This Is War

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For our struggle is not against flesh and blood … Ephesians 6:12

It’s been a while since I’ve written about spiritual warfare, possibly because of all the distractions from other kinds of warfare going on in the world today. But the enemy is as real as ever, the battle as intense as ever, and our position as warriors for the kingdom of God unchanged. We may not particularly like the idea of being in a war, but as Christ-followers we have no choice.

I can already sense some readers getting uneasy, even fashionably “offended” by yet another “conspiracy theory,” so I will let Scripture speak for itself. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, read these verses, no matter how familiar they are, and be encouraged. If you are not yet a believer, consider what the most enduring book in the world has to say about the struggles we face in life.

THE ENEMY IS REAL.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith … “ – I Peter 5:8-9

GOD IS GREATER THAN THE ENEMY

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. – I John 4:4

THE BATTLE IS REAL, IT IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE, AND WE ARE IN IT.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12

JESUS HAS GIVEN HIS FOLLOWERS AUTHORITY OVER THE ENEMY.

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.” – Luke 10:19 [JESUS speaking to His disciples]

THAT AUTHORITY EXTENDS TO ALL BELIEVERS.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” [emphasis mine] – Matthew 28:19-20 [Jesus speaking to His disciples regarding future disciples – us!]

WE HAVE SPIRITUAL ARMOR TO PROTECT US.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. – Ephesians 6:11

WE ARE SHIELDED BY OUR FAITH AND GOD’S FAITHFULNES.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. – Ephesians 6:16

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. – Psalm 91:4

THE WORD OF GOD IS OUR SWORD.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. – II Corinthians 10:4

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil … The tempter came to him … Jesus answered, “it is written …” [after the second temptation] “It is also written …” [after the third temptation] Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written …” Then the devil left him – Matthew 4: 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11

For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12-13

THE BATTLE IS GOD’S, NOT OURS.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 [Moses speaking to the children of Israel just before God parted the Red Sea]

“This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours but God’s.'” – II Chronicles 20:15

NOTHING CAN HARM US, IF WE REMAIN IN HIM.

“Nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19b [Jesus speaking to His disciples]

“No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD. – Isaiah 54:17 [emphasis mine]

If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD who is my refuge — then no harm, will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. – Psalm 91:9-10

NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM HIM. WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35-39

For the believer these passages are incredibly encouraging.

But if you are not yet a committed believer in Jesus Christ, none of these promises pertain to you – yet. If you sense the battle heating up around you, I strongly urge you to check out Jesus’ claims as recorded in the Bible by eye witnesses to His life, and consider that this Man, who has impacted history more than any other, was either who He claimed to be or a fraud or a crazy man. His well-documented death and resurrection convince me that He was and is the Son of God and greater than any enemy – human or otherwise – that can come against us.

For more on the Christian life, see

“Be-(or “Not Be-)Attitudes” – The Road to True Happiness
The “Be (or “Not Be-) Attitudes – the Road to True Happiness, Part 2

Prayer: Lord Jesus, our Commanding Officer, we acknowledge the spiritual battles that are being waged around us. Thank You for giving us everything we need to be good soldiers, covered with the armor of God, holding fast to the shield of faith, and wielding the sword of the Spirit. Help us to hide Your Word in our hearts, to stand fast in the Truth, and to know without a doubt that the battle is Yours, and the victory is ours, in Jesus Christ, Amen.

Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

Published

41 thoughts on “This Is War”

  1. The ‘snakes and scorpions’ are the politicians of the world who form diabolical domineering governments that treat people like mindless servants — case in point, Washington, DC.

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    1. Jesus was referring to the demonic strongholds in people’s lives as He sent His disciples out to heal, deliver, and preach the gospel to them. Satan is certainly alive and well in Washington, Hollywood, and anywhere there are people willing to sell their souls for power, money, and control over others’ lives. The irony is that they themselves are being controlled by the forces of evil. But Christ’s kingdom is coming, and He will rule forever, when every other government has turned to ashes. Thanks for stopping by, Mich.

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  2. I have always thought that Peter knew what he was saying when he said, “The devil prowls around ‘LIKE’ a roaring lion.” Based on Who the real Lion of Judah is, we do not need to fear the imposter if we are “hidden in Christ Jesus.” Run towards the roar! 😉

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    1. I vaguely remember the song “Run towards the Roar,” and the story behind it. The pride has the old, mangy, toothless lion roar and scare the prey into running toward the younger ones, which will then move in for the kill. Satan’s roar is a bluff. We shouldn’t be intimidated, but have confidence that what the Word of God says is true – he can’t really harm us.

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      1. This was what I had heard as a child from a missionary to Africa.
        But then, as I thought about it, either ‘roar’ is okay to run toward.
        The enemy is an impostor lion, and running toward his roar will prove his ‘toothlessness.’ AND running toward Aslan’s roar will never get us into trouble either. 🙂

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  3. I know from personal experience that spiritual warfare is very real. My paternal grandfather practiced witchcraft, and he designated me to be his sole heir. I also know from personal experience that our awesome Heavenly God has power over all the power of the enemy. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ for His amazing grace!

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  5. I really liked how you put all these verses together and as I kept ready them I was saying , Yes! And Amen 🙏🏽.
    The enemy is real and spiritual warfare is real. As Christ followers – we must Suit up ( armour of God) and train up ( exercise our faith muscles).

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  7. God wanted us to understand who the enemy is so we could fight the battle armed with scriptures as those you posted. Great post by the way, always need a fresh reminder of who God is, who we are, and what sin causes and how to fight the good fight.

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  10. Just for the sake of discussion (you know I don’t have a leg in the race so to speak, lol) is it true that God is greater than the enemy? Every religion worldwide has been in steady decline for centuries, it seems to me. There may be a larger *number* of practitioners but only because the worlds population has exploded. Per capita, the number of religious people in the world are a drop in the bucket. Despite faith-based programs, the world at large has moved in almost exactly the opposite direction as those programs.

    I’m not saying this is good, to be clear. I believe quite the opposite. I think we’re in a crisis of meaning which dwarfs any of the trivial complaints like climate change and cultural politics. I’m not saying it’s true, either; it’s just my observation.

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    1. Well put, Brian. I agree, everything else people worry about and fight over is trivial compared to the crisis of meaning.
      It IS true that God is greater. But He has given us free will and doesn’t force anyone to follow Him. (He wants followers who truly love Him, and forced love isn’t real love.) Jesus said that to follow Him would cost us everything, but we would get a hundredfold more than we ever gave up [Mark 9:29). It’s a great deal, but most people choose the cheaper deal for short-term gratification. (Jesus knew this would happen, too. – Matthew 7:13-14)
      The advantage of belonging to Jesus is that the enemy can’t make us do anything, he can only lie, bluff, and try to intimidate us. Too bad so many people are buying into the lies and caving to lesser things.

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  12. Thanks for sharing these verses. They are a great testiment to the fact that prayer is a warfare and we should be doing it everyday to not give up in our help in the fight of good vs. evil in the world. Every prayer is a punch in our favour. May we never lose faith in the fight ❤

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    1. “Every prayer is a punch in our favour.” Love it! 😀 Prayer is powerful. So is the Word of God. So praying Scripture is like giving Satan “the Ol’ One-Two.” 😉
      Thanks so much for your input, Simone. (Am I remembering your name right?)
      – Annie

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  15. Pingback: This Is War — Seeking Divine Perspective – QuietMomentsWithGod

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