Lesson 1. Why and When Spiritual Warfare Is Necessary. A Practical Guide by Dmitriy Leo, Senior Pastor of Father’s Blessing Church. The purpose of this school is to equip Christians to engage in proper and safe spiritual warfare.
Why Spiritual Warfare Is Necessary
There is a war between the spiritual and physical worlds. Secular people do not particularly believe that God exists, yet they believe in the devil and monsters from hell. Such people naively think these are harmless creatures that can be featured in films and whose images can be worn on masks at Halloween.
The Bible clearly reveals the devil’s plans for humanity.
- John 8:44 says that the devil has been a murderer from the creation of the world. This means that the devil may be involved in people’s deaths.
- Revelation 13 says that at the end of the age, the devil will seize authority over the whole world. This means that the devil is capable of influencing government and politics.
The devil and the demons who serve him are eternal beings who cannot be destroyed, captured, or controlled using physical weapons and earthly authority. The government may try to combat crime, disease, and mortality through natural means, but in the spiritual realm it is powerless. This is why governments have never managed to overcome such problems in their countries.
Authorities can catch a criminal and put him behind bars, but they cannot catch a demon. The authorities may even execute a criminal, but… they will stop the person, not the demon. That demon will go and choose another victim. A new criminal will then appear. These beings cannot be killed—they are eternal creatures. Earthly authorities are powerless against the evil that comes from the spiritual world.
Only the Christian Church has authority in the spiritual realm—to cast out the devil and demons. Unfortunately, the authorities in many countries do not attach much importance to the Bible and the Church, thereby rejecting the strongest spiritual support and allies in the form of Christians.
At the same time, if the authorities befriended the Church, stopped persecuting it, and used its strengths, some of the problems in the countries listed above could be solved. This is what happened during spiritual revival in Europe and America. History contains many examples of cities being transformed, crime disappearing, drinking establishments closing, and economic prosperity emerging.
When Spiritual Warfare Is Needed
In the history of the people of Israel, there were periods when people lived in peace, but there were also periods when they waged war. Every local church has periods of peace and prosperity, as well as periods of hardship and battle.
There are seasons when earthly authorities are favorably disposed toward the Church and believers, and there are periods when the authorities wage war against the Church. This is the so-called “evil day,” when the Church must stand and actively defend itself using prayer according to the Word of God.
Eph. 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and, having overcome everything, stand firm.
At the same time, the Church must resist specifically through prayer and against spiritual authorities. For they incite ungodly people to do evil against the Church. We are not calling the Church to confront earthly authorities—that would be wrong. It would not solve the problems but would create new ones.
Prayerful battle must be waged specifically against the demons that have taken control of people who have access to positions of authority.
It is important to understand that there are demonic powers that influence earthly authorities. They have authority not only over people but also over territories.
Eph. 6:12 For our struggle (battle, combat, warfare) is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore, the Church’s task is to discern the “evil day” and unite in order to offer prayerful resistance. The stronger the attack against the Church or its members, the stronger the Church’s resistance must be in prayer.
End of Lesson
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Author: Dmitriy Leo
