When spiritual attacks happen don’t panic. Calm down and compose yourself. Troubles will be intense, overwhelming, and life-threatening at times.
The key to any fight is to know your enemy and possess the skills necessary to win the battle. In spiritual warfare, Christians are to use the armor of God. God’s armor is both a defense and an offense against the devil’s strategies.
How to Fight Spiritual Battles
This is the final study of six on spiritual warfare. It’s time to consider how to fight a spiritual battle.
The first thing to know is that the battle belongs to the LORD. Many of Israel’s victories in battle were not determined by the strength of the armies. They were won by faith that the Lord would fight for them (1 Sam 2:9-10, 2 Chron 14:9-12, Zech 4:6, Hos 1:7). God is sovereign and his power irresistible.
But how do you fight an invisible war? You do it by trusting in God’s strength. And by acting in faith that he will defend and protect you. The enemy is powerful and clever and numerous and relentless. That’s all true. But God is always in control. He is the strength of his people (Deut 22:27, Ps 140:7, Isa 12:2).
Whose Side are You On?
Many Christians think they should address a demon when they are under attack. That’s not a good idea. Why? Because it’s not necessary to speak to, rebuke, or command Satan to leave. The Bible never sanctions addressing demons and there are no promises they will listen and heed your demands.
What is most important is to decide whose side you are on. Are you fighting the good fight or do you concede defeat because you fight alone? Are you battling using God’s armor or relying on your ingenuity, wit, and strength? The important thing is not to rebuke Satan or to address him or his minions directly. The important thing to do is go to the Lord in prayer. Speak to Jesus and ask him what to do.
The Battle Call of Christians
Christians are called to withstand, stand firm, and resist Satanic attacks (Eph 6:13, Jm 4:7-8). In a general sense, these words are synonyms. But Paul uses them to focus on three specific aspects of fighting the devil.
Withstand
To withstand implies remaining undamaged or unaffected by the trials and storms Satan is allowed to inflict. When Jesus allows evil to confront you, it isn’t to unravel you but to strengthen your ability to endure evil. Many battles are about withstanding an onslaught of wickedness and choosing not to fear the enemy or coward to his accusations.
Stand Firm
To stand firm means to maintain one’s position and not give up any ground. Often Christians hear Satan’s roar and flee the scene. They refuse to speak up and challenge erroneous thinking and perverse behavior. Christians are not to compromise but to hold their moral ground. We are to maintain and proclaim the moral standards of God’s Word.
Resist
To resist is to restrain an attack or to beat back an assault. So, in effect, Paul is saying to always resist spiritual attacks. Show by using Scripture that evil is evil, acting against God’s will is detrimental, and in the end, justice will always win. Goodness prevails when men and women of God wisely resist evil and stand for righteousness. By holding one’s ground that God’s grace is sufficient, others will see the salvation of our God (Rev 6:17, 1 Pet 5:12).
Withstanding trials, standing firm by not retreating, and resisting the advances of evil are possible when God’s armor is utilized.
God’s Armor
There are no magical incantations that thwart demons (Ac 19:15-16). There are no secret formulas for combating temptations (1 Cor 10:13-14). In the book of Ephesians, Paul lists specific items for battle. This list of weaponry is a summary of all that he previously wrote about in this letter.
Three things are critical for winning spiritual battles. First, we must realize that God alone empowers us to resist the devil. Second, our most effective offensive weapon is a keen knowledge of God’s Word. Remember, the battle is primarily in the mind. We need the thoughts of Christ directing our thoughts, which in turn direct our behavior. And third, prayer is essential since this is a spiritual encounter. Prayer signifies dependence on God.
God supplies us with the strength to defend righteousness. Properly using the Bible is a powerful sword against evil. And in prayer, we trust the Lord will respond to spiritual attack. We fight against demonic forces. They are real and we are to utilize all that the Spirit offers us. This is how we recover from the spiritual blindness that losing these battles has inflicted on our culture.
Fight God’s Way
To win the battle for souls we must fight God’s way. This means using his equipment. That is, what he uses to combat Satan. The armor of God is in the possessive Greek form. These items belong to the Lord and he commands us to use his weapons.
In battling against unseen wicked forces, we are to be sober-minded and watchful. To do this we must fill our minds with Scripture and pray about everything (1 Pet 5:8, 1 Cor 2:16, 1 Thess 5:17).
What do you do if you have an overt attack from Satan? When the battle is unusually vicious and relentless how do you respond? Whether the battle is minor or significant, we respond in the same way. We do what Paul said—put on the whole armor of God.
Three primary actions summarize the use of God’s armor.
- Knowing and applying the Word to your life
- Praying constantly so you are never distant from God
- Relying on God’s grace and mercy for strength in all situations
Scripture provides the content (bullets) for warfare. Prayer delivers the one who trusts in Jesus when Satan attacks. And mercy and grace offered to the person influenced to attack you by the demons produce the power necessary to reverse the influence of evil on them. When we stop trusting in our schemes and power, divine power is offered in the form of God’s forgiveness and patience. Even the archangel Michael when contending with the devil left Satan’s challenge in the hands of Jesus (Jude 9).
Whose is the Victor?
Scripture everywhere affirms the sovereignty of God. He is always in control. There is not one element within an atom that moves without God’s sustaining power allowing it to act. From the smallest particle to the largest supernova, God actively and personally governs his creation. Thus, God severely limits the activities of Satan and his army of devils and protects his Saints. He has judged the demons and they are awaiting their sentencing to the abyss.
Satan is dethroned, disarmed, and doomed to failure. As long as we don’t give him access to our hearts and don’t give up ground to his wicked schemes, he can’t succeed. When we chose to obey the LORD the battle for the mind is won before an arrow is shot. The devil can have no foothold in our lives unless we invite him in, just as God awaits our invitation to fill us with his Holy Spirit (Lk 12:35-36, Rev 3:20).
Christians may not win every battle. But Jesus won the war when he died. And when he rose from the dead, he secured our victory over sin and death. And that victory continues since he’s seated on his heavenly throne ruling, reigning, and interceding on our behalf, that we may win our spiritual battles.
Questions Answered
People have a lot off questions about spiritual warfare. Here are a few answers for some of the most often asked questions about angels, demons, and Satan.
No. Science can only test and verify what’s physical. Science the wrong tool for discovering spiritual beings. The correct tool is the trustworthy Bible (Ps 19:7-8, 12-13, Rom 12:2, Eph 5:7-13). 
Most likely not. What people experience are demons masquerading as beings from another planet. This is confirmed as they make false statements about the person and work of Jesus Christ just as demons reject Jesus as Lord (Mt 4:3,6; Mt 8:29, Lk 4:34). Also, their interactions with humans are remarkably similar to demonizations as described in the Bible. 
That’s correct. God’s Word combats Satan’s devices. It was Jesus’ words that forced the demons to come out. And it’s the mind that Satan uses to tempt and turn our attention away from the LORD. The battle reaches into the heart but it doesn’t start there. Either way, we lose the battle when we accept Satan’s suggestions as truth (1 Chron 22:19, 28:9, Hag 1:5, 1 Tim 6:2-5, 2 Tim 3:8). 
No. We sin when we are led astray by entertaining evil thoughts (Jm 1:14-15). Demons can influence anyone, but they can’t force a person to sin. That’s a moral choice each person makes for themselves. 
Determine if they are encouraging you to worship Jesus as God and Savior or something else (Heb 1:6, 1 Jn 5:19-21). Confirm what they say and what they encourage with the commands of God found in the Bible. 
No. Christians do face suffering instigated by the devil, but where there is light no darkness can enter (Ac 26:18). Also, since a Christian is delivered from the power of darkness at the point of conversion and is now found “in Christ,” they no longer require a ministry of deliverance from sins or evil spirits. 
No, but exorcisms do happen. Humans can’t exorcise demons. Only God’s Spirit has the power to release demonic control over a person. We can speak the truth (Scripture) in the face of demonization. And we can pray for another’s deliverance. But no incantations (even in Latin) have any impact on demonization (Mt 6:13, Mk 9:29, Phil 4:6). The ministry of exorcism exists but be wise when identifying such an extreme spiritual activity. 
Demons are real. And the Devil is a real living being. They both affect the work of God by attacking people involved in building God’s kingdom. Using God’s armor, specifically, prayer and the Bible are most advantageous against evil attacks (Mt 6:13, 2 Cor 1:10-11). 
This is very likely since demons are spatially limited to political and social structures (Dan 10:20). Though the devil can only be in one place at a time, he controls a large number of demons who are also limited but work to influence people in specific places at any given time (Mt 4:11). 
Absolutely not. The best deception is to show a little kindness to disguise and excuse gross behavior. A quick search on the web reveals many perversions associated with demonic worship (1 Tim 4:7-10). 
Scripture doesn’t indicate if each person has a private angel in charge of their safety, nor are we to pray to deceased persons for aid. However, Scriptures do show that one of the missions of angels is to guard God’s people as a whole group (Mt 4:11, 18:10, 26:53, Dan 3:28, Heb 1:14). 
Evil resides in two places: 1) in Satan and the demons, and 2) within human hearts. For God to eradicate all evil and sin, he would have to destroy all human life. Instead of eliminating all evil, which would include all people, God chooses to be patient with sinners. And he uses the devil to test and strengthen the faith of believers (Job 1:12, 1 Cor 5:5, Jm 1:12). 
It’s important that every Christian be aware of spiritual warfare, but we must handle information about the devil in the way the Bible suggests. The biblical focus is on God, his power, his sovereignty, and his forgiveness and grace. Someone once said the best way to identify a counterfeit dollar is to be very familiar with the real thing. Balance this idea with your study of demons. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring or focusing on evil. Yet, the key is to trust in the LORD and understand Satan and his schemes in light of who God is (Eph 6:11). 
Picture attributions: cover angel by Rakicevic Nenad @ Pexel.com, man looking at light bulbs from Pexel.com, football line up from Carolina Crusaders, Medieval armor by Art Core Studios @Pixabay.com, Image by Gerd Altmann @ Pixabay.com.
