“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
We are supernatural beings living in fleshly bodies comprised of body, soul, and spirit. While our flesh perceives the natural, our whole person is affected by the supernatural. We love to think of the plans God has for our lives. These plans are filled with love, hope, and joy. What we don’t usually think about is that the enemy also has plans for our lives. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” We see this when we are attacked by the enemy in any area of our life. The enemy attacks us through our thoughts, our bodies, our faith, our families, our relationships, even our ministries. When we experience these things, the enemy wants us to feel like we can never get free, never be healed, are alone, and are hopeless. The good news is, when Jesus died and rose from the dead, he defeated the devil. So any kind of attack from the enemy we experience, we already have the ability to overcome it. Because of Jesus’ victory on the cross, coupled with the fact that we are children of God equipped with His power and authority in Jesus’ name, we can overcome the works of the devil.
Spiritual warfare is often considered the attacks the enemy directs at us, but it is also that place where we fight back, taking back the ground Jesus won for us. We cannot fight spiritual battles with our flesh, rather we fight them with our spiritual weapons. The Holy Spirit is our source of wisdom and will direct us in the battle if we ask. He teaches us and equips us to use our weapons of warfare against the enemy. A few of the spiritual weapons we have in our arsenal are praying scripture, commanding prayer in the name of Jesus, worshiping God, having others anoint us with oil, laying on of hands and praying for us, as well as praying in your prayer language. A prayer language is a spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit to pray in an unknown tongue directly to the Father (1 Corinthians 14:2).
Listening Prayer:
Ask the Holy Spirit if there is any area where fear has held us back in fighting against the enemy. Repent and break agreement from that fear. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the truth. Come into agreement with what he shows you.
Prayer:
Holy Spirit, we have asked for power, wisdom, and discernment during the fast. Additionally, I ask that you teach me and train me to fight the spiritual battles I encounter. Teach me how to use each weapon of warfare you have given to me as your child. Help me to grow in power and authority as I grow in intimacy with you. Direct me and lead me. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Resource: Bible Verses on Spiritual Warfare
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
“And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:4-5)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
“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 8:37-39)
Worship Song:
“See a Victory” by Elevation Worship