6 Practical Ways to Win Your Spiritual Warfare This Week

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Whether you realize it or not, you’re engaged in spiritual warfare this week. Paul reminds us in the book of Ephesians that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). Yet too many Christians live and act as if spiritual warfare is nothing more than science fiction. If we can’t see it, it can’t exist, right? But even we don’t believe that.

You can’t see wind, but you can see and feel the deadly effects of a hurricane or a tornado ravaging your community. You can’t see cancer, but that doesn’t make it any less potent or deadly. Ignoring the spiritual warfare around you doesn’t make it go away, it just insures that you and your loved ones are left unguarded and undefended against the attacks of the enemy.

Can you see the effects of spiritual warfare in your personal world? Look at the mental and emotional struggles, the addictions, the divorce, the neglected children, the broken lives all around you. As a believer, you are called not only to engage in spiritual warfare but to operate from a position of victory. Jesus already won when he defeated death and the grave. When you engage in spiritual warfare, you’re applying that victory to your life and family. Here are six practical ways to win your spiritual warfare this week.

Saturate Yourself with Truth

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The first piece of spiritual armor that Paul gives the Ephesian Christians is truth, namely, the “belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14). Don’t make the mistake of focusing on the pieces of armor, but what they’re attached to. The first way to win your spiritual warfare is to saturate yourself with truth. God is truth, and Jesus calls Satan the “father of lies” (John 8:44). When we surround ourselves with falsehoods, we give the enemy a platform to lie to us, distract us and ultimately defeat us. When you saturate yourself with media, television and the internet, that’s not necessarily the truth. Everyone has an agenda. Everyone has a narrative they’re trying to sell. Even social media isn’t necessarily the truth, because people are presenting a filtered version of their lives. What’s true in your life? Cling to that and saturate yourself with truth to fight off the lies of the enemy.

Live Right

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The next piece of armor Paul lists is the “breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14), which does not just refer to the righteousness that Jesus secured for us. Remember, Paul is writing to Christians, and he’s still telling them to put on righteousness, which is right living. A lot of times we make spiritual warfare more confusing and mystical than it needs to be. Whenever we knowingly sin and engage in sinful behavior, we’re giving the enemy a platform to attack us. So live right. If you’re engaging in addictive or destructive behavior, ask for help. Lean into your relationships with other strong Christians, allow them to lift you out of the dark place you’re in. As you begin to live right and make better decisions, you’ll find the enemy’s opportunities to attack begin to dwindle.

Walk in the Spirit

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This next piece of armor is perhaps the most confusing because it is so wordy, “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15). The emphasis here is on the word “readiness.” When a soldier was fighting in a battle, it was important not just to be properly armed, but to be at the right place at the right time. The soldier had to be sensitive to the ebb and flow of a battle to contribute in the best possible way. In the same way, when we’re sensitive the moving and warning of the Holy Spirit, we’ll be aware of coming attacks and how to fight back. Being ready means that you’re not caught unaware when the enemy strikes. Listen to the Spirit, talk with God throughout the day, and look for God’s movement in your world. The Holy Spirit will tell you how to fight victoriously in your spiritual warfare.

Actively Choose to Believe God

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The shield of faith is given to use to thwart the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). When the enemy attacks, he will most likely attack your faith in God, with accusations like “God can’t be trusted, God won’t take care of you, God can’t save you, you’re too far gone, you’ve messed up too much this time,” and so on. Wielding the shield of faith is consciously choosing to believe in the goodness and grace of God even when you don’t feel like it or doubt it. It’s determining that your will is stronger than your emotions. It’s actively choosing to believe in God, despite the evidence that might seem to the contrary. If the enemy can destroy your faith, then he’s destroyed you. Wield the shield of faith and fight back.

Surrender Daily

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Again, Paul is talking here to Christians who have already been saved, so what does it mean to put on the “helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17) if you’re already saved? Salvation is ultimately about surrender, and continually putting on the helmet of salvation is daily surrendering to God. You can only be victorious in spiritual warfare when you’re fighting in “his” mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). Pride, arrogance or operating out of the flesh is the surest way to defeat. Are you cultivating humility? Are you constantly acknowledging your inability to win on your own or do you operate as if you only need God in emergencies? A continual surrender and dependence on the power of God is something we can never graduate from as Christians.

Wield the Word of God as a Weapon

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The offensive weapon given to us is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). This circles back around to the belt of truth. There is nothing truer and more powerful than the word of God. When the enemy attacks you with lies and deceptions, the most powerful counterattack is specific truth from the word of God. What are you reading in the Bible? What have you memorized? The enemy will most likely attack you when the Bible is not easily accessible, so you need to have the word of God hidden in your heart. Memorize the word of God and wield it as a weapon to claim the victory that is already yours.