paul used the present passive imperative tense in these words.

He was commanding them to receive this power. He was commanding them to open their hearts to receive a brand-new touch of God’s power into their lives.

The passive tense describes it as an ongoing, lasting effect of this power upon their lives.

Paul was commanding all believers to:

• • “Be infused with supernatural strength and ability.”
  • “Be empowered with this special touch of God’s strength.”
  • “You must receive this inner strengthening.”

Why was he so emphatic about this? Because he knew that we need to receive this power before our fight commences.

Without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit operating in us, not one of us can ever be a match against Satan’s schemes and devices.

Satan is intelligent, keen, brilliant, canny, cunning, quick, brainy and shrewd. He is strong, capable, influencing, and determined. He is a wise strategist, orderly planning and arranging systematic assaults against humanity. He is the epitome of an opportunist, knowing when to strike with his destructive power.

When the Holy Spirit’s supernatural strength is released within us, we are empowered to deal victoriously with this archenemy of the faith.

Yes, it is true that Jesus stripped him of his authority but his intelligence is very much still intact.

This is superhuman power for a superhuman task!

In Greek culture, this word “endunamoo” would have been used in Greek writings for someone like Hercules who demonstrated superhuman strength.

Our only hope of reinforcing Jesus’ victory and demonstrating Satan’s defeat is by receiving the help of the special, supernatural power.

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

This phrase in the Greek is showing us the “locative” sense and means that this special power can only be found in one place: in the Lord.

We are perpetually, endlessly, and infinitely “locked up” in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has become our realm of existence and habitation.

This power can only be obtained through a personal relationship with Jesus.

We see this same tense used by Paul repeatedly in Ephesians 1: “In Christ…”

Because we are “locked up” in the Lord and this power is “locked up” in the Lord, that means we are never far away from a fresh surge of superhuman power into our own human spirits.

A new release of God’s power within us is as accessible as our very next breath of air!

To experience God’s ever-available, ever-accessible power, you must open your heart to it and ask that it be released in your life. By faith, you must reach out to embrace this special divine power, for because of your position “in the Lord,” you are surrounded by it right now. At this precise moment, you are immersed in God’s supernatural power. It is yours for the asking.

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Power – Greek: “Kratos” – Demonstrated power

The kind of power that God used when He raised Jesus from the dead is the very same, exact, identical power that is at work in us.

To understand this power, you must go back and look at the power that God released when He raised Jesus from the dead.

This “kratos” power raised Jesus from the dead! This was an eruptive power, a demonstrated power, and outwardly visible power. It was the strongest kind of power known to God or man.

The only being in the universe that possesses this kind of power is God. Man does not possess this power – unless it has been given to him by God!

This power is so mighty and overwhelming, the mighty Roman soldiers assigned to guard Jesus tomb fainted and crumbled underneath it.

Matthew 28:2-4 NKJV And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. (3) His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. (4) And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

It also caused the graves of others to be opened and raised others from the dead.

Matthew 27:52-53 NKJV and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; (53) and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

This same power is what Paul prayed we would get a revelation of in his prayers for the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:19-20 NKJV and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

God does not give us “kratos” power so we can sit idly by and do nothing in life. This power comes to enable us to accomplish some type of super-human task.

This power in us seeks to demonstrate itself.

When we have this power at our disposal, the devil is no match for us. We are well able to overcome his strategies with the armor God has provided.

Paul knew that he had to address the issue of power before ever discussing warfare with unseen forces or the armor of God.

Why? Because without this power operating in us our spiritual lives, we can’t engage in battle with the enemy. We cannot stand against the deeds of darkness in our own strength – it’s an impossibility.

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Might – Greek: “ischous” – conveys the picture of an extremely strong man such as a body builder, a man who is able; a man who is mighty; or a man with great muscular abilities.

Paul applies this picture to God – not to himself.

• • Is there anyone more powerful than God?
  • Is there anyone more able than God?
  • Is there any force in the universe equal to the muscular ability of God?

With God’s outstretched arm:

• • He flung the universe into being
  • An entire period of civilization was wiped out in the flood
  • Sodom and Gomorrah were forever wiped off the face of the earth
  • Egypt’s rebellion against God was crushed and the children of Israel were set free
  • The Red Sea was split in two while the children of Israel passed through and then crashed down on the Egyptians
  • The wicked powers of the heavenlies were forcibly shoved aside and, although it was physically and medically impossible, Jesus was conceived and miraculously born from a virgin’s womb.
  • His power surged into the caverns of hell itself and ripped Jesus out of the pangs of death, stripping principalities and powers naked and making a public display of the embarrassing defeat.
  • On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came rushing in and filled the disciples with awesome power, supernaturally empowering them to preach the Word with signs and wonders.
  • One day He will return and split the eastern sky and come to earth, defeat the great armies of the earth, set up His Kingdom and rule and reign forever

This is the same mighty arm of God that is working throughout the earth. Where is His powerful, able, mighty muscular ability working today? In you and me!

One expositor accurately translates Ephesians 6:10 this way:

“…Be strong in the Lord and in the powerful, outwardly demonstrated ability that works in you as a result of God’s great muscular ability.”

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Paul is using the imperative tense in this text. This means he is not making a suggestion; rather he is issuing the very strongest kind of command that can be given.

We have a choice – we can reject Paul’s command, or we can accept it and do it.

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

This verse can be accurately translated, “Put on the whole armor that comes from God…”

Just as we draw our life, our new nature, and our spiritual power from God, this spiritual armor also comes from God as well.

The Armor of God is ours by virtue of our relationship with God!

In other words, Paul wanted us to know that this armor originates in God and is freely bestowed upon those who continually draw their life and their existence from God.

As long as our fellowship with the Lord is unbroken, the Power Source for our spiritual weaponry also remains intact. Your unbroken, ongoing fellowship with God is your absolute guarantee that you are constantly and habitually dressed in the whole armor of God.

Ephesians 6:11 NKJV Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

This phrase comes from the Greek Word “Dunamis”. When we are equipped with the whole armor of God, we have explosive and dynamic power at our command!

To stand means in the spirit we are standing in an upright and victorious position as a Roman Soldier would stand.

It also means that in a military sense, we are to maintain a critical and strategic military position over a battlefield.

We are to stand guard over the battlefields of our own lives.

(Like the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery)

You must stand guard over the will of God for your life!

Maintain a critical position over the assignment that God has given you until it is completed. You must determine that you will not give the enemy an inch.

The most important battlefield of your life is your mind!

There are three words that we all need to know in studying spiritual warfare:

• • Wiles
  • Devices
  • Deception

1. 1. The word “wiles” comes from the Greek word “methodos”, and it literally means “with a road” or “on a road.”

The enemy does not have as many tricks as he wants us to believe he does.

What Paul is saying to us is that the enemy travels one road, one lane, or one avenue. In other words, he primarily has only one trick in his bag, but he has learned how to use that one trick very well.

If the devil operates on one single avenue, what is the destination that diabolical road is headed toward?

2 Corinthians 2:11 NKJV (11) lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

1. 2. The word “devices” is the Greek word “noemata” and denotes the insidious plot of the enemy to fill the human mind with confusion.

Another way of saying this is that it bears the notion of “mind games”.

“…we are not ignorant of the mind games that Satan tries to pull on us…”

The devil loves to make a playground out of people’s minds!

He delights in filling their emotions and senses with illusions that captivate their minds and ultimately destroy them. Like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, we must bring every thought to the captivity of Christ.

We must make a mental decision to take charge of our minds. We must stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves.

We must speak to our emotions and senses dictating to them exactly what to believe.

The enemy knows that whoever controls a person’s mind also controls that person’s health and emotions.

If we do not renew our minds and yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls, it will be only a matter of time before a solid stronghold of deception begins to dominate and manipulate his self-image, his emotional status, and his overall thinking.

1. 3. Deception occurs when a person believes the lies that the enemy has been telling him.

For instance, the devil may assault your mind by repeatedly telling you that you are a failure. As long as you resist the demonic allegations, they can and will exert absolutely no power in your life.

The moment someone begins to accept Satan’s lies as truth is the very moment those wicked thoughts and mind games begin to produce the devil’s reality in his life.

When you embrace the devil’s mind games and perceive them as truth, you give power to them!

We begin to put faith in those lies and give them power to create that reality in our lives. The believers’ false perceptions empower the lies, and the devil uses those false beliefs to create his reality in the natural realm in their lives.

Example of Goliath and his Mind Games:

1 Samuel 17:1-11 NKJV Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. (2) And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. (3) The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. (4) And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (5) He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. (6) And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. (7) Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. (8) Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. (9) If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” (10) And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” (11) When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:16 NKJV And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

The devil wants to take you captive and destroy you with the same tools Goliath used against the Israelites. Satan wants to ruin your effectiveness with deceptive suggestions and lying allegations!

Once you pull the plug on Satan’s intimidating threats and lies, he will no longer be able to hold your mind captive. Learn how to SPEAK God’s truth to yourself rather than LISTEN to the enemy’s lies.

The enemy works just as Goliath did, striking repeatedly every day several times a day.

David was not afraid of the Philistine Giant – he was annoyed by Goliath’s verbal arrogance! We must get to this same place. We must grow annoyed at the arrogance of our adversary to constantly malign us with his taunts and lies like David.

Before the giant’s threats had an opportunity to take root in his soul and produce paralyzing fear, David spoke forth his declaration of war against the enemy!

1 Samuel 17:45-47 NKJV Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (46) This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. (47) Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

The name “Devil” comes from the Greek word “diabolos” and means the repetitive action of hitting something again and again, until the wall is so worn down that it can be thoroughly penetrated.

Make up your mind today that you are someone he will not be able to “wear down” until he can “pave a road” into your mind and confuse your emotions with “mind games.” You are not going to be able to be “deceived” until you believe his threats and false perceptions and cause them to become a reality in your life!

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy
• Whatever the devil does, Jesus wants to match that attack with an even greater blessing and victory in your life!
• Most battles are fought and won because we are faithful to heed the Holy Spirit’s warnings to deal with some area of our lives before it got out of control.

As you grow and your understanding of God’s Word begins to increase, you will probably have many opportunities to use your faith and to resist the devil.

Don’t be surprised by pre-emptive strikes.

Don’t be surprised when the attack comes and Satan whispers to your mind no one else has gone through the difficulties you are going through right now. This is a trick to make you fix your eyes on yourself.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT (13) The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.

A fight nearly always follows illumination.

Mark 4:14-15 NKJV The sower sows the word. (15) And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Your knowledge of how and when Satan attacks will equip you to deal with these assaults more intelligently.

James 1:2 NLT Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

Notice this verse says “when” and implies that these attacks will come. The Greek tense suggests:

• • These attacks normally come when you least expect them.
  • They usually come from a direction you would have never dreamed of in a million years.
  • They are specifically designed to catch you off guard and to take you by surprise.

Remember, we said that it is possible to have a strategy for dealing with these attacks.

2 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

If you are mentally prepared and alert to how the enemy operates and to the potential of attack, you have already eliminated half of the battle.

Having a strategy and being mentally prepared eliminates the element of surprise. This will always give you the upper hand against the enemy.

As long as we do nothing for God, we can be confident that we will face no challenge from the enemy.

However, when we do begin to do what God has called us to do and start experiencing a measure of success in it, we must stay mentally alert and aware.

Luke 4:13 AMP And when the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.

But we can know, when the attack comes, we can overcome in every situation and God has a way to make the plans and attacks of the enemy backfire on him.

Romans 8:35-37 NKJV Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) As it is written: “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.” (37) Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

“More than a conqueror…” comes from the compound Greek word: “hupernikos”.

“Huper” is where we get our word “super”. This word means over, above, beyond, way beyond measure. It conveys the idea of superiority, higher, better, more than a match for. It means to be first-rate, top-notch, un-surpassed, un-equaled, and un-rivaled by any person or thing.

Putting these two words together means that we are: greater conquerors, superior conquerors, more than a match for any foe. We are utmost conquerors, paramount conquerors, first-rate conquerors, top-notch conquerors, un-surpassed conquerors, un-equaled and un-rivaled conquerors.

In other words, we win!

There are many cases in the Scriptures where the attacks of the enemy backfired on him.

Example of Paul in prison in Rome and pens the Epistles of the New Testament that have laid the foundation for the Church.

James 3:13-16 NLT If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. (14) But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. (15) For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. (16) For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

2 Timothy 2:23-26 NLT Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. (24) A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. (25) Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. (26) Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

While Paul was imprisoned at Rome, he literally was chained to a fully dressed, lethally trained, and armed Roman Soldier. That is why in Ephesians he so clearly addresses the armor of God. He had a clear point of reference.

In his letter to the church at Ephesus we see some things that are clearly addressed in specific ways to this church.

In Chapter 1, we see the following doctrinal truths covered:

• Election
• Predestination
• Adoption
• The seal of the Holy Spirit
• The earnest inheritance of the Spirit
• Our complete, glorified redemption

In Chapter 2, we also see:

• The reality of spiritual death and its fruit
• The intervention of God’s rich mercy
• The doctrine of grace versus man’s works
• The redemptive work of the Cross
• The foundation of the apostles and prophets in the New Testament Church

In chapters 3, 4 and 5 we see:

• The mystery of Christ revealed
• The eternal plan of God
• The unity of one Spirit, one Lord, one faith and one baptism
• The ministry gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers and their ultimate purpose
• Renewing of the mind and putting on the new man
• Grieving the Holy Spirit
• Being continually filled with the Holy Spirit
• God’s plan for husbands and wives and the corresponding example of Christ and His Church

Then we see Paul write in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

The word “finally” in the Greek language lets us know there might have been a problem in this early church.

The word “finally” in the Greek language means the familiar saying, “If you don’t get anything else out of what I am saying to you, get this…”

Why would he have said this?

The believers in this church were not unlike a lot of believers today. They had gathered a vast amount of doctrinal knowledge, information and facts, yet they were still defeated in their lives.

In Ephesians 4 we see issues such as:

• “…Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor…” (Eph. 4:25)
• “…Let not the sun go down on your wrath…” (Eph. 4:26)
• “…neither give place to the devil…” (Eph. 4:27)
• “…let him that stole steal no more…” (Eph. 4:28)
• “…let no corrupt communication come out of your mouths…” (Eph. 4:29)
• “…Grieve not the Holy Spirit…” (Eph. 4:30)
• “…let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice…” (Eph. 4:31)

Brief History of the church at Ephesus:

• Founded by Paul where he stayed for three years raising up elders to lead the church.
• After Paul’s departure, Timothy was sent to pastor the church.
• The Apostle John was a member there and because of his assignment, brought Mary, the mother of Jesus there.
• It was the largest church in existence at the time
• Great men and women such as Peter, Apollos, Aquila, and Priscilla came and ministered there.

With all of these rich spiritual resources available, there the Christians were still not living the victorious lives Jesus planned for them.

Could it have been that they were spiritually lopsided?

They were mature and developed in the realm of doctrine but had failed to develop in other critical areas.

As the Early Church leaders developed, analyzed, and taught sound doctrine inside the church at large, they also needed to equip the saints to deal with the hostile surroundings outside the church.

While the Ephesian believers were growing in their intellectual understanding of the Word, they needed to simultaneously grow in their understanding of spiritual armor and spiritual conflict.

The needed to start acting on the knowledge they had obtained.

• They needed to learn how to take their intellectual understanding of the Word of God and turn it into a “sword of the Spirit.”
• They desperately needed to grab hold of the faith they intellectually possessed and turn it into a “shield of faith.”
• Their knowledge of salvation had to be forged into a “helmet of salvation.”
• Their understanding of God’s marvelous grace still needed to be transformed into a “breastplate of righteousness.”

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

“Brethren” – Greek: adelphos

Means: “You and I are brothers! We came out of the same womb of humanity. We have the same feelings; we have similar emotions; and we deal with the same problems of life…”

Paul was identifying with these believers and their personal struggles and their victories.

In Greek culture, to call someone “brother” like this was a high honor. It was saying, “Like me, you are still in the fight and are giving it your best shot. Therefore, I am personally proud to be affiliated with people like you.”

It isn’t how well we fight that really counts in life. What really counts is that we keep on fighting.

This “never give up” kind of attitude will eventually produce victory for us every time.

Ephesians 6:10 NKJV Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

“Strong” – Greek: en-dunamis – Means: being infused with and excessive does of dynamic inner strength and ability

We are specifically designed by God to be receptacles of His divine power.

Paul used the present passive imperative tense in these words.

He was commanding them to receive this power. He was commanding them to open their hearts to receive a brand-new touch of God’s power into their lives.

The passive tense describes it as an ongoing, lasting effect of this power upon their lives.

Paul was commanding all believers to:

• • “Be infused with supernatural strength and ability.”
  • “Be empowered with this special touch of God’s strength.”
  • “You must receive this inner strengthening.”

Why was he so emphatic about this? Because he knew that we need to receive this power before our fight commences.

Without the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit operating in us, not one of us can ever be a match against Satan’s schemes and devices.

Satan is intelligent, keen, brilliant, canny, cunning, quick, brainy and shrewd. He is strong, capable, influencing, and determined. He is a wise strategist, orderly planning and arranging systematic assaults against humanity. He is the epitome of an opportunist, knowing when to strike with his destructive power.

When the Holy Spirit’s supernatural strength is released within us, we are empowered to deal victoriously with this archenemy of the faith.

Yes, it is true that Jesus stripped him of his authority but his intelligence is very much still intact.

This is superhuman power for a superhuman task!

In Greek culture, this word “endunamoo” would have been used in Greek writings for someone like Hercules who demonstrated superhuman strength.

Our only hope of reinforcing Jesus’ victory and demonstrating Satan’s defeat is by receiving the help of the special, supernatural power.

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ. 

• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory. 

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare: 

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy 

• Whatever the devil does, Jesus wants to match that attack with an even greater blessing and victory in your life!

• Most battles are fought and won because we are faithful to heed the Holy Spirit’s warnings to deal with some area of our lives before it got out of control.

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A correct view of redemption will clear up many wrong ideas about the devil and spiritual warfare.

RR – “It was into this stinking, deteriorating, sinking, death-permeated, demonically energized world where all of humankind was being auctioned off by the devil into various kinds of slavery and bondage, that Jesus Christ came 2000 years ago. 

And God sent His Son into the enemy’s “slave market” with one purpose in mind: so Jesus could secure man’s deliverance from Satan’s bondage once and for all!”

There are four Greek words that are used to denote “redemption” in the New Testament:

1. “Agoridzo” – slave marketplace

These were grossly inhuman place where people were treated in a disgusting way. They were paraded in front of potential buyers where the “merchandise” could be beat upon, slapped, spat upon to see if the slaves could take it. Slaves had no personal worth; viewed no better than animals.

Because of sin, the world had sunk to a place where the world was a global slave market, where Satan had gripped the hearts of men and filled their natures with violence and destruction.

The world Jesus was born into was a world of complete captivity.

Romans 5:12 NKJV Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Romans 7:14 NKJV For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (transfer of property)

Because we were the “merchandise” of the slave market, Satan would slap, kick, beat, spit upon us and abuse us in every way that he could.

Once that treatment was over, he would place us back on the auction block and sell us again to some other form of bondage.

God sent His Son into the enemy’s “slave market” with one purpose in mind: so Jesus could secure man’s deliverance from Satan’s bondage once and for all.

1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV (20) For you were bought at a price (agoridzo); therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 NKJV (23) You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Revelation 5:9 NKJV And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

2. “Exagoridzo” – one who has come to purchase a slave OUT OF the slave market.

This word signifies the purchase of a slave in order to permanently set that slave FREE from that heinous place, NEVER to be put on the trading block of slavery again.

Galatians 3:13 NKJV Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”),

Paul is saying to us that not only did Jesus’ sacrificial death not only paid the penalty for our sin, but His death also removed us from living under the curse forever.

Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Slaves did not come cheaply. If the auctioneer knew that a buyer really wanted a particular slave, he could demand unbelievably high prices. We must therefore ask, “What price did Jesus pay for our freedom from Satan’s power.

3. “Lutroo” – captive set free by the payment of a ransom.

By using this word, Paul is telling us that our salvation is not free. On the contrary, our freedom from Satan’s power was extremely expensive.

What was the ransom that Jesus paid to procure our freedom from Satan’s bondage and ownership? His own blood!

In fact, the price Jesus paid for us was the highest price ever paid for a slave in the history of mankind.

Ephesians 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV (13) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:20 NKJV and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Hebrews 9:12 NKJV Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

4. “Apolutrosis” – to ransom or redeem and return us to the condition we were in before our captivity began.

Jesus paid the price to permanently free and restore us to the full status of sons!

Ephesians 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

In using the word here for “redemption” Paul declares that we were forever delivered from Satan’s power – we were forever removed from that dreadful place of slavery – and now we have been fully restored by the blood of Jesus Christ and placed back into a right-standing with God.

We are fully restored and fully set free from Satan’s former grip over us!

Galatians 4:7 NKJV Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Romans 8:16-17 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

1. “Agoridzo” – tells us that Jesus Christ came to earth to locate us in our depravity and to personally inspect our slavery to Satan.
2. “Exagoridzo” – declares that Jesus not only came to inspect our condition but to permanently remove us from Satan’s power.
3. “Lutroo” – tells us that Jesus was so dedicated to delivering us from Satan’s dominion that He was willing to pay the ransom price of His own blood in order to break the devil’s ownership over us.
4. “Apolutrosis” – tells us that, in addition to permanently setting us from Satan’s hold, Jesus also restored us to the position of “sons of God”. Now we are fully restored and made joint-heirs with Jesus Christ Himself!

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Through the Blood of Jesus, we have been utterly and completely set free from Satan’s control! 

Therefore, Satan has no legal right to control us, our bodies, our families, our businesses, or our money. Although we once genuinely and legally belonged to him, we are no longer his to manipulate or dominate.

Why then, does the battle still rage on?

Freedom becomes a way of life only as we replace our wrong thinking and wrong believing with what the Word of God declares about our new condition.

 The problem is that people were so abused in the Satan’s slave market, they do not realize that they are no longer bound to him and his scars on their lives.

Renewing of the mind is really about removing these “residual areas” from the past so that those strongholds will not continue to exert power in believer’s lives.

The enemy probes our lives to find the “residual areas” that we don’t know to deal with or refuse to deal with so that we can be free.

Here are doors that he looks for to gain access to our lives:

• • Wrong thinking
  • Wrong believing
  • Memories of terrible experiences that happened before we knew the Lord that we still allow to dominate our emotions
  • Fears that were transferred to us from our parents, family members or friends
  • Years of incorrect doctrine taught to us in our former churches that we must now “unlearn” and overcome

In all of these areas, your soul (your mind, will, emotions) is the strategic center where spiritual warfare takes place.

Before we are Born Again, the condition of our minds is hostile towards God and is bent on destruction.

Romans 8:7 NIV The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

Colossians 1:21 NIV Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

Ephesians 4:17-18 NLT With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. (18) Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.

Very often it is through the unrenewed mind that the enemy is able to exert his foul influence over us.

That is why we are told over and over to give serious attention to the condition of our minds:

Romans 12:2 NLT Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, (23) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:10 NIV and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

1 Peter 1:13-14 NKJV Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

In these scriptures, Peter paints the picture of a runner whose garments have fallen down and gotten tangled up around his ankles. He was running a good race but got tripped up because of wrong thinking.

The consistent renewal of our minds with the Word of God will eradicate wrong thinking, wrong believing, scars from the past, and hurtful emotional memories that would exert influence on our new life in Christ. 

In addition to taking authority over demonic powers, real spiritual warfare also entails taking authority over your mind. 

This is a lifelong commitment!

The following are essential elements of genuine spiritual warfare: 

• Renewing your mind
• Meditating on the Word of God until it gets in your heart and soul
• Learning to live a holy life
• Seeking to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ on a day-to-day basis
• Learning how to walk after the Holy Spirit

In this series, we are going to deal with the subject of spiritual warfare and bring correct, biblical teaching to this often-misunderstood subject.

As a point of reference, we will be referring to content from the following books:

Dressed to Kill
by Pastor Rick Renner

 

The Triumphant Church
by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

• We must always remember that the real battle with Satan was won at the Cross and the resurrection by Jesus Christ.
• This same victorious Christ who single handedly defeated the devil lives in us in the person of the Holy Spirit!
• We must approach spiritual warfare from a place of already obtained victory (by Jesus) instead of trying to get the victory.
• As we approach the subject of spiritual warfare, we must guard against superstitious, homemade remedies about it.
• We must base our understanding on the sound teachings of the Bible.

There are three different aspects to spiritual warfare:

• Taking control of our minds
• Crucifying the flesh
• Dealing with the enemy

Whatever the devil does, Jesus wants to match that attack with an even greater blessing and victory in your life!

Most battles are fought and won because we are faithful to heed the Holy Spirit’s warnings to deal with some area of our lives before it got out of control.

Spiritual warfare is not a momentary gust of emotion to temporarily frighten away the devil. Quite the opposite!

Real spiritual warfare is a specific condition of the mind that involves a lifelong commitment.

It is not so much an action as it is a determined and committed attitude of the mind.

In spite of all of the attacks that Apostle Paul withstood, he never failed morally or compromised in his ministry. Paul’s personal consecration to the Lord was his greatest defense against the enemy. Nothing in him cooperated with the devil’s devices and temptations. Paul’s personal holiness paralyzed the devil’s ability to make Paul fall morally.

• The thought of an instant cure is very alluring to the uncommitted and spiritually immature who are looking for a “quick fix” to change their deeply rooted, habitual, and often self-imposed problems.

This is the reason many have gotten off course where spiritual warfare is concerned.

There is no such thing as the instant cure. It is a process!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV (3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (5) 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,

In verse 4, the word “warfare” is translated from the Greek word “stratos” and is a huge key in defeating the attacks of the enemy. It is where we get the word “strategy”.

Notice that the verse tells is that the weapons are weapons of strategy.

In order for spiritual weapons to work effectively, they must be accompanied with a divine strategy on how to use them.

God has given believers everything they need to defeat the enemy, but they don’t have a strategy on how to use their weapons or what to do when the attack comes.

Weapons absolutely will not be successful if there is no strategy behind them.

We can have a plan for when attacks come from the enemy. We can know what to do when troubles come as they will.

But in these scriptures, Paul is addressing a stronghold that is built up in our minds that becomes a playground for the enemy.

Not every stronghold is the same. Each one will require its own strategy to be overcome.

This mandates that you spend time praying in the Spirit, reading the Word and seeking the mind of God.

In your own strength and wisdom, you will never conceive a plan that will deliver you.

When strongholds become deeply rooted in the mind, only the Holy Spirit can give you a strategy on how to pull them down.

The Holy Spirit will show you how to use your God-given weapons, and He will instruct you on when and what to attack.

2 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

Spiritual weapons have absolutely nothing to do with the flesh or activity of the flesh.

Regardless of how good the flesh looks or how loud the flesh roars, it is never intended to fight a spiritual foe.

Many believers try to use outward, physical, fleshly techniques in their attempt to defeat the enemy and call it “spiritual warfare.”

The danger of fleshly weapons is that they produce guilt, condemnation, and legalism because they do not provide the victory many need. These attempts will never “be enough.”

Galatians 5:1 NKJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

It is the authority that Jesus has given you and that resides in your spirit that causes the devil to obey.

Sometimes you have to be loud in prayer and in tongues to overcome the loud voice of your own flesh and mind.

These things become religious in nature and fleshly and are really saying:

• • “Let me do something to earn my freedom!”
  • “Christ’s work alone surely cannot be enough!”
  • “Let me scream from my freedom!”
  • “Let me purge myself of demon spirits!”

Remember, we always approach spiritual warfare from a place of victory already obtained for me by Jesus Christ and His finished work.

• We can add absolutely nothing to what Jesus did for us at the Cross!
• Our goal in life is not to fight for our freedom and deliverance; rather, it is to freely accept our deliverance and freedom that has been procured for us.
• We have been given divinely empowered weapons to resist the enemy’s attacks and MAINTAIN the blessings of our salvation that are ours.

A correct view of redemption will clear up many wrong ideas about the devil and spiritual warfare.

There are four Greek words that are used to denote “redemption” in the New Testament:

1. “Agoridzo” – slave marketplace

These were grossly inhuman place where people were treated in a disgusting way. They were paraded in front of potential buyers where the “merchandise” could be beat upon, slapped, spat upon to see if the slaves could take it. Slaves had no personal worth; viewed no better than animals.

Because of sin, the world had sunk to a place where the world was a global slave market, where Satan had gripped the hearts of men and filled their natures with violence and destruction.

The world Jesus was born into was a world of complete captivity.

Romans 5:12 NKJV Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Romans 7:14 NKJV For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. (transfer of property)

Because we were the “merchandise” of the slave market, Satan would slap, kick, beat, spit upon us and abuse us in every way that he could.

Once that treatment was over, he would place us back on the auction block and sell us again to some other form of bondage.

God sent His Son into the enemy’s “slave market” with one purpose in mind: so Jesus could secure man’s deliverance from Satan’s bondage once and for all.

1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV (20) For you were bought at a price (agoridzo); therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23 NKJV (23) You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Revelation 5:9 NKJV And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

2. “Exagoridzo” – one who has come to purchase a slave OUT OF the slave market.

This word signifies the purchase of a slave in order to permanently set that slave FREE from that heinous place, NEVER to be put on the trading block of slavery again.

Galatians 3:13 NKJV Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”),

Paul is saying to us that not only did Jesus’ sacrificial death not only paid the penalty for our sin, but His death also removed us from living under the curse forever.

Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Slaves did not come cheaply. If the auctioneer knew that a buyer really wanted a particular slave, he could demand unbelievably high prices. We must therefore ask, “What price did Jesus pay for our freedom from Satan’s power.

3. “Lutroo” – captive set free by the payment of a ransom.

By using this word, Paul is telling us that our salvation is not free. On the contrary, our freedom from Satan’s power was extremely expensive.

What was the ransom that Jesus paid to procure our freedom from Satan’s bondage and ownership? His own blood!

In fact, the price Jesus paid for us was the highest price ever paid for a slave in the history of mankind.

Ephesians 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV (13) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:20 NKJV and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Hebrews 9:12 NKJV Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

4. “Apolutrosis” – to ransom or redeem and return us to the condition we were in before our captivity began.

Jesus paid the price to permanently free and restore us to the full status of sons!

Ephesians 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

In using the word here for “redemption” Paul declares that we were forever delivered from Satan’s power – we were forever removed from that dreadful place of slavery – and now we have been fully restored by the blood of Jesus Christ and placed back into a right-standing with God.

We are fully restored and fully set free from Satan’s former grip over us!

Galatians 4:7 NKJV Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Romans 8:16-17 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

1. “Agoridzo” – tells us that Jesus Christ came to earth to locate us in our depravity and to personally inspect our slavery to Satan.
2. “Exagoridzo” – declares that Jesus not only came to inspect our condition but to permanently remove us from Satan’s power.
3. “Lutroo” – tells us that Jesus was so dedicated to delivering us from Satan’s dominion that He was willing to pay the ransom price of His own blood in order to break the devil’s ownership over us.
4. “Apolutrosis” – tells us that, in addition to permanently setting us from Satan’s hold, Jesus also restored us to the position of “sons of God”. Now we are fully restored and made joint-heirs with Jesus Christ Himself!