Luke 11:1-3
11 Now it came to pass, as He was
praying in a certain place, when He
ceased, that one of His disciples said
to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray...
It is interesting that of all the things
that the disciples could have asked
Jesus...they asked Him to teach them to
pray. Why? Because they saw that no
matter what Jesus did...he always
separated himself from them and prayed
first. And that was an impact on the
disciples that this is something they
needed to know how to do...if they
wanted to be successful in everything
they did.
We need to go from only praying in a
crisis situation, to living a prayer
life, and walking in a life of Spiritual
Warfare!
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Passion Translation
Spiritual Warfare
10 Now my beloved ones, I have saved
these most important truths for last: Be
supernaturally infused with strength
through your life-union with the Lord
Jesus. Stand victorious with the force
of his explosive power flowing in and
through you. 11 Put on God’s complete
set of armor provided for us, so that
you will be protected as you fight
against the evil strategies of the
accuser! 12 Your 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. 13
Because of this, you must wear all the
armor that God provides so you’re
protected as you confront the slanderer,
for you are destined for all things and
will rise victorious. 14 Put on truth as
a belt to strengthen you to stand in
triumph. Put on holiness as the
protective armor that covers your heart.
15 Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll
always be ready to share the blessings
of peace. 16 In every battle, take faith
as your wrap-around shield, for it is
able to extinguish the blazing arrows
coming at you from the evil one! 17–18
Embrace the power of salvation’s full
deliverance, like a helmet to protect
your thoughts from lies. And take the
mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the
spoken word of God. Pray passionately in
the Spirit, as you constantly intercede
with every form of prayer at all times.
Pray the blessings of God upon all his
believers.
We are in a battle, a war, against the
enemy of our soul. This is no ordinary
enemy of flesh and blood. This is an
enemy that fights in the Spirit realm.
We can't defeat him with man made
weapons. We have to use Spiritual
weapons to win! We need to train and be
disciplined the Word of God, if we want
to defeat our enemy.
2 Timothy 2:1-5
The Passion Translation
Grace to Overcome
2 Timothy, my dear son, live your life
empowered by God’s free-flowing grace,
which is your true strength, found in
the anointing of Jesus and your union
with him! 2 And all that you’ve learned
from me, confirmed by the integrity of
my life, deposit into faithful leaders
who are competent to teach the
congregations the same revelation. 3
Overcome every form of evil as a
victorious soldier of Jesus the Anointed
One. 4 For every soldier called to
active duty must divorce himself from
the distractions of this world so that
he may fully satisfy the one who chose
him. 5 An athlete who doesn’t play by
the rules will never receive the trophy,
so remain faithful to God!
Many Christians don't even know that
there is a battle to be fought. They let
the devil walk all over them, feeding
them lies of defeat, sickness and
poverty. They say things like...if God
wants me well, he will heal me. If he
wants me to have money, he will give it
to me. They don't even know that it is
already done, they just have to receive
it. They have not been taught, or were
taught by someone that wasn't taught
properly...or haven't studied the Word
to find out what it says.
Luke 6:39-40
The Passion Translation
39 Jesus also quoted these proverbs:
“What happens when a blind man pretends
to guide another blind man? They both
stumble into a ditch! 40 And how could
the apprentice know more than his
master, for only after he is fully
qualified will he be at that level.
1 Peter 5:8
The Passion Translation
8 Be well balanced and always alert,
because your enemy, the devil, roams
around incessantly, like a roaring lion
looking for its prey to devour.
John 10:7-10
The Passion Translation
7 So Jesus went over it again, “I speak
to you eternal truth: I am the Gate for
the flock. 8 All those who broke in
before me are thieves who came to steal,
but the sheep never listened to them. 9
I am the Gateway. To enter through me is
to experience life, freedom, and
satisfaction. 10 A thief has only one
thing in mind—he wants to steal,
slaughter, and destroy. But I have come
to give you everything in abundance,
more than you expect—life in its
fullness until you overflow!
But it is not just going to fall into
your lap, you have to believe for it. Do
spiritual warfare to get it out of the
clutches of the enemy. He will do
everything he can to keep from you what
Jesus died and rose again to pay for. If
it kills, steals or destroys, it is the
devil! He is out to steal the Word from
you, so that you are defenseless.
Read Mark 4 especially these verses
Mark 4:13-20
The Passion Translation
13 Then he said to them, “If you don’t
understand this parable, how will you
understand any parable? 14 Let me
explain: The farmer sows the message of
the kingdom. 15 What falls on the beaten
path represents those who hear the
message, but immediately Satan appears
and snatches it from their hearts. 16
And what is sown on gravel represents
those who hear the message and receive
it joyfully, 17 but because their hearts
fail to sink a deep root, they don’t
endure for long. For when trouble or
persecution comes on account of the
message, they immediately wilt and fall
away. 18 And what is sown among thorns
represents those who hear the message,
19 but they allow the cares of this life
and the seduction of wealth and the
desires for other things to crowd out
and choke the message so that it
produces nothing. 20 “But what is sown
on good soil represents those who open
their hearts to receive the message and
their lives bear good fruit—some yield a
harvest of thirty, sixty, even a
hundredfold!”
While Jesus was on this earth he
exercised spiritual warfare every day.
Satan was constantly trying to hinder
him and keep him from fulfilling his
ministry here on earth. And he has not
changed. He wants to keep us from doing
the work of the ministry today as well.
He will throw road blocks in front of
you constantly to keep you from doing
what God wants you to do. Whether it be
physical or mental illness, worry, lack
of finances, people or whatever, he will
try to stop you.
We need to be aware of him and his
devices
2 Corinthians 2:10-11
The Passion Translation
10 If you freely forgive anyone for
anything, then I also forgive him. And
if I have forgiven anything, I did so
for you before the face of Christ, 11 so
that we would not be exploited by the
adversary, Satan, for we know his clever
schemes.
Satan’s primary weapon is deception. If
he can get you to believe what you see
in front of you he has half the battle
won. He is a liar and the father of
them.
John 8:44
The Passion Translation
44 “You are the offspring of your
father, the devil, and you serve your
father very well, passionately carrying
out his desires. He’s been a murderer
right from the start! He never stood
with the truth, for he’s full of nothing
but lies—lying is his native tongue. He
is a master of deception and the father
of lies!
While reading this over today for the
study it came to mind that a prime
example of this scripture is the
politicians of today...at least the ones
that lie all the time. We have to
recognize that it is the devil that
drives them and makes them deceptive and
do the things they do, and they do it
passionately and with anger. That is why
it is so important to attack in the
Spirit realm, not the physical realm for
it to do any good. Attacking the
physical realm will only bring
frustration and anger. Attacking in the
Spirit realm gets to the root of it and
God can work there.
If we can learn to recognize Satan for
what he is and how to detect him, we
have the battle half won! How do we do
that? Learn the word of God so that we
will know that if it is contrary to the
word of God, then it is a lie.
Romans 3:4 Indeed, let God be true but
every man a liar.
So we know that the word of God is true
no matter what the circumstances look
like. If we can remember that, then we
will have the victory.
What is spiritual warfare? It is a
battle that is fought in the spirit
realm with spiritual weapons.
2 Corinthians 10:2-6
The Passion Translation
2 Now I plead with you that when I come,
don’t force me to take a hard line with
you (which I’m willing to do) by daring
to confront those who mistakenly believe
that we are living by the standards of
the world, not by the Spirit’s wisdom
and power. 3 For although we live in the
natural realm, we don’t wage a military
campaign employing human weapons, using
manipulation to achieve our aims. 4
Instead, our spiritual weapons are
energized with divine power to
effectively dismantle the defenses
behind which people hide. 5 We can
demolish every deceptive fantasy that
opposes God and break through every
arrogant attitude that is raised up in
defiance of the true knowledge of God.
We capture, like prisoners of war, every
thought and insist that it bow in
obedience to the Anointed One.6 Since we
are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we
stand ready to punish any trace of
rebellion, as soon as you choose
complete obedience.
One of the most important things to
realize and possibly one of the hardest
things to do, I think, is to realize or
discover that we can control the natural
realm from the spiritual realm. But we
can! The two are tied together. We just
need to trust God's Word and that is can
tear down every work of the devil.
In the beginning God said "Let there be
light! And it was so!" His words were
spoken in the Spirit realm, because He
is a spirit, but the results were in the
flesh realm. He gave man dominion over
the whole world. He gave Adam that
right. Unfortunately, Adam gave it away!
But when Jesus died and rose again, he
got it back for us. So our spirit words
will bring the same results as His...if
we believe it and are bold enough to
proclaim it.
Matthew 28:18-19
The Passion Translation
18 Then Jesus came close to them and
said, “All authority of the universe has
been given to me. 19 Now wherever you
go, make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:17-18
The Passion Translation
17 And these miracle signs will
accompany those who believe: They will
drive out demons in the power of my
name. They will speak in tongues. 18
They will be supernaturally protected
from snakes and from drinking anything
poisonous. And they will lay hands on
the sick and heal them.”
So our job is to discover how this works
and how to make it work for us. God’s
word is full of instruction on spiritual
warfare. It is the "How to" book of
books. We just have to tap into it and
learn what to do. When we do that, the
other half of the battle will be won.
The Bible has great examples of
Spiritual warfare. The most clear
account is found in Daniel.
Daniel 10 the whole chapter is the
account of the story. I am going to pick
out some key verses to look at but I
suggest you read the whole account
Daniel 10:10-13
New King James Version
10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which
made me tremble on my knees and on the
palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me,
“O Daniel, man greatly beloved,
understand the words that I speak to
you, and stand upright, for I have now
been sent to you.” While he was speaking
this word to me, I stood trembling. 12
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. 13 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 had set himself to fast and pray
about a matter and for twenty one days
had heard nothing. We see here the
reason is because the angel with the
message had been delayed in high places
by demons. It wasn’t until Michael came
and helped him that he was able to get
through with the answer.
This was Old Covenant. It took 21 days
for the answer to come. There is still
battle going on in the heavenlies, but
the difference now is that we have the
name of Jesus. It is more powerful then
anything that the devil tries to bring
accross our path. But we have to enforce
it and believe that it will do what the
Word says it will do. We have to have
Faith in God, and have the Faith of God.
We have to be warriors in the army of
God and fight our battles with Spiritual
weapons.
Important to know...there is no struggle
between God and the devil...there never
has been. God has always been and always
will be more powerful then the devil.
The battle is between the forces of
darkness and the forces of light that
fight for believers. There is a constant
battle going on in the Spirit realm that
we don't see. But it is only as we as
believers stand on the Word of
God...which is our only way to
victory...that the battle's are won.
That is why we can't give up...that we
need to continue to pray to see the
results.
God can and will only act on His Word.
As much as he cares for us...even Jesus
had to act on the Word of God while he
was here on this earth. So if we sit
around and whine about the circumstances
in our lives and around our lives...we
will never see victory. Faith filled
words, based on the Word of God...are
our weapon against the enemy. Is is
essential to believe that we are
fighting from a position of Victory, not
a postion of defeat, before we even
pray.
2 Kings 6:14-18
New King James Version
14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots
and a great army there, and they came by
night and surrounded the city. 15 And
when the servant of the man of God arose
early and went out, there was an army,
surrounding the city with horses and
chariots. And his servant said to him,
“Alas, my master! What shall we do?”16
So he answered, “Do not fear, for those
who are with us are more than those who
are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed,
and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes
that he may see.” Then the Lord opened
the eyes of the young man, and he saw.
And behold, the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire all around
Elisha. 18 So when the Syrians came down
to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and
said, “Strike this people, I pray, with
blindness.” And He struck them with
blindness according to the word of
Elisha.
Psalm 46:7
The Passion Translation
7 Here he comes! The Commander! The
mighty Lord of Angel Armies is on our
side! The God of Jacob fights for us!
Isaiah 10:33
The Passion Translation
33 Behold, the Sovereign Lord of Angel
Armies is about to cut off the branches
with terrifying power. He will cut down
the exalted heights of the high, and all
the lofty will be brought low.
Mark 16:17-18
The Passion Translation
17 And these miracle signs will
accompany those who believe: They will
drive out demons in the power of my
name. They will speak in tongues. 18
They will be supernaturally protected
from snakes and from drinking anything
poisonous. And they will lay hands on
the sick and heal them.”
John 14:13-14
The Passion Translation
13 For I will do whatever you ask me to
do when you ask me in my name. And that
is how the Son will show what the Father
is really like and bring glory to him.
14 Ask me anything in my name, and I
will do it for you!”
The Spirit realm is the battle ground.
We cannot see what goes on there with
our natural eye. We need our Spiritual
eyes open to realize that it is a war
zone and we need to take authority over
the principalities and powers that are
at work there.
Looking at Ephesians 6 again we see in
verse 12
Your 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.
The Spirit realm is a real place with
real beings. Their mission is to stop
you or even destroy you if possible. Our
mission is to prevent them from doing
either and helping others to do the
same.
We are in a battle! But the Good News
is...We have already won! The Victory is
ours and the battle is the Lords!
1 Samuel 17:47
New King James Version
47 Then all this assembly shall know
that the Lord does not save with sword
and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s,
and He will give you into our hands.”
1 Corinthians 15:57
The Passion Translation
57 But we thank God for giving us the
victory as conquerors through our Lord
Jesus, the Anointed One
1 John 5:4-5
The Passion Translation
4 You see, every child of God overcomes
the world, for our faith is the
victorious power that triumphs over the
world. 5 So who are the world
conquerors, defeating its power? Those
who believe that Jesus is the Son of
God.
A famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
"We have nothing to fear but fear
itself!"
We do not need to fear the devil. He is
a defeated foe. But he is the enemy of
our soul and will do anything he can to
destroy you if he can. We do need to
know how to keep him defeated in our
lives. We cannot allow fear to be part
of us. If we fear, we will be defeated.
We are over-comers by the word of God!
Romans 12:21
The Passion Translation
21 Never let evil defeat you, but defeat
evil with good.
2 Timothy 1:7
The Passion Translation
7 For God will never give you the spirit
of fear, but the Holy Spirit who gives
you mighty power, love, and
self-control.
Paul Prays for the Spirit of Wisdom and
Revelation
Ephesians 1:15-22
15 Because of this, since I first heard
about your strong faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ and your tender love toward
all his devoted ones, 16 my heart is
always full and overflowing with thanks
to God for you as I constantly remember
you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the
Father of glory, the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, would impart to you the
riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the
Spirit of revelation to know him through
your deepening intimacy with him. 18 I
pray that the light of God will
illuminate the eyes of your imagination,
flooding you with light, until you
experience the full revelation of the
hope of his calling—that is, the wealth
of God’s glorious inheritances that he
finds in us, his holy ones! 19 I pray
that you will continually experience the
immeasurable greatness of God’s power
made available to you through faith.
Then your lives will be an advertisement
of this immense power as it works
through you! This is the mighty power 20
that was released when God raised Christ
from the dead and exalted him to the
place of highest honor and supreme
authority in the heavenly realm! 21 And
now he is exalted as first above every
ruler, authority, government, and realm
of power in existence! He is gloriously
enthroned over every name that is ever
praised, not only in this age, but in
the age that is coming! 22 And he alone
is the leader and source of everything
needed in the church. God has put
everything beneath the authority of
Jesus Christ and has given him the
highest rank above all others.
Jesus is our champion. We need to
believe that and trust him that as we
speak His Word into our lives, we can
live victoriously every day no matter
what is thrown at us. Spiritual Warfare
is the only way to defeat Satan.
Throughout the rest of these lessons
TPT means The Passion Translation
By Judy Warren