Spiritual Warfare – Pastor Joseph Prince

https://www.destined2reign.com/onlinestore/pc-350-5-spiritual-warfare.aspx

1) Stand With God’s Armour

“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand the wiles of the devil.”- Ephesians 6:11

Don’t just Cope, Walk in Victory! Put on God’s Armour!

The bible doesn’t teach us how to cope with our problems, it teaches us how to always walk in victory!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” – Ephesians 1:3

God has blessed us with everything! In Christ, you have everything. You have eternal life, all the promises of God written in the bible, the Holy Spirit and all the fruits of the Spirit i.e. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. But because you are a believer, the devil pays extra attention on you. Welcome to Spiritual Warfare!

Ephesians 6:10-18

God tells us to put on His armour, which Jesus had left behind for us when He returned to heaven, and which had defeated the devil 2,000 years ago! When you are inside the armour, the devil sees you strong, you look like Jesus to him!

God’s Armour Has 7 pieces. The first 5 is defensive :
I. The Belt – it holds the other pieces in place.
II. The Helmet – it protects your head.
III. The Breastplate – it protects your heart.
IV. The Shoes – it protects your feet.
V. The Shield – it protects your whole being.

The last 2 is offensive :
I. The Sword of the Spirit
II. Praying in the Holy Spirit

2) Spiritual Warfare Myths and Truths

“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age.” – Ephesians 6:12

Don’t Fight for Victory, Fight from Victory! Don’t Buy the devil’s lies!

1) God is omniscient or all-knowing. The devil is not. Had he known that the cross would spell his defeat, he would not have crucified the Lord of glory! (1 Corinthians 2:8) So the devil does not know everything, he does not know what you are thinking until you open your mouth. So watch your mouth! Watch your confession!

2) God is omnipotent. The devil is not. He is not all powerful else he would have stopped you from receiving the Word of God, stopped you from going to church or even killed you. He cant just devour anyone he likes, he is not all powerful (1 Peter 5:8). He is also a liar (John 8:44) and the only power or weapon that he has against you are his lies (Colossians 2:15), because Christ has defeated him and disarmed him. “Wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) refers to his lies and deception. He always make you think that you don’t have enough or that you don’t have what God has already given you. That is why he is the master of lies, the father of lies (John 8:44).

3) God is omnipresent. The devil is not.

God wants you to be the one left standing. He mentioned “stand” 4 times in Ephesians 6:11-14. Now, to stand means that you don’t have to fight, for you have already won. Stand in the victory that Christ has already won for you. You are not fighting for victory, you are fighting from victory.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

So say, “I am not trying to be rich. I am rich. In Christ, I am rich! In Christ, I have everything!”

“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.”- Ephesians 6:12

Don’t see people as the problem. Don’t hate, love and forgive. If you are going to attack anyone, attack the devil in the name of Jesus. Your battle is not with the flesh and blood. Your battle is with the powers of darkness behind him. Say, “In the name of Jesus, I bind the spirit that is causing this strife!”

3) The Belt of Truth

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.” – Ephesians 6:14

The Truth dispels darkness and set you Free. Don’t fall for the devil’s mind games.

Truth is your belt that holds the other pieces of the armour together. You were set free because of the truth. Jesus made you free by giving you the truth. He said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). All of us still have dark areas and areas of bondage in our life, so pray, “Father, unveil to me truths that I need to know so that I will be set free.” An area of your life is still dark whenever you have fear or worry in that area. Pray, “God, there is this area in which I am still in the dark. Unveil Your truths to me in this area. Show me the truths I need to know.”

In God’s eyes, truth and victory are synonymous (Matthew 12:20) and (Isaiah 42:3). And so the more truths you receive, the more victory will manifest in your life. Once you know the truth, the devil cannot fool you anymore. As long as you are in the dark or ignorant about something, you will be fearful and you will be vulnerable to the devil’s deceit. The devil plays mind games with us and we have got to watch out for his tricks.

4) The Breastplate of Righteousness

“Stand therefore...having put on the breastplate of righteousness.” – Ephesians 6:14

Be convicted of Righteousness, not sin.

Righteousness is not what we do, it is a gift and is based on what Christ has done (Romans 5:17 & Daniel 9:24). If righteousness depends on what you do, the devil will get you everytime. God gives it to you as a gift because of Jesus and He says to you, “Even when you fail, I still see you righteous.” Once you wake up to this fact that you are righteous and how righteous you are in Christ in spite of your failures, you will not want to sin. “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin.” (1 Corinthians 15:34). The Holy Spirit is a convicter of righteousness, not of sin (John 16:10).

As a believer, you must be settled about your forgiveness and your righteousness in Christ. If you don’t, you will never know Christ or know God intimately, or know the power of His resurrection. “...not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection...” (Phil 3:9). “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression...” (Isiah 54:14). We may face oppression which includes sickness, depression, discouragement and limited resources. The way out is to be conscious of your right standing before God and declare, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ!”. When you fail, say, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ!”. Be conscious of your righteousness. And when we walk in His righteousness, oppression will be far from us (Isaiah 54:14).

5) The Gospel of Peace

“Stand before...having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” – Ephesians 6:14-15

Remain in His Peace.

Jesus who is the Prince of Peace, gave us His peace “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). This piece of armour is actually on your feet (Ephesians 6:15 & Romans 10:15). Many of us are given opportunities to share the gospel of peace with our friends and relatives, hence you wear your “gospel of peace” shoes.

Why the gospel of peace? Because God knows it is so easy for us to become troubled in our minds and our hearts. The devil wants to disturb your mind, trouble your heart and agitate your emotions. But the verse before 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” So a Christian who practices casting all his cares to the Lord cannot be devoured by the devil. “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil 4:6)

In a spiritual warfare, it is vital you put on your gospel of peace shoes. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

When you walk in peace, you are unconsciously allowing God to lead you. The peace that Jesus bequeathed to us includes well-being, health and prosperity. God wants you in a perpetual state of shalom i.e. a state of health, a state of untroubled, undisturbed well being. But always remember that the devil will try to disturb that sense of peace.

The peace of Jesus is strong, abiding and unaffected by outward circumstances.

Isaiah calls speaking in tongues the “rest” and the “refreshing” (Isaiah 28:11-12).

Peter relied on the peace that Jesus bequeathed to him and he slept peacefully (Acts 12:5-7).

Jesus who slept in a boat in the middle of a great storm (Mark 4:38).

Only Jesus gives lasting peace.

6) The Shield of Faith

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

Don’t accept thoughts from the devil.

“Above all” means the “shield of faith” is of paramount importance.

When we accept the thoughts that the wicked ones throw at us, he is able to instil in us fear, self-pity, condemnation, feelings of rejection, feelings of betrayal and so on. So how does faith works? It works when we know how much God loves us (Galatians 5:6). The darts from the devil try to stop us from trusting in God’s truth. They try to stop us from believing in our righteousness in Christ. They try to stop us from walking in peace. But as long as you know that you are living in faith, you don’t have to worry where the fiery darts are coming because they will be quenched. So make sure your shield is a shield of FAITH not doubt!

Faith is simple, don’t make it so complicated. It is not about having faith in your faith, it is about having faith in His faith. So just rest in His Faith. Just believe that He has the faith for your miracle. Just believe that He can and that He is willing to bring your miracle to pass because He loves you.

Declare, “By Jesus’ stripes, I am healed!”. “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”- Hebrews 10:35. As you confess God’s word, simply rest in His faith, not yours. Simply believe that He has faith for your miracle!

7) The Helmet of Salvation

“And take the helmet of salvation.” – Ephesians 6:17

Hope is A Confident Expectation of Good!

“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope salvation.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:8

God wants you to put on the helment of salvation by having a confident expectation that good will happen this week. Know in your heart and declare with your mouth that it is going to be a good week, during which you will see God’s preservation, wholeness, health and prosperity. When you have that kind of attitude, you are actually putting on your “Helment of Salvation”. Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be to you.” – Matthew 9:29

Everyday need not be a bed of roses even if you expect good, but if there’s a storm, Jesus can give you the calm that you need. He said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33. So the bible hope is this : A confident expectation of good!

If you are in trouble right now, you can put on the helmet of the Hope of Salvation. Remember, Salvation is more than just being saved from hell. Salvation includes healing, prosperity and well being. And you have a confident expectation that good is coming your way, that God will see you through this trial you are experiencing. It is only temporary, that is why you can have confident expectation of good.

Faith is believing that right now, you have the answer to your need in Christ even though you do not see it yet whilst Hope speaks of the future. Hope is a confident expectation of good to come.

Salvation is being in Christ forever! Knowing that gives you the power to do good. The good news is that once you are in Christ, nothing can separate you from Him and His love.

Expect bad bthings and bad things will happen. Expect good things and good things will happen. And you can only do that if you are spending time in the Word of God. You can only have a constant expectation of good if you are more conscious of God’s Word than anything else.

You are a child of the living God! God loves you! There is a Saviour watching over you! Angels have gone before you! There are more angels working for you than there are demons working against you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in this world (I John 4:4). You have every reason to win! You have every reason to expect good things to happen to you!

8) The Sword of The Spirit

“And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” – Ephesians 6:17

God’s Word is Sharper Than Any 2-Edged Sword

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any 2-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.” – Hebrews 4:12. God’s Word is precise and extremely powerful. It can cut the devil to pieces!

Declare, “It is written, ‘Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.’” – Psalm 91:3. God loves us and He wants us to live long, healthy lives (Psalm 91:16). So when fear starts to creep in about sickness or death, declare, “It is written, ‘A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.’” – Psalm 91:7. Alternatively, declare, “It is written, ‘With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my Salvation.’”- Psalm 91:16. Counter the devil’s move with the Sword of the Word of God!

Release the Word of God from your mouth for actual power! When you speak it out, it is like God speaking.

Because our warfare is spiritual, you can’t reason away fear. The only way to defeat fear is to speak the Word of God into the fear by saying, “It is written, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’” – 2 Timothy 1:7. Alternatively if you fear about somebody, declare, “It is written, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” – Hebrews 13:6. Sometimes, you have to say it in the morning, then in the afternoon and again in the evening. If the devil wants a fight, use the Sword of the Spirit against him and he will get the point every time! There is something about the Sword of The Spirit that the devil doesn’t like. It reminds him of Jesus and Jesus reminds him of his defeat!

A Scripture For Every Need :

1) Fear - “It is written, ‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’” – 2 Timothy 1:7 or “It is written, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” – Hebrews 13:6.

2) Financial Problems – “It is written, ‘And my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – Phil 4:19

3) Disturbing Sleep – “It is written, ‘I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in your safety.’” – Psalm 4:8 or “It is written, ‘When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.” – Proverbs 3:24

4) Feeling of a Bad Day – “It is written, ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’” – Psalm 118:24

5) Fear of Death or Sickness - “It is written, ‘Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.’” – Psalm 91:3 or “It is written, ‘A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.’” – Psalm 91:7 or “It is written, ‘With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my Salvation.’”- Psalm 91:16

9) Prayer

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” – Ephesians 6:18

Pray In the Spirit At All Times

Learn to constantly pray in the spirit i.e. pray in tongues. If yo are going through a tough time, pray in tongues whenever yo can and wherever you go.

The bible says praying in tongues provides rest and it refreshes you (Isaiah 28:11-12), will keep you flowing with God (1 Corinthians 14:2) and will help in emotionally (1 Corinthians 14:4).

In Mark 11:12-20, Jesus showed us that after we have prayed over a situation, while waiting for the manifestation of our miracle, we should stay in prayer. If you don’t see anything happening, don’t worry. Just keep praying in the Spirit. Make your body a house of prayer, and you will eventually see the whole problem wither and die! So asHoly Spirit while waiting for the manifestation of your miracle, God is removing “thieves” from your temple, which are stealing health, vigour and life from your body - John 10:10.

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 :

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

The Spirit helps by praying through you, so praying through the Spirit is His way of helping us overcome our weakness of not knowing how or what to pray for during a trial and manifest what has been prayed for.

When you open your mouth and pray in the Spirit, your body begins to be repaired from the inside out. Inside the “house”, the lamps will be lit, there will then be visible signs of repair to your body, the manifestation of your healing. The cleansing may not be accomplished overnight, but it will be finished if you persevere. Speaking in tongue helps you to repair your body, soul and mind!

“Keep watch over the door of my lips.” – Psalm 141:3. Don’t let the devil shut your door. By speaking in tongues, you are speaking to God! “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.” – 1 Corinthians 14:14

10) Summary

The 7 pieces of armour that Paul encourages us to put on were what the Lord Himself put on to deal vengeance on His adversaries, to enforce justice and to protect the righteous. So when you put on the armour of God, the Lord will repay the devil for what he has done to you. So next time, he will think twice before he comes against you!

Allow God’s truth to shine into every area of your life and darkness will be dispelled. Walk in the gift of righteousness and as Paul says in Romans 5:17, you will reign in life. Rest secure in full assurance of His salvation, having only a confident expectation of good things to come. Protect yourself with the shield, which is faith in His faith that never fails. Agree with God’s Word by speaking it forth. And pray in tongues at all times with all perseverance and your tongues will flow in power!

God has given us His armour to make us strong in Him and in the power of His might, so put it on today!