Lesson 2. What Is Needed for Spiritual Warfare. A Practical Guide by Dmitriy Leo, senior pastor of Father’s Blessing Church. The purpose of this school is to equip Christians for proper and safe spiritual warfare.
First of all, a Christian must be spiritually armed. God gives this armor to every Christian. Only in this way can we stand against all the schemes of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil
Speaking of the full set of spiritual armor, it is for a born-again person who can pray in faith and stand on the Word of God.
What does spiritual armor include?
Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace;
1) We need to walk in the truth of the Word of God, live righteously, and always be ready to share the Gospel with the world—this is part of the spiritual armor that protects a Christian.
Ephesians 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one;
2) Faith is the most powerful defensive and offensive weapon. Faith covers a Christian as if with an invisible “dome” through which demons cannot inflict harm. Problems with faith are precisely why some people have been wounded or even defeated in spiritual warfare. Even a well-prepared and well-trained soldier is vulnerable to the enemy’s arrows and darts without a special shield.
The Greek word for “shield” used in this passage refers to a large, door-shaped shield, unlike a small, round, convex shield. It refers to the scutum used by Roman soldiers, with metal edging and often a metal boss in the center of the front. Before battle, several layers of leather were usually soaked in water to disable the enemy’s incendiary projectiles (Barth; TJ, 110).
Eph. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
3) Assurance of salvation is a weapon that protects the head. A person who is unsure of their salvation will be vulnerable to attacks on the mind. Such people lose the battle in their minds, not on the battlefield.
4) The Word of God is the primary offensive weapon with which a Christian must wage war against spiritual enemies. This means using passages from the Bible against specific actions of the enemy.
In other words, spiritual warfare must be conducted wisely—with the full armor of God. This does not mean that only special people should be chosen for these prayers. The instructions in the Epistle to the Ephesians were not intended for special spiritual “giants”; they are, so to speak, the essential minimum for every Christian.
The question is not even whether there is spiritual warfare. Every Christian must be spiritually armed, since an “evil day” may come in anyone’s life. After all, God did not give us all this armor without a reason.
End of lesson
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Author: Dmitriy Leo
