Seven Weapons of Spiritual Warfare
Thank you, Lord, for the weapons You give us in our battle against sin.
I must confess: as soon as I get confident in my ability “not to sin,” or shortly after telling someone how they can find victory in Christ over their sin, I often experience temptation myself. It feels like it’s a personal attack from the enemy.
I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians:
“Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to temptation, being overconfident and self-righteous], take care that he does not fall [into sin and condemnation]” (1 Corinthians 10:12, Amplified Bible).
Also: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well” (Galatians 6:1, AMP).
For this reason, Father, I am thankful that even after I post this blog, You will continue to protect and sustain me, my Rock and my Redeemer. Thank you for equipping us with every spiritual weapon necessary to conquer in this life, and for reminding me this morning of these seven weapons of spiritual warfare: prayer, fasting, Scripture, confession, praise, communion, and spiritual covering. I pray that You fortify my brothers and sisters for battle against the evil one, that they might boldly put their faith into action, for Your Kingdom and Glory Forever, Amen!
Prayer is certainly defensive, yet it is also on the attack.
Ephesians 6:17-18: “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”
Praying in the Spirit wages war against rulers, authorities, powers of present darkness, and spiritual forces in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). We are to persistently keep alert and intercede for each other, for this is our primary weapon of spiritual warfare.
Mark 9:29: “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Jesus teaches that certain spiritual battles require this combined discipline.
Interestingly, Isaiah also writes about warfare in fasting:
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” (Isaiah 58:3-9)
In Isaiah’s prophetic judgment against the people of Israel regarding their fasting while acting wickedly, there is a subtle hint that in fasting with righteousness, there should be an expectation that the Lord on high will hear and be quick to respond! Amazing. He will loose chains and break yokes; He will fight for His people and defend us on all sides.
Clearly, if Jesus leaned on Scripture in His moment of temptation (Matthew 4), we ought to as well. If our enemy is a deceiver, we fight him with Truth—with the Word of God that endures forever. Oftentimes, our enemy will plant seeds of deception, misdirection, doubt, and pride so that we will stray from the narrow path toward Jesus and join the millions on the well-trod path toward death and destruction.
The Scriptures are not a “quick-fix” self-help book for my personal spirituality; the Scriptures point me to Jesus and His words, who said:
“It is the Spirit who gives you life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
We go to the Scriptures to align ourselves with the character and will of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We obey the Teachings of Christ because we have come to love Him and trust that His ways are better!
Hebrews 4:12: “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.”
James 5:16: “Confess your sins to one another, pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
What a blessing we have in confession to a brother or sister in Christ—someone who loves and knows you, someone you can trust and who can hold you accountable. What a blessing it is to expose darkness with the light of Christ.
My general rule of thumb for confession is to first confess your sins to God (1 John 1:9), pray, and repent (meaning, never go back to that sin). Praise the Lord if He gives you grace to overcome and walk in freedom. If you find yourself in a repeated relapse into the same sin cycle and you can’t seem to overcome it, invite a brother or sister into that battle with you. Pray for deliverance and destroy the walls of shame built up to isolate you.
If you have sinned against someone else, make sure that before you offer your worship to God, you make reparations with that person (if you broke it, fix it); then the Lord will accept your sacrifice (Matthew 5:23-24). Conversely, if we are sinned against, we must forgive so that our Father in heaven will also forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15).
Confession and forgiveness are powerful weapons against strongholds, exposing the darkness in the light of Christ, completely pulverizing pride and breaking every chain in the twinkling of an eye.
Psalm 149:1, 6-9: “Praise the Lord! Sing to him a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!… Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written! This is the honor for all his godly ones. Praise the Lord!”
WOW. What a weapon. If you’re ever caught going through the motions singing words on a screen at church, remember that God fights for His people who praise Him! This should make us want to shout like Israel at Jericho and dance like David. We certainly don’t execute vengeance or judgment against the evil one ourselves, but we praise our God who does!
We are to celebrate the Eucharist (which simply means “Thanksgiving”) as often as believers gather. Various things take place every time we do this:
- We remember. We are so forgetful that we live because Jesus died; any amount of righteousness or goodness that we have comes from Jesus alone through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- We unite. By His grace, when we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, we become knit together in covenant, one army in spirit (1 Corinthians 10:17).
- We proclaim His victory! Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 emphasizes that as often as believers eat the bread and drink the cup, they “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” This act is seen as a declaration of Christ’s victory over the powers of sin and death. As we take up our own cross and follow Him, we too share in His resurrection.
The Bible suggests that without spiritual covering, believers are more susceptible to spiritual instability, deception, and falling into unrepentant sin (Proverbs 18:1).
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Which one does the roaring lion seek to attack? The one in the middle of the pack, or the one grazing by itself far off from everyone else?
Along these lines, we are called to stick close to our brothers and sisters in Christ and “obey our leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over our souls, as those who will have to give an account” (Hebrews 13:17). This biblical mandate of obedience and submission is deeply rooted in community with elders who actively pray and intercede on your behalf.
This leads to several vital questions: Do you hold your church family in even higher regard than your own flesh and blood? Do you live life with the church or just greet them for 30 seconds after the announcements? Do you know who your elders are and do they know you? Are they truly watching over your soul? Furthermore, are you interceding for your leaders as they wage war on behalf of the whole Body?
This is the essence of spiritual covering, and it is critical to our effectiveness in spiritual warfare.
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Together, not individually, we are more than conquerors, and our Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing for victory in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37; Ephesians 1:3). These are seven weapons that, when used in faith and community, will change your gameplan from playing “not to lose” to playing to win in Christ! 🙂 May the Lord BLESS y’all in your sojourning.
***To dive deeper into any of these spiritual weapons, click the red titles to read my previous blog posts on each topic.***
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