The Believer’s Warfare
August 30, 2024 | 5:27 pm
From the beginning, God wanted us to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and take dominion. If we are to look at each of those terms, they are suggestive of struggle, hard work, sacrifice and a takeover from the enemy. They are indicative of the continuous battle that we engage in to survive and succeed. Our enemy, Satan, knowing our assignment, committed himself to see our failure.
The word Satan is derived from the Hebrew word ‘accuser’ or ‘adversary’. He was once an angel and a worshiper of the Most High God who fell from grace due to his pride and rebellion, together with many other angels (Ezekiel 28:12-19, Isaiah 14:12-15, Luke 10:18). God has prepared for him and his minions, a fiery furnace for punishment (2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 20:10). He knows the joy that awaits those who obey the Lord and will do anything to keep us from there.
So what exactly are we up against? Any army general will tell you that if you are to win a battle, you must understand your enemy. Fortunately, we have been fully furnished with the details of our archenemy through God’s word. We must agree that this enemy exists and is real. We are not unaware of his schemes. He comes in the form of rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this present darkness and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:11-12).
In 1 Peter 5:8, he is likened to a roaring lion that is seeking an opportune time to devour anyone who is found defenseless. John 8:44 calls him a murderer, a liar and the father of all lies. John 10:10 calls him a thief, murderer and destroyer. Revelation 12:7-12, says he is the accuser of brethren (Job 2:1 and Zechariah 3:1). 1 John 3:8 connects him to sin and that knowing Christ means an all-out war against his works of sin. This is the entire essence of our warfare as believers.
The good news is, that there will come a time when our enemy shall be destroyed once and for all in the lake of fire and sulfur where he will burn forever, never to be seen or heard of again (Revelation 20:10). The God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20). We must fight the good fight.
The first weapon we apply is the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Christ gave every believer the ‘Power of Attorney’ to use His name. This is the power given to another, to act on behalf of the issuer. Jesus gave us the license to heal the sick, rescue those who are suffering and do the works of God on earth today(Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 19:10). Courageously, apply the name of Jesus as you pray and see the victory of God.
Secondly, we have the blood of Jesus. Through His blood we are redeemed and cleansed from unrighteousness which gives us power over sin. Revelation 12:11 tells us that we overcame by the blood for the blood of Jesus speaks over us (Hebrews 12:24). When we pray and petition the blood of Jesus, we have victory over Satan for he cannot withstand the holiness that comes with it.
The third weapon we have is the spoken Word of God. We live and overcome by the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11) for 
our tongues hold life and death (Proverbs 18:21). The Psalmist knew that the Word would protect him from sin and disempower Satan (Psalm 119:11). The Word is the sword of the spirit that ensures that we get answered prayers (John 15:7). I encourage you to boldly hold up your double-edged sword against the enemy in prayer and he will flee from you.
Finally, according to Ephesians 6:10-18, we must stand and pray in the Spirit. A lifestyle of prayer invites God into our lives (James 4:8), strengthens the inner man (Jude 1:20), keeps us away from sin (Matthew 26:41), and takes away our worries and anxieties that attack our heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7). Praying in the Word and in other tongues ensures that we align our lives to the perfect will of God (Romans 12:2) for the prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). Our lives may be a beautiful witness of God’s mercy, but prayer is the militant force that has the potential of defeating Satan, destroying his works, and driving him out of places and lives he claims as his own. (Wesley Duewel, Mighty Prevailing Prayer.)
Jimmy Evans in his book, The Life of David, says that true greatness is found on the battlefield. The greatest years of David’s life were those spent on the battlefield striking down the enemies of God. Culturally we crown heroes who help us enjoy our leisure time —movie stars, music idols, and GOAT athletes. But in David’s time, the battlefield was the arena for selecting heroes. A shepherd boy who brought down the enemy’s champion and delivered a nation had the crowds buzzing.
Today, the biggest battle we face is for the lives and souls of our children, our spouses, our neighbours, our friends, our communities and our nations in the form of pornography, immorality, drunkenness, and sorcery. On the battlefield, we fulfill our calling and find greatness. Away from the battlefield, we find only frustration and failure. We need to choose wisely.
Satan is using all manner of antics against us but we have powerful weapons that we can use. God made provision for everything we needed even before we knew that we required it. He did not place us on earth defenseless from the devil’s antics. He tells us that:
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are powerful for the pulling down of strongholds and casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
(2 Corinthians 10:4, IKJV)