Spiritual warfare

I'm not sure when the term "spiritual warfare" was coined, but in my research, I've discovered it mentioned as early as the 1600s.

Spiritual warfare is depicted (without using the term) back to the writing of the New Testament as Paul stated:

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:11-12)

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Here are 4 proven ways to stand strong in the face of spiritual warfare:

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When it comes to spiritual warfare, we want to avoid extremes. We don’t want to blame everything on the devil and his cohorts, because sometimes the battle is within our own hearts (Rom 6). But we don’t want to ignore or make light of the real battle against “spiritual powers” of darkness either (Eph 6:12).

The key is finding out exactly what the Scriptures teach, and then laying hold of the Scriptures that will help us win our battles.

Some people foolishly use the name of the Lord like a magic charm or incantation. It might surprise them to know we’re never taught in Scripture to rebuke or cast out Satan or demons. That is the Lord’s work (Matt 8:28-34). Even the archangel Michael refrained from rebuking the enemy. He said, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9).

Remember, even speaking to Satan got Eve in trouble (Gen 3:1-5). We are simply exhorted to resist or stand firmly against the enemy and he will flee (Jas 4:7).

Spiritual warfare involves conflict with our sinful world (1 John 2:15-17), our sinful flesh (Gal 5:15-16), and our enemy, the devil (2 Thes 2:4). Here are some Scriptures that can help us be valiant and victorious.

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What can Christians uniquely do to serve our world and our Lord in these critical days? 

I believe that this unprecedented crisis presents the most unprecedented opportunity for spiritual awakening in my lifetime. As with the Civil War and World War II, the fact of mortality is more obvious for more of us than ever before. A deadly disease that anyone can get is a deadly disease everyone can get.

Could it be that God would redeem this global medical outbreak by using it to spark a global spiritual outbreak? Could he be calling his people to the front lines of this spiritual battle?

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Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcast Network, responded, “There’s a desire on the part of some, and I think it’s satanic, it really is spiritual, to destroy America.

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Christian persecution around the world has been increasing, and Bible translators in particular are facing a fierce onslaught of spiritual warfare.