Spiritual warfare is something we all experience – and it happens more often than we think. The battle can involve the world, the flesh, and even the devil himself (see Ephesians 2:1-3). But the struggle doesn’t always happen out in the mysterious spiritual realm, somewhere far away and hard to see. In fact, when it comes to battling with the world, spiritual warfare is more ordinary than you might have realized.

What Is “The World”?

When we talk about “the world” in the context of warfare, we’re not talking about the earth or even the people who inhabit it. The world, aka “the world system,” is an organized system in opposition and rebellion against God. Ephesians 2:1 warns about “the course of this world.” Think of the world system as a current that carries you away from God’s will. 

From the time Adam and Eve first sinned, the world has been working against God’s purposes for humanity. Satan himself is behind the world system, as Paul points out:

2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Most people are oblivious to the spiritual side of this world and the dangers therein. If you want to win at spiritual warfare, you need to be aware of the perilous pull of the world in all of its varied forms.

Footholds and Strongholds

The world establishes a foothold by putting ideas in your head that go against God’s Word. Over time, the more you buy into those ideas, the world establishes a stronghold – a place from which the enemy can set up a defensive position. Paul warns us to guard against this:

Colossians 2:8 (NLT) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Worldly thinking dominates secular institutions and even infiltrates the church. Here are a few examples of bad ideas that are introduced to us through the world:

• A bad idea from social media: Your value is directly proportional to your number of likes or followers.
• A bad idea from commercialism: You can only be happy if you buy this product we’re selling right now. (See 1 John 2:16)
• A bad idea from news & politics: Unborn children do not have a right to life.
• A bad idea from false religions: Follow our rules to earn yourself a place in heaven.
• A bad idea from progressivism in the church: The Bible is old-fashioned and talks too much about sin.
• A bad idea from relativism: Everyone gets to choose what’s right in their own eyes.

This list is just scratching the surface, but you get the idea. There are countless examples of bad ideas planted in our heads from the world around us. And here’s the point: this isn’t just high-sounding nonsense from everyday life, it’s actually spiritual warfare! James gave this warning:

James 4:4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

Christians need to be on their guard about the footholds and strongholds of the world system.

Winning the War

The Bible teaches that the battle against the world is already won in Christ (Colossians 2:14-15). But how do we appropriate the victory for our lives? How do we tap into the victory when the world comes at us with guns blazing? We win the war with the world by exercising spiritual discernment in our everyday lives. Paul said it this way:

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Reading the Bible renews our minds, giving a foothold to Jesus on a daily basis. Over time we are transformed and a stronghold develops – a safe place from which we can test and discern God’s will. Even in the church, Paul said to listen with discernment:

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 (NLT) …test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.

Go back and read that passage in its entirety. You’ll see that Paul is talking about listening to prophecies in the church. If healthy discernment is necessary among the people of God, how much more do we need it in our daily lives out in the world? 

If you’re a Christian, you need to be prepared to fight a battle with the world system. The struggle is real, but the victory can be yours through the finished work of Christ, who has authority over all things.

Spiritual Warfare is something that every person deals with, whether they know it or not. We have already seen what it looks like to be at war with the world around us, but the battle isn’t just external. Scripture tells us that we are also at war with our flesh, and this is an internal battle that we fight on a daily basis. We can escape some of the blame for evil in the outside world – but as far as our flesh is concerned, we are guilty as charged!

What Is “The Flesh”?

When we identify “the flesh” as one of the contributors to spiritual warfare, we’re not talking about our physical bodies – although our bodies do suffer the consequences of sin. The flesh is a compulsive inner force within each individual which is in opposition and rebellion against God. Another way to say it is that humanity’s original nature is sinful and totally depraved. While men and women, boys and girls have the capacity to do good, the truth is that everything we do is tainted with our natural, evil will. We are spiritually “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

It all started in the Garden of Eden when the first human beings were created. They had an unbroken fellowship with God until they were tempted by the devil and made the decision to go against God’s command.

Genesis 3:4-6 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.

After the Fall, all of humanity fell under a curse as a consequence of this first sin (Genesis 3:14-19). Now this sin nature has been inherited by everyone. Our natural bent is to go against God, and as a result we are His enemies.

Romans 8:7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

So every human is born at war with God. But the battle ends when we become Christians, right? Wrong! That’s when the battle only intensifies in the flesh.

The Battle Within

When we trust in Jesus for salvation and the forgiveness of sins, the Bible tells us that we receive a new nature. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us as Christians and we are “born again”. This is when the internal war becomes palpable.

Galatians 5:17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

We have not one but now two natures battling inside of us for control. “The Flesh” remains a powerful opponent that will use footholds to develop strongholds in our lives. Satan knows our weaknesses and works his hardest to use them against us. Christians unwittingly open doors to spiritual attack by dabbling in sin and living in unrepentance. Paul gives us a list of examples:

Galatians‬ ‭5:19-21 ‬“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

A believer who practices these things has either a seared conscience or may need to examine their faith a little closer. When we give in to our fleshly desires, there are consequences. It ends up in broken relationships, chaos, and a grieved Spirit.

Satan would love nothing more than to see us wallow in our shame and guilt. Many people have reasoned, “I’ve already opened the door, so I might as well stay and make a home here.” This is when the foothold becomes a stronghold.

Winning the War

Even though the fight itself isn’t easy, the solution starts with simple faith. We need to consciously choose to believe the gospel – again and again and again. God has set the believer free from sins of the past, present, and future, but it’s easy to forget this during the battle with the flesh. The guilt and shame that the enemy uses has no power over those who belong to Jesus.

Romans 7:24 – 8:2 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord… So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

But preaching the gospel to yourself is just the first part. Next, you need to consciously choose to follow the leading of the Spirit, who is now in you as a believer. Walking by the Spirit is the role of the Christian from the moment of faith to the end of life in the flesh. 

Galatians 5:24-25 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Right living is more about God’s effective work in you than about the strength of your personal will power. The Holy Spirit empowers you, but he doesn’t take over your will and force you to align your habits with him. Walking by the Spirit requires one actual choice at a time. Each godly choice becomes a foothold for good. Over time, the net effect is a stronghold of victory over the flesh.

The art of war for God’s people is to trust Jesus every day and follow the new internal power of the Holy Spirit. This is how the spiritual battle with the flesh is won on a daily basis, for God’s glory and our good.

Spiritual warfare involves both everyday stuff – battling with the world and with our flesh – and otherworldly stuff. In this lesson we’ll take a deep dive into the otherworldly side of spiritual warfare. Let’s talk about Satan and demons. 

We know from scripture that the devil and demons are real, but compared to many other topics in the Bible we have little information about them. You’ll find much more in scripture about the nature of God, salvation, and Jesus’ life and ministry than you will about the demonic. Here’s what that tells us: our thoughts should be occupied with God and his goodness a thousand times more often than about the devil and his minions.

With that in mind, let’s explore ten things the Bible does tell us about Satan and demons.

Demons are fallen angels. 

Demons weren’t created as demons, because God created everything good. Peter gives us the origin story about demons:

2 Peter 2:4 (NLT) For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. 

Some angels sinned, and God cast them into hell. That’s about all we know about how they got started on their destructive path, and it leads to our second thing:

Some demons are already bound; others are influencing the world.

2 Peter helps us to establish the first point. So does Jude 1:6. But clearly there are other demons who are not yet bound. They’re the ones wreaking havoc on the earth:

Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) 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.

When we put these passages together, we’re left with one clear option: some demons are already in hell, others are free to influence the world. Jesus interacted with demons (Matthew 17). You and I might encounter them as well. But here’s the good news:

Demons have very limited power.

Demons don’t have divine qualities. They’re not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They can’t be more than one place at one time. They can’t read your mind. They can’t force you to do anything.

But demons can study and observe. They’re constantly looking for ways to get a believer off track. They know what presses your buttons. They know the trappings and sins you struggle with that you may have been able to hide from everyone around you. And they use that information to tempt you, to accuse you, to lie to you and tell you that God couldn’t love someone like you.  

This isn’t to say that demons aren’t powerful or shouldn’t be respected. They just have no power when compared to the Spirit of God (1 John 4:4). And that leads to this truth:

Every Christian can fight demons.

You don’t need a pastor or a priest to do spiritual warfare. Any person who has trusted Jesus for salvation has the authority – in Jesus’ name – to deal with demons. Jesus’ early followers learned this after they came back from their first mission trip into the world:

Luke 10:17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”

Notice that this was a larger group of Christ-followers, not just the original 12 disciples. That’s probably why they were so surprised at the demonic response to their commands. These were regular Christians, just like you and me. The authority comes from the name of Jesus, not from the person speaking.

Demons cannot possess a Christian.

This last point about demons addresses a common question among believers: Can Christians be possessed? Here’s the simple answer: No. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes residence in our heart (2 Corinthians 1:22). There isn’t an empty house any longer where a demon can reside.  

That’s not to say that demons can’t create strongholds in the life of a believer. They can and do. If you’re not diligent about eliminating footholds that the enemy is trying to establish in your life, they will lead to strongholds like greed, bitterness, pride, and addiction. 

So that’s what we know about demons. But what does the Bible say about the devil? We’ve got five things:

Satan is just a fallen angel.

In a word, Satan is a demon. That’s it. He might have a higher rank than his minions, but he’s still just a fallen angel. The strongest clue comes from the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 28:13-17 (NLT) You were in Eden, the garden of God…. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. 

Read the context and you’ll see that Ezekiel is talking about an earthly king before he switches to this description of an angelic guardian who was in Eden. This passage (along with Isaiah 14:12-14) doesn’t give us a ton of definitive information, but most Bible scholars agree that it’s talking about Satan. 

As a fallen angel, Satan is a created being, immeasurably less powerful than God. Christianity doesn’t have a Yin and a Yang, two equal but opposite forces. God is Creator, and Satan is a lowly creation. It’s not a fair fight.

Satan is furiously opposed to God’s work.

The name “Satan” is a Hebrew word that means “adversary.” Satan rules the fallen world system in rebellion against God. Satan does whatever he can to influence our “flesh” and pull us away from God’s influence. Jesus said Satan’s goal is to steal and kill and destroy, which is in direct opposition to what God wants for us (John 10:10). 

Satan is on the hunt for vulnerable Christians.

The devil knows that he can’t influence everyone, so he goes after the young and the weak. That’s the picture Peter is painting here:

1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Satan isn’t looking for everyone to devour. He’s looking for a special someone. Like a hungry lion, he’s stalking the most vulnerable Christians. And here’s how he gets them:

Satan’s greatest tool is deceit.

The devil is a deceiver, and he uses lies to catch his prey. Remember: spiritual warfare is waged mostly in the mind. Since the beginning (Genesis 3), Satan has been twisting God’s truth to try to lure people away. Jesus warned us about this: 

John 8:44 [Satan] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

But the final fact about Satan offers us good news. 

Satan will one day face God’s final judgment.

The book of Revelation tells us what will happen to the devil and his demons at the end of human history: 

Revelation 20:10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The only power the devil has is the power God allows him to have, for a limited time, until Jesus comes again. When Jesus returns, he’s going to put an end to the devil’s authority and power – and he’ll be cast to hell where he’ll be tormented forever and ever. 

Spiritual warfare is a real thing, and the Bible teaches that Satan and demons intend to drive us away from God and his purposes for our lives. But God has given us resources to resist the devil and his schemes, and Paul calls it the armor of God:

Ephesians 6:12-13 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but 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.

Ephesians 6:14-17 describes this armor in detail. The armor is typical of a first-century Roman soldier. But the image is not drawn just from Paul’s experience in Roman jails. The Old Testament talks about being armed for action. Isaiah 11:5 says, “[The Messiah] will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.” Isaiah 52:1 calls on God’s people to clothe themselves with strength. Isaiah 59:17 describes the armor God himself puts on as he prepares to act. In this vein the apostle Paul describes six pieces of armor for spiritual battle: a belt, a breastplate, shoes, a shield, a helmet, and a sword.

The Belt of Truth

The soldier’s belt was the centerpiece of a Roman soldier’s armor, securing the body armor and housing the sword’s scabbard. For spiritual warfare, this centerpiece is truth. Remember – spiritual warfare takes place primarily in the mind, and Satan is the father of lies. Christians prepare for the fight by fixing the truth of God’s word firmly in our minds and hearts (Romans 12:2).

The Body Armor of Righteousness

The soldier’s body armor protected him from the neck to the upper thighs. For a Christian, this represents a lifestyle of righteousness that gives Satan no targets to exploit. But before we can start living that lifestyle, we must remember that the body armor is God’s, not ours (Isaiah 59:16-17). Christ himself transferred his righteousness to us when he took our sins on himself on the cross (1 Corinthians 1:30). 

The Shoes of Peace

The soldier’s footwear – clearly the most boring item in this list – enabled him to get from one battlefield to the next. In scripture, feet were often connected to sharing a message, as Paul explained to the Romans:

Romans 10:15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Let’s not forget the point of spiritual warfare: to allow God’s Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Central to this mission is the message of the gospel, and Christians are the messengers! Our ultimate goal isn’t to fight against the world – it’s to take the gospel into it.

The Shield of Faith

A Roman soldier was equipped with a large oblong shield that covered his body completely. When a row of soldiers lined up side by side, their shields created an impregnable wall. That’s how faith works for Christians: it’s more effective in community. Our faith – linked up with the faith of other believers – creates a wall of defense (Hebrews 12:1).

The Helmet of Salvation

The soldier’s helmet obviously protected his head. If you’re a Christian, Satan will try to get “in your head” by lying to you about your worthiness before God. That’s what the helmet is for: the assurance of our salvation protects against the devil’s accusations. Paul made it even clearer to the church in Thessalonica:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

In part this points to our eternal destiny in Christ. We won’t lose heart in the battle because we know the final outcome, when one day Satan is defeated and we are united with Jesus our Savior forever (Romans 12:10).

The Sword of the Spirit

The soldier’s sword was his only purely offensive weapon. Paul connects this final piece of armor to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible, in our hands, to drive off the enemy. The particular word used here suggests some specific portion of the Bible particularly applied to a given situation. For example, when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus answered with specific quotes from the Bible. Learn where to find those key verses that combat the temptations Satan normally fires at you. Memorize them so that you always have your “sword” ready at hand (Hebrews 4:12).

In the end, taking the armor as a whole, God invites us to stand firm in our spiritual battles by arming ourselves with God himself. Paul’s inspiration for this entire vision probably came from the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 11:4-5 The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.

Spiritual warfare is God’s battle to fight, and each element of the armor points us to something about God’s character that we can draw upon.  As Romans 13:14 puts it, “Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ….”