The Bible says that there is a spiritual war between the forces of the evil one and the army of God. It is not a battle that takes place only in high places, but affects the lives of all people: some serve God and others are under the yoke of the devil. God’s children need to understand the importance of being prepared to fight because war is real.
The devil seeks to discourage believers and make them ineffective in proclaiming the Gospel. As for non-believers, his tactic is to keep them aloof and spiritually indifferent. He wants to prevent them from responding to the evidence of the power of the glory of God that surrounds them.
The god of this world has blinded the minds of these unbelievers, so that they do not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.
(2 Corinthians 4:4)
God empowers his children to overcome and take his kingdom wherever they go. The battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15). To obtain victory it is necessary to be filled with the Holy Spirit and use the spiritual weapons that God himself has provided.
Put on the whole armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. Because our fight is not against human beings, but against powers, against authorities, against powers that dominate this world of darkness, against evil spiritual forces in the heavenly regions.
(Ephesians 6:11-12)
1. The enemy is the devil
Always keep in mind that the final enemy is the devil. Although people attack you, they are not your real enemy. Neither are the circumstances or your mind. All of this is used by the devil and his hosts to tempt, discourage or overwhelm you.
Of course, you have a great responsibility. You must remain alert by actively overcoming temptations and standing firm in the Lord. because the devil will not rest in his attempt to make you fall.
Practice self control and stay alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist it, standing firm in the faith, knowing that your brothers all over the world are enduring the same kind of suffering.
(1 Peter 5:8-9)
You are responsible for nurturing and caring for your spiritual life. The devil will try to rob you of the joy of the Lord, but you must remember that in Christ you have the victory. Do not forget that no one can ever take away the abundant life that God gives you.
The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
(John 10:10)
2. The internal battle begins in the mind.
You must give special care to your mind by watching over your thoughts, what you read, what you look at. The enemy is cunning and tries to put thoughts contrary to the truth of the Lord. Discouragement, low self-esteem, anger or rage, jealousy, lust…they all start in the mind. If you want to have victory over sin and win the spiritual battle, pay attention to your thoughts. Fill yourself with the Holy Spirit and reject thoughts that do not come from God.
The sinful mindset is death, while the mindset that comes from the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mentality is the enemy of God, because it does not submit to God’s law, nor is it capable of doing so. Those who live according to the sinful nature cannot please God.
However, you do not live according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Christ.
(Romans 8:6-9)
Do not conform to the present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In this way they will be able to verify what is the will of God, good, pleasant and perfect.
(Romans 12:2)
Finally, brothers, consider well everything that is true, everything that is respectable, everything that is just, everything that is pure, everything that is lovely, everything that is worthy of admiration, in short, everything that is excellent or deserves praise.
(Philippians 4:8)
Fill yourself with the Holy Spirit every day and you will be able to overcome the desires of the flesh and the thoughts that do not come from the Lord. Live by the Spirit and experience victory in Christ at all times!
So I say to you: Live by the Spirit, and you will not follow the desires of the sinful nature. Because it desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is contrary to it. The two oppose each other, so you can’t do what you want.
(Galatians 5:16-17)
3. God equips you with spiritual weapons
Whether you like it or not, you are in a spiritual battle. Even if you try to ignore that reality, sooner or later you will have to decide whether or not to actively participate in facing the enemy’s tricks. However, you will not fight with physical weapons but with the spiritual weapons that God gives you. You win when you use them correctly, letting yourself be guided by the Lord and being full of his power.
For although we live in the world, we do not fight battles as the world does. The weapons with which we fight are not of the world, but have divine power to bring down strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to submit to Christ.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
The world will try to damage your testimony and your reputation. The devil will work to weaken you physically and spiritually so that you doubt the power or even the existence of God. How will you deal with those attacks? Wearing the armor of God! It is effective in protecting you from everybody enemy attacks. Use it with the wisdom that God gives you and start living in victory for the glory of God.
Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so that when the evil day comes, you can stand firm to the end. Stand firm, girded with the belt of truth, protected by the breastplate of righteousness, and shod with a readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(Ephesians 6:13-17)
The meaning of the armor of God and how to wear it
The night is far advanced and the day is drawing near. Therefore, let us put aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us live decently, as in the light of day, not in orgies and drunkenness, nor in sexual immorality and debauchery, nor in dissension and envy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not worry about satisfying the desires of the sinful nature.
(Romans 13:12-14)
4. The battle is fought with prayer and faith
Prayer and faith go hand in hand. You pray to God because you trust in his power and you are sure that he will work. You know that eternal life is yours and that knowledge activates your faith and your prayer life. That’s the big win! Even in the midst of the struggles and sufferings of lifeIn Christ you are already a winner and you will be with him for all eternity. Don’t faint.
Because everyone who is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
(1 John 5:4-5)
Fight the good fight of faith; make eternal life yours, to which you were called and for which you made that admirable declaration of faith before many witnesses.
(1 Timothy 6:12)
What is eternal life according to the Bible
Ask God to protect you from the evil one and his traps. Jesus himself showed us in the Our Father prayer how important it is to ask for the Father’s intervention in the face of the devil’s attacks. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
I assure you that, if you have faith and do not doubt (…), you will be able to say to this mountain: “Get away from there and throw yourself into the sea!”, and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
(Matthew 21:21-22)
5. In God you have authority and protection
Your authority comes from God and you must use it responsibly, always acting as Jesus would. He is the best example to follow in every situation. Authority in the Lord will make you effective in proclaiming the Gospel message and bringing the manifestation of God’s kingdom to your region and wherever God sends you.
Jesus then approached them and said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I assure you that I will be with you always, until the end of the world.
(Matthew 28:18-20)
I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning,” he replied. Yes, I have given you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing can harm them. However, do not rejoice that you can subdue the spirits, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
(Luke 10:18-20)
You must fight every battle and fight against all adversity with the authority that Jesus gives you. In his strength and with his authority you will win souls. Do not be afraid or timid, carry the message of salvation in his name and you will see that great things will happen for the glory of the Lord.
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1:7)
But when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will receive power and you will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
(Acts 1:8)
6. You already know who wins
The devil will try to trick you into believing that his power is greater than God’s. That’s a lie! In 1 John 4:4 we read the following:
“…because he who is in you is mightier than he who is in the world”
(1 John 4:4b).
God is the only Almighty! In fact, the devil can only do what God allows him to do as we can see, for example, when reading the book of Job. Yes, it is true that he has power. However, he is a limited power.
Above all things and in the midst of any adversity you must remember that the end is already written: God is the winner! The devil already knows where he will spend eternity: in eternal fire (Matthew 25:41).
Then I heard a great cry in heaven:
“The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God have come;
the authority of his Christ has already arrived.
because he has been expelled
the accuser of our brothers,
who accused them day and night before our God.”
(Revelation 12:10)
The judgment of this world has already come, and the prince of this world is going to be expelled.
(John 12:31)
Because the prince of this world has already been judged.
(John 16:11)
He disarmed the powers and authorities, and through Christ publicly humiliated them by displaying them in his triumphal procession.
(Colossians 2:15)
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