Today we are going to look at how the Holy Spirit is involved in Spiritual Warfare. We are going to start in Ephesians 6:10-12. When we look at this passage the work of the Spirit doesn’t readily jump out. But in truth, He is all over the place in this passage.
Now before we begin let’s keep in mind that spiritual warfare is not some kind of mental video game where we visualize slashing demons from behind every tree. The truth is found in this passage and understanding just how we fight the enemy.
These two verses emphasize the need for believers to lean upon God’s strength and His armor. Since it is by the Holy Spirit that we know the Father and the Son, it stands to reason that the main way God’s strength and protection come to us is through His Holy Spirit that lives within us.
Now the reality is this, there are evil spirits in this world. Now the occult world has tried to minimize this by saying that there are also good spirits that we can tap into and be protected. However, the only spirit in the Bible we are given the green light to seek and approach is the Holy Spirit. Thus the idea, that the spirit of long dead Grandpa being summoned to give us wisdom is actually a spiritual trick that the enemy uses to trap people.
Notice, that this passage lets us know that without the help of the Spirit of God we are not going to be a match for these kinds of tricks. The Bible is an excellent source for studying the methods and schemes of the devil. He employs many different “cons” on people in order to get them under his control. However, the Holy Spirit within us-who was also directly involved in the writing of Scripture, can also give us warnings from within us. This is where we need to truly be in prayer and sensitive to what God may be saying. Anything short of complete dependence upon God and His wisdom will cause us to be entrapped by these demonic schemes.
Another thing to notice in Spiritual Warfare is that our enemy is not a physical enemy. We are not fighting against people or nations even when they are treating us as their enemy. In fact, demonic ideas and beliefs always lie behind those who mistreat us. We don’t “see” them or sense them. Rather, we recognize their influence through teachings, beliefs, lies, sinful lifestyles, and attitudes, whether they are religious or secular. Thus we need the Holy Spirit to help us see how the enemy uses others to try and promote ungodly lies to us and to see through this. The people themselves may not be even aware of this dynamic. Thus our problem is not generally with someone who is possessed by a demon, but rather with someone who has been tricked and trapped into an ungodly mentality. Recognizing this will go a long way to helping us keep from getting angry with people and avoiding the pitfalls the enemy sets for us through them.
Now the next verses in Ephesians 6:13-18 lay out the “Armor of God.” Paul uses the armor of a Roman soldier to help us recognize the reality and seriousness of the battle around us. We need to be spiritually prepared. It will not come by dreaming about slaying demons. It comes from listening to God’s Word, doing it, getting knocked down, getting back up, and repeat over and over again.
Though much of this armor seems defensive, many of them also have an offensive aspect as well. Just as the battle is not physical, so our protection and weaponry are not physical as well. So let’s look at the list.
The belt of Truth points the believer to live their life based on the Truth of God’s Word, especially the Truth about Jesus. We should be truthful and receive a love of the Truth that the Holy Spirit is seeking to give us. In fact in John 16:13 The Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of Truth.” Thus, we should have an intimate relationship with the Scriptures and spend time in prayer understanding it. We need to make truthfulness the basis of all our relationships. This is not only a protection, but it is a weapon that God uses to set us and others free.
Next is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Foremost we are to understand the need for the righteousness of God. My righteousness falls short without Jesus. Within the covering of His righteousness then we can embrace doing the right thing. In fact part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of righteousness. How much more can he lead the believer in living out the righteousness of Christ is this world? As we lean on Him, He will help us to live righteously and treat people as God would have us.
Next is the Gospel of Peace. Paul ties this in with the feet particularly because in the Old Testament the prophet says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of them who bring good news.” The Gospel of Peace with God through Jesus needs to be the flag of every believer’s life. Thus our feet are prepared to walk tough roads, whether to distant places or across the street, in order to share the Gospel. This too is aided by the Holy Spirit as He leads and directs us in this endeavor. Part of our preparation to share the Gospel is knowing the Word. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to study to show ourselves as approved workmen. Yet the other side of it is to recognize that because we have studied and internalized the Word, the Holy Spirit comes along and directs us in what to say. In fact Jesus promised His disciples in Matthew 10:19-20, “Do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Wow, what a promise for those who take this spiritual battle seriously.
Paul goes on to mention the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the Sword of the Spirit, Prayer of all kinds and in the Spirit. The Spirit is involved in bringing us to Faith and Salvation. Also the Sword of the Spirit implies that though we may quote Scripture and share it with others, it really is the Holy Spirit who is using it like a spiritual knife to cut through the layers down to the tender part of their heart. Prayer becomes important for us and for those that we battle. In all kinds of prayer and praying in the Spirit we present our needs and also present ourselves for strengthening. When we live a life filled with these things we combat the enemy in our life and the lives of those around us. No wonder the enemy spends so much time undermining our faith in God’s Word.
Now I do want to take some time to talk about demon possession because it is a real phenomenon. Though it seems common place in Scripture we do need to realize that our culture exists upon the foundation of the Christian ethic. In countries that do not have a biblical foundation demon possession is not rare. Today anti-spiritualists try to explain everything away as mental illness and of course mental illness does exist. In fact, Jesus didn’t cast demons out of everyone, some he simply healed. So, even the Bible recognizes that sometime the problem is merely physical. However, sometimes a spiritual element exists beyond the physical. Most likely we will see more and more of this in our country as we continue to cast off Biblical guidance and wisdom.
If you look at the passage in Acts 19:13-17, you will see Paul in the city of Ephesus. God was doing unusually powerful miracles through Paul there. Part of that was the deliverance of those who were demon possessed. It caught the attention of many in Ephesus. They had tried to deal with the demon possessed people in the past without any effect. In this passage 7 sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva try to copy what Paul was doing. Thus they go up to a demon possessed person and say, “we exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” The Bible says that the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man jumped on the 7 guys and proceeded to overpower all of them until they ran from the house naked and wounded.
Here we see that without a true living relationship with Jesus himself, we are not prepared for spiritual battle. No “magical” phrase will make demons come out of a person. In fact demons don’t always manifest brutally. Sometimes they come on sickly sweet.
Jesus told his disciples that some demons are harder to cast out than others. In fact we need to pray and fast as we approach such serious business. The demon has invested a lot of work to get control of a person and they will try every trick to remain. The key is that Jesus has all authority over all spirits, both good and evil. Thus as long as we are anchored in Jesus and take the situation seriously, we can grow in learning how to combat such unseen enemies.
Living for Jesus and sharing the Gospel is God’s plan against the enemy. This doesn’t need to change because we are closer to the end times. It is simple and yet serious. When we have the Holy Spirit in us we become a light in a dark world. How important it is for us to work with Him to take down any strongholds in our life and to take that light into the lives of those who are bound under ideas and philosophies of demons.
When you speak to the lost, pray for insight in how the enemy has trapped them and how to use the Truth to set them free. Sometimes we can be saying true things, but they are the point that attacks the lie that they have believed. Take time in prayer and in asking questions and simply listening so that then you can truly be a warrior for God in this life.