THE MEANING OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Spiritual warfare is simply put, a war between the forces of God and the forces of rebellion, led by one of God’s most trusted created angelic beings, whose name was Lucifer but is, since his fall, more correctly called Satan. Satan is derived from the Hebrew word meaning opponent.

 Spiritual warfare is the cosmic war of good versus evil: its battles are fought daily between God and Satan; between the Christian Church and the world system ruled by our spiritual enemy; and within every child of God, between the Holy Spirit and the lusts of the carnal flesh. The clear meanings of good and evil, as defined by God rather than man, are revealed within the verses of the Holy Bible and the life of Jesus Christ.  Scripture References

Billy Graham explained the reality of spiritual warfare in his book Angels:

We live in a perpetual battlefield …The wars among the nations on earth are mere popgun affairs compared to the fierceness of battle in the spiritual unseen world. This invisible spiritual conflict is waged around us incessantly and unremittingly. Where the Lord works, Satan’s forces hinder; where angel beings carry out divine directives, the devils rage. All this comes about because the powers of darkness press their counterattack to recapture the ground held for the glory of God…

Since the fall of Lucifer, that angel of light and son of the morning, there has been no respite in the bitter Battle of the Ages. Night and day Lucifer, the master craftsman of the devices of darkness, labors to thwart God’s plan of the ages. We can find inscribed on every page of human history the consequences of the evil brought to fruition by the powers of darkness with the devil in charge. Satan never yields an inch, nor does he ever pause in his opposition to the plan of God to redeem the “cosmos” from his control.

 

Spiritual warfare is the analysis of and active participation in the invisible spiritual war.  It includes study of the opposing forces of good and evil, the strategies of Satan, and spiritual strategies for overcoming the enemy. Spiritual warfare is more than a mere analysis of spiritual principles.  It includes active participation in warfare by application of these strategies in life and ministry. In general, spiritual warfare is the conflict between good and evil.  It is the ongoing battle between two diametrically opposed kingdoms: God’s kingdom (good) and Satan’s kingdom (evil). Though it is inherently a spiritual conflict, spiritual warfare also manifests in the natural realm of flesh and blood.  Humans are caught in the midst of this conflict and may participate in the struggle on either side. 

One of the most effective strategies of Satan is to keep believers ignorant of his devices.  Paul said it is important to know Satan's strategies...

...Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:  for we are not ignorant of his devices.  (II Corinthians 2:11)

We should learn all we can about Satan's strategies of attack.  We must also understand the Scriptural basis of victory over Satan and the forces of evil.  We are called to intelligent combat. Basic to the understanding of spiritual warfare is this key principle:

You must recognize that all battles of life, whether physical, spiritual, emotional mental, financial or with human personalities are only outward manifestations of a spiritual cause.

Although in the natural world problems may seem to occur through the circumstances of life, the basis of these natural battles is in the spirit world.  Read the story of Job (Job chapters l-2) which

confirms this principle.

We have tried to correct the evils of this world through education, legislation, and improved environment.  It has not worked because the visible evils of the world are the results of an underlying spiritual cause.  They cannot be corrected by natural means.