LIES ABOUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE - Christians should take note that the majority of the elements in the armor of God are defensive instead of offensive, meaning the devil attacks more often than we think. God knows how much we’ve messed up, and he loves us anyway. He welcomes us with open arms, waiting for his prodigal to come back home. It can often seem as though Satan has infiltrated every crevice of the world, and that darkness has won. Satan wants us to think this so we despair and lose hope. But Jesus has overcome the world. Stand strong and hold fast to knowing that Satan will battle us with doubt and insecurities, but he will not win the war. Outfitted in the armor of God, we know how the story ends. As Christians, we understand a battle rages around us every day, invisible to the naked eye. But because this battle is often waged in the ‘unseen’ realm, we’re susceptible to believing lies we may be hearing. We may naturally drop our guard and become vulnerable to attack. Christians should take note that the majority of the elements in the armor of God are defensive instead of offensive, meaning the devil attacks more often than we think. One of the best ways Satan can operate in peace is if he’s to purge himself from our thoughts: an out-of-sight, out-of-mind tactic. But when we doubt the existence of any evil forces, we allow easy access for Satan and his armies to carry about business as usual, because we decided to look the other way.

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Lies about Spiritual Warfare

6 Lies about Spiritual Warfare and How to Overcome Them

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Christians should take note that the majority of the elements in the armor of God are defensive instead of offensive, meaning the devil attacks more often than we think. God knows how much we’ve messed up, and he loves us anyway. He welcomes us with open arms, waiting for his prodigal to come back home. It can often seem as though Satan has infiltrated every crevice of the world, and that darkness has won. 

Satan wants us to think this so we despair and lose hope. But Jesus has overcome the world. Stand strong and hold fast to knowing that Satan will battle us with doubt and insecurities, but he will not win the war. Outfitted in the armor of God, we know how the story ends.

Hope Bolinger

Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer

 

Ephesians 6:10-18 (known as the armor of God passage) stands out because it easily identifies several of Satan’s tactics of spiritual warfare.

As Christians, we understand a battle rages around us every day, invisible to the naked eye (Ephesians 6:12).

But because this battle is often waged in the ‘unseen’ realm, we’re susceptible to believing lies we may be hearing.

We may naturally drop our guard and become vulnerable to attack.

Christians should take note that the majority of the elements in the armor of God are defensive instead of offensive, meaning the devil attacks more often than we think.

So, what are some of most common lies the devil has created?

Let’s look at six of them as they pertain to the world of spiritual warfare, by evaluating the purpose and power of each part of the armor of God to equip us against these six lies:

Lie #1: Satan isn’t as active in our world as one would think.

   One of the best ways Satan can operate in peace is if he’s to purge himself from our thoughts: an out-of-sight, out-of-mind tactic.

   In American society in particular, we tend to shy away from spiritual topics and often don’t like to acknowledge that the spiritual realm exists.

   But when we doubt the existence of any evil forces, we allow easy access for Satan and his armies to carry about business as usual, because we decided to look the other way.

   Which part of the armor of God helps us combat this? The belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14) can help us combat this lie.

   We can discern where the devil is working and has kept himself hidden (1 Peter 5:8).

   The devil doesn’t want us sober-minded and alert because then we can see him as he is: a liar.

Lie #2: Satan and his armies can possess Christians.

A number of Christians who I’ve known over the years who had formerly lived sinful lives until they came to know Christ especially struggle with this fear.

They believe Satan and his army have a certain sway or amount of power over them because they’d not given their lives to Christ until later in life, after living in sinful patterns.

We often forget that with Christ living inside of us, God holds power over the evil forces of this world (Colossians 1:13).

That means Satan cannot overpower us. God is stronger than Satan.

Not to mention, Satan wouldn’t want to be in close proximity with someone as holy as God.

Satan and his armies hate everything good, so why would they indwell someone who has the most good thing in the world inside of them (Matthew 12:43)?

Which part of the armor of God helps us to combat this? The helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17), when placed upon our heads, guarantees we have life abundant inside of us, and no power of Satan can take that away from us.

Although there are no Scripture verses that specifically say demons can’t indwell a Christian, we see no examples of this happening in Scripture.

Anyone in Scripture who is possessed is not a believer, such as the man possessed by demons called Legion (Mark 5:1-20).

What happens if we slip up and sin? Even if we offer the devil a foothold, can he still get a stronghold over us?

The answer is no, if we turn to Christ and confess our sins (1 John 1:9) he is faithful enough to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Lie #3: Little sins don’t affect believers much, since they’re already saved.

Paul talks a great deal on why we should leave our former life behind (Romans 6:1-2).

We can often forget that sin is like a parasite, like gangrene.

It eats away at the soul, until we become nothing more than a grumble (see The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga Jr.).

Once we allow Satan to have a foothold (Ephesians 4:27), we stunt our growth in our spiritual walk, being unable to do the tasks God has given us.

When we become complicit with “minor” sins like gossip and white lies, we run the risk of damage.

The corrective action to take, when we commit these sins, is to confess our sins to one another.

Even if we are saved, the damage we risk is that we may cause others to stumble by our actions (1 Corinthians 8:9), especially those young in the faith or those on the outskirts of Christianity.

They may see our actions and deem Christianity to be false since we are acting hypocritically.

Which part of the armor of God helps us to combat this? The breastplate of righteousness, Jesus’ righteousness, covers our sins (Ephesians 6:15).

The Holy Spirit inside our hearts (where the armor covers) convicts us when we have sinned, so we don’t let the sun go down on our anger (Ephesians 4) and we can choose not to give into sin. 

Lie #4: God will take your salvation away if you sin too much.

Throughout my life, the devil has planted doubt in my heart. Can God really save me if I keep messing up?

Maybe there’s a limit to how much you can sin before God takes away his salvation.

Satan likes to infuse doubt into a Christian’s mind to prevent them from focusing on their God-given tasks at hand.

Scripture makes it clear that Satan doesn’t snatch you out of God’s hand if you sin too many times (John 10:28).

We’re secure in God’s hand.

However, if we do sin, we should confess our sins and attempt to restore the relationships we have damaged by our sin. 

Although there are entire books written about apostate Christians, Christians in name who made it seem like they followed Christ but fell away, there is a difference between those who had salvation in the first place and those who made it appear as though they had salvation.

Only God can know our hearts (1 Kings 8:9), but if we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9-10).

God knows how much we’ve messed up, and he loves us anyway. He welcomes us with open arms, waiting for his prodigal to come back home.

Which part of the armor of God helps us combat this? The shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16) helps us extinguish the devil’s flaming arrows and assures us to Whom we belong.

Lie #5: Satan and his armies have overcome the world.

Ever get depressed when scrolling through the news on social media or watching horrific events on TV?

It can often seem as though Satan has infiltrated every crevice of the world, and that darkness has won.

Satan wants us to think this so we despair and lose hope. But Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).

It isn’t a matter of: Is God going to win? God has already won.

Which part of the armor of God helps us combat this? The shoes of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15) will help us to stand firm when all the world appears to give way.

Just following Jesus and walking with him, step by step in faith, is warfare that works.

We can observe the events in the world around us knowing that God will make everything right in the end.

Lie #6: We need to find truth and peace outside of God’s word.

Satan will try to convince us to find truth elsewhere, other than the Bible.

He will attempt us to keep our minds on the things of this world instead of on things above (Colossians 3:2).

The reason does this is he wants us to avoid our calling to the great commission (Matthew 28:19), our call to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The only offensive piece of the armor is the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

Satan, on the defense here, will do anything in his power to prevent us from using this weapon.

Which part of the armor of God helps us combat this: In everything, we need to be in the word, the sword of the spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and to pray without ceasing (Ephesians 6:18).

In fact, we need to put on the whole armor of God through prayer. Satan will attempt to prevent us from using the sword of the Spirit to spread the Gospel, so we need to engage in the Word every day to be able to discern when he is trying to attack (1 John 4:1).

Stand strong and hold fast to knowing that Satan will battle us with doubt and insecurities, but he will not win the war. Outfitted in the armor of God, we know how the story ends.

Hope Bolinger is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. and a recent graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 450 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her column "Hope's Hacks," tips and tricks to avoid writer's block, reaches 6,000+ readers weekly in the Serious Writer newsletter. Her modern-day Daniel, “Blaze,” (Illuminate YA) released in June, and they contracted the sequel “Den” for July 2020. Find out more about her here. 

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/lies-about-spiritual-warfare.html?utm_source=Jeeng

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SPIRITUAL WARFARE - Armor of God - ”Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

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Spiritual 
Warfare

Armor of God Bible Study

Ephesians 6:10-18

by Jack Zavada 

The Armor of God, described by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18, is our spiritual defense against attacks by Satan.

But if you were to leave home every morning wearing a full suit of armor, you would feel pretty silly. Fortunately, that's not necessary.

Although invisible, the Armor of God is real, and when used properly and worn daily, it provides solid protection against the enemy's onslaught.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)

”Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

None of these six pieces of armor require power on our part. Jesus Christ has already won our victory through his sacrificial death on the cross.

We only have to put on the effective armor he has given us.

Belt of Truth

The Belt of Truth is the first element of the Armor of God.

In the ancient world, a soldier's belt not only kept his armor in place but, if wide enough, protected his kidneys and other vital organs.

Just so, the truth protects us. Practically applied, you might say the Belt of Truth holds up our spiritual pants so that we're not exposed and vulnerable.

Jesus Christ called Satan the "father of lies." Deception is one of the enemy's oldest tactics.

We can see through Satan's lies by holding them against the truth of the Bible. The Bible helps us defeat the lies of materialism, money, power, and pleasure as the most important things in life.

Thus, the truth of God's Word shines its light of integrity into our lives and holds together all of our spiritual defenses.

Jesus told us "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NIV)

Breastplate of Righteousness

The Breastplate of Righteousness guards our heart. A wound to the chest can be fatal. That's why ancient soldiers wore a breastplate covering their heart and lungs.

Our heart is susceptible to the wickedness of this world, but our protection is the righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ.

We cannot become righteous through our own good works. When Jesus died on the cross, his righteousness was credited to all who believe in him, through justification.

God sees us as sinless because of what His Son did for us. Accept your Christ-given righteousness; Let it cover and protect you. Remember that it can keep your heart strong and pure for God:

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Proverbs 4:23, NLT)  

Gospel of Peace

Ephesians 6:15 talks about fitting our feet with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.

The terrain was rocky in the ancient world, requiring sturdy, protective footwear. On a battlefield or near a fort, the enemy might scatter barbed spikes or sharp stones to slow an army down.

In the same way, Satan scatters traps for us as we're trying to spread the gospel. The Gospel of Peace is our protection, reminding us that it is by grace that souls are saved.

We can sidestep Satan's obstacles when we remember "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)

Fitting our feet with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace is described in 1 Peter 3:15 like this: "... always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear ..." (NIV)

Sharing the gospel of salvation ultimately brings peace between God and men (Romans 5:1).

Shield of Faith

No defensive armor was as important as the shield. It fended off arrows, spears, and swords.

Our Shield of Faith guards us against one of Satan's deadliest weapons: doubt. Satan shoots doubt at us when God does not act immediately or visibly.

But our faith in God's trustworthiness comes from the unassailable truth of the Bible.

We know our Father can be counted on. Our Shield of Faith sends Satan's flaming arrows of doubt glancing harmlessly to the side.

We keep our shield held high, confident in the knowledge that God provides, God protects, and God is faithful to his children.

Our shield holds because of the One our faith is in, Jesus Christ.

Helmet of Salvation

The Helmet of Salvation protects the head, where all thought and knowledge reside.

Jesus Christ said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32, NIV)

The truth of salvation through Christ does indeed set us free. We are free from vain searching, free from the meaningless temptations of this world, and free from the condemnation of sin.

Those who reject God's plan of salvation battle Satan unprotected and suffer the fatal blow of hell.

1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us that believers "have the mind of Christ."

Even more interesting, 2 Corinthians 10:5 explains that those who are in Christ have divine power to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (NIV)

The Helmet of Salvation to protect our thoughts and minds is a crucial piece of armor. We cannot survive without it.

Sword of the Spirit

The Sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon in the Armor of God with which we can strike against Satan.

This weapon represents the Word of God, the Bible: "For the word of God is alive 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, NIV)

When Jesus Christ was tempted in the desert by Satan, he countered with the truth of Scripture, setting an example for us.

Satan's tactics have not changed, so the Sword of the Spirit is still our best defense.

The Power of Prayer

Finally, Paul adds the Power of Prayer to the Armor of God: "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)

Every smart soldier knows they must keep the lines of communication open to their Commander. God has orders for us, through his Word and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Satan hates it when we pray. He knows prayer strengthens us and keeps us alert to his deception.

Paul cautions us to pray for others as well. With the Armor of God and gift of Prayer, we can be ready for whatever the Enemy throws at us.

Jack Zavada

Created and manages and blogs at Inspiration-For-Singles.com

Published several books about Christian lifestyle topics

Contributes to numerous self-growth and Christian-based websites

Former newspaper reporter, technical editor, and public relations director

Experience

Jack Zavada is a Christianity writer. Jack began his 45-year career as a police and government newspaper reporter and Associated Press wire editor. He later served as a technical editor at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). Other positions held include being a publications editor and a communications director.

As a writer, Jack focuses his work into three genres, Christian lifestyles, self-help, and western fiction. H contributes to several Christian-focused websites including Bible-Reflections.net, SelfGrowth.com, LivingWordBaptist.net, JustMeCatholicFaith.com, and WZAKClevland.com. Jack created, manages and blogs at his website Inspiration-For-Singles.com. The site also serves as a platform for marketing his self-help eBooks. He also writes and publishes western fiction under the pen name of Calder Boone.

Education

Jack Zavada earned a Master Arts (M.A.) in English Composition and a Bachelor Science (B.S.) in English literature, both from Illinois State University.

Awards and Publications

Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges (Pine Cone Press, 1st edition, 2017)

Outsmarting Loneliness (Pine Cone Press, 2012)

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