Spiritual Warfare Prayer, Pr. Anish Mano Stephen, Sermon Note - 20th August, 2023
Spiritual Warfare Prayer
Sunday – 20th August 2023
Overview
1. Introduction – Spiritual Warfare
2. What is Spiritual Warfare?
3. Why are we engaged in Spiritual Warfare?
4. The Basics of Spiritual Warfare
5. Importance of Spiritual Warfare
6. Intense Prayer in the Spiritual Warfare
7. Entry Points to Spiritual Warfare
8. How to Pray to be Victorious in Spiritual Warfare
9. Conclusion
Introduction – Spiritual Warfare
“Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”
Psalms 144:1 (NKJV)
Many Christians are ignorant that there is something called spiritual warfare and because of their ignorance, many times they don't experience victory and God's fullness of blessings in their lives. And oftentimes, they reason behind why their prayers are not getting answered, not really realizing that there is a battle that they have to fight and win. Though in the Old Testament, David is talking about the physical battle, when we come into the New Covenant, it has a spiritual meaning attached to it. We would never see a physical goliath in our lives, but there is a giant in the spiritual realm who is trying to stop us, who is trying to pull us down from the blessings of God in our lives. That is why, as a church, we should have a knowledge of the spiritual atmosphere, the spiritual enemies, and the spiritual hindrances around us, so that we can engage in war and be victorious.
What is Spiritual Warfare?
When Jesus was in this world Jesus told a very important scripture written in John 10
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 (NKJV)
Jesus was talking about the Church in general, and Jesus says there is Warfare. The enemy is coming to the church to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus has come to the church so that all may have life and life in abundance. When we learn to fight Spiritual Warfare in our lives, everything that the devil has stolen, killed, and destroyed shall be gained back because Jesus is giving us life and life in abundance.
Why are we engaged in Spiritual Warfare?
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds…”
2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)
Now the enemy that we talk about in Spiritual Warfare is not our family member or a friend who fought with us in our office, but the moment we were born again and we chose Lord Jesus Christ to be our savior, that very moment, the devil and his forces becomes our enemy and a battle begins in our lives. And that battle is taking us on a daily process where the enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus wants to give us life and life in abundance. Jesus just does not want to finish off everything and give us victory freely, but as David writes, God wants to train our fingers for the battle and our hands for the war, so that we will be victorious and through every victory, we will experience the glory of God.
The Basics of Spiritual Warfare
In the New Covenant, there are three enemies –
1) The Demonic realm, that is the demonic spirit, the devil, Satan, or Lucifer
2) Spirit of Death
3) Our Flesh
As long as we are living in this world, which is controlled by the demonic power of sin and darkness, there is an enemy in ourselves that will try to fight the battle against the blessings of the Almighty God. There are commandments and Godly principles that a Child of God needs to abide by in order to receive the blessings and the promises of God, and the enemies that are ruling will try to make us break those conditions and commandments so that we will never be blessed.
Importance of Spiritual Warfare
We have to be serious when we live our spiritual lives.
“…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)
Here we read the Bible equating Satan to god, calling it the god of this age, who is able to control everything. So, a born-again believer enters into a battle against this opponent. And the Almighty God promises that He will never leave us alone, but He will train our hands for war and our fingers for battle. The result is Victory.
Intense Prayer in the Spiritual Warfare
Many times, we feel that God is not answering our prayers but in reality, we must understand that there is a battle which is around us in the heavenly realms and when we learn about it, we can progress and move ahead in the realms of the Holy Spirit.
“Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”
Daniel 10:12-13 (NKJV)
Here, we read Daniel is praying, but the answer is not coming. So, he intensifies the prayer and the intense prayer activates the archangel in heaven and he comes and fights with the opponent for Daniel, and the battle is won.
Entry Points to Spiritual Warfare
A) First Entry Point to Spiritual Warfare – Devil making the Territory of our Mind as his Battlefield
As with every other physical war that happens around us, the spiritual war also happens to capture territory and possess. The demonic realm is after the territory in our lives and the first territory attack happens in our minds. This is where the spiritual warfare starts. This is where we should be ready to win because if we don't win over the devil in our minds, in all other areas automatically we lose.
First Battle in the Mind mentioned in the Bible – Aborting the Plan of Redemption
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”
Matthew 1:19 (NKJV)
One of the first spiritual battles in the New Covenant can be read here. There is a master plan of the Almighty God for the redemption of the entire human mankind by bringing Jesus into this world. Jesus has to be born under the law of a woman to be victorious on the cross. And for that, the Holy Spirit selects two people from the descendants of David, one from the line of Solomon that's Joseph, and the other from the line of Nathan that's Mary. Now when the news of pregnancy came through Mary, her fiancé, Joseph, was a righteous man full of integrity and he didn’t want to disgrace her, therefore he secretly planned to break the engagement.
In the mind, Joseph decides to abort God's plan. That is the time an Angel of the Lord came and strengthened him and he was able to win over the battle in his mind through the promises from the Word of God about the Messiah. When the spiritual warfare in the battlefield of mind was won by Joseph, there started warfare in the physical realm where Herod commands to kill every child who is under two years. There also, they were able to win with the help of God.
How to be Strong in Our Minds?
“You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought…”
Mark 12:30 (TPT)
We can be strong in the mind by winning the battle in the mind. The Word of God says to love the Lord with every thought. Mark 12:33 (TPT) says, “…there is something more important to God than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings: it’s the commandment to constantly love God with every passion of your heart, with your every thought, and with all your strength...”
We need more of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to fight and win over every scheme of the enemy. When we love the Lord with all our thoughts, rejoice always in the presence of God, and allow the Holy Spirit to work, we will not submit to demonic thoughts or fear instead we will grow stronger in our minds.
B) Second Entry Point to Spiritual Warfare – Deviating us from the Plan of God
“Jesus opened his heart and spoke freely with his disciples, explaining all these things to them. Then Peter took him aside and rebuked him. But Jesus turned around, and glancing at all of the other disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, “Get out of my sight, Satan! For your heart is not set on God’s plan but man’s!”
Mark 8:32-33 (TPT)
The second warfare that the devil brings against a Child of God is that the devil deviates him/her from the plan of God to man's plan. The Word of God says the sons of Issachar had an understanding of the times that they lived in. They waited for the plan of God. The demons will try to deviate us from the plan of God by bringing many reasons in front of us, but we have to fast and pray and know the perfect will of God in every area of our lives.
C) Third Entry Point to Spiritual Warfare – Anxious Mind
“I repeat: Don’t let worry enter your life. Live above the anxious cares about your personal needs.”
Luke 12:29 (TPT)
The starting point of spiritual warfare can be an anxious mind. Our mind is not called not to worry. We have to be like Apostle Paul, who even when the boat with him and 276 people was sinking, in darkness for three days, with no food, and no hope to get saved, but still, Paul tells everyone not to worry, we will reach the other shore. This state of peace can be acquired with the help of the Holy Spirit.
D) Fourth Entry Point to Spiritual Warfare – Division among Brethren
“But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.”
Acts 14:2 (NKJV)
The next battlefield that the devil chooses to push us into spiritual warfare is creating division. The devil creates division by poisoning minds among the born-again brethren by spreading gossip and untrue stories about each other. The Lord is saying that poisoned minds will create division in the church. We should believe and preach only what the Word of God says because we are one in the Lord Jesus Christ.
E) Fifth Entry Point to Spiritual Warfare – Being Demon Possessed
“Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.”
Mark 5:15 (NKJV)
Demonic possessions can affect our minds and start a spiritual battle. Demonic Possessions normally come when a person submits their body to worship a demonic spirit. For example, Fornication is a demonic spirit. When a person submits his body to have a sexual relationship with somebody other than his wife, he worshipped the demon of fornication. So, just like when we worship the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit makes us the temple of the Holy Spirit, in the same way, when a person worships a demonic spirit, it makes him/her its temple.
F) Sixth Entry Point to Spiritual Warfare – Debased Mind
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;…”
Romans 1:28 (NKJV)
“And because they thought it was worthless to embrace the true knowledge of God, God gave them over to a worthless mind-set, to break all rules of proper conduct.”
Romans 1:28 (TPT)
In today’s world people are behind many things that they think it is worthless to embrace the true knowledge of God. In the church, we are getting understanding and knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Now, because they thought it was worthless to embrace the knowledge, God gave them over to a worthless mind, a debased mind, so that they would break all rules of proper conduct. And this mindset becomes an entry point to spiritual warfare in that person’s mind.
That is where the Apostle Peter gives a divine order to remain under, so that people, especially youngsters would not fall into a worthless mindset.
“Likewise, you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility…”
1 Peter 5:5 (NKJV)
Here Peter is writing to the church in Rome. There is a lot of persecution and a lot of struggles, and Peter shares some key points to stand strong to receive the crown of glory:
a) In verse 5 he shares, there should be submission to elders in the Church, submission to one another and there should be humility.
People have worthless minds because there is no submission.
b) In verse 6, he writes “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…”
So, it is a divine order, first submitting to the Apostolic and Pastoral leadership and then being submissive under the mighty hand of God. So, this is an order in which God has made things so that we will have knowledge in life. People perish because of a lack of knowledge. That is why God has given us pastors who carry divine knowledge in their lives and who can release knowledge in our lives and that knowledge will build us.
c) In verse 7, he says casting all our cares upon God;
d) And finally in verse 8, he says being sober and vigilant to take a decisive stand against the adversary
How to Pray to Be Victorious in Spiritual Warfare
1) Realizing that our battle is not with human beings
“…our hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage.”
Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)
The starting point to be victorious is to understand that our spiritual warfare is not with human beings. We should never bring any other person, husband, wife, father, mother, or child into any warfare system. In the warfare system, we should only see the demonic realms because the Bible clearly says they are the principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. But we have to understand that our battlefield is the heavenly realm. In the heavenly realm, if we can win the battles, we are victorious.
2) Breaking free from Bondage by knowing the truth of Sonship
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
John 8:31-36 (NKJV)
True Knowledge is very important in Warfare. When we are open to any entry points to Spiritual warfare, the outcome of it is that we fall into spiritual bondage. We will be bound in every area. There, we have to know the truth and the truth will set us free. Jesus is sharing some important principles to be made free, that is to know the truth that we are no longer slaves in the house of God but we are sons, who abide forever.
“For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
Acts 8:23 (NKJV)
The Word of God says that even bitterness and repetitive sins can keep us in bondage. We all live in a world where the demon can take possessions over us and we will be in bondage. But if we are ignorant of the truth and we continue to move in a mentality of being a slave and not a son of the Almighty God, the devil will have victory over us in every area of our lives. But the moment we get the revelation that we are the sons and daughters of Lord Jesus Christ, victory is ours.
3) Obeying and Not giving place to the Devil
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
Romans 6:16 (NKJV)
“…nor give place to the devil.”
Ephesians 4:27 (NKJV)
We can break free from this bondage when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, break the power of sin from our lives, choose to walk in the paths of obedience that lead to righteousness, and determine not to give place to the devil.
4) Knowing that one who is in me is greater than one who is in the World
“…You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 John 4:4 (NKJV)
Spiritual warfare does not give us a challenge and push us without knowing our success. Spiritual warfare says that we are going to be victorious. We will be victorious but we need to stand strong in Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the Word, in the divine order in the church submitting ourselves to the Apostolic leadership, and by getting the revelations of the Word of God.
Concluding Prayer
Dear Jesus, open our spiritual minds to identify the entry points of the Devil into our lives and help us be victorious in the Spiritual Warfare. Holy Spirit fill us with more of your Spirit and your strength so that we will not fail.
In Jesus’ name
Amen.