What the Bible says about Spiritual warfare

Topics chevron-right Spiritual warfare

Ephesians 6:12

12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

6:12 Not . . . against flesh and blood: One of the church’s greatest demands is to discern between the spiritual struggle and other social, personal, and political difficulties. Otherwise, individual believers and groups become too easily detoured, “wrestling” with human adversaries instead of prayerfully warring against the invisible works of hell behind the scenes. Heavenly places recalls earlier references to: 1) spiritual resources available to the church (1:3); 2) Christ’s authority over evil (1:21); 3) the church’s being seated together with her ascended Lord (2:6); 4) the Father’s will to display His wisdom through the church to the confounding of evil powers (3:10). On these grounds this passage announces the church’s corporate assignment to prayer warfare, in order that evil will be driven back and the will of God advanced.

Read more from NKJV New Spirit-Filled Life Bible

Ephesians 6:11

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.

11 The call to "put on" God's armor recalls a similar appeal in 1Th 5:8. This accoutrement is provided by God and modeled on what he wears himself (Isa 11:5; 59:17). It is a complete outfit ("full armor," also v.13). The soldier must be protected from head to foot, and his armor is made up of all the various pieces, both defensive and offensive.

"Stand" is a key word in this passage (cf. vv.13-14). It is a military term for holding on to one's position. The equipment enables the soldier to ward off the attacks of the enemy and to make a stand against him. Before any offensive can be launched, one must first of all maintain his own ground. The fourfold use of "against" stresses the determined hostility confronting the Christian soldier. The commander-in-chief of the opposing forces is the devil himself, the sworn enemy of the church. He is a master of ingenious stratagems and his tactics must not be allowed to catch us unawares. These stratagems probably reflect his deliberate attempts to destroy the unity of Christ's body (3:14-22; 4:1-16, 21) through the invasion of false doctrine and the fomenting of dissension (4:2, 21, 31-32; 5:6).

Read more from Expositors Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament

Psalm 91:1 - Psalm 91:16

Psalm 91

The Protection of the Most High

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High
dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net,
from the destructive plague.

He will cover you with His feathers;
you will take refuge under His wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day,

the plague that stalks in darkness,
or the pestilence that ravages at noon.

Though a thousand fall at your side
and ten thousand at your right hand,
the pestilence will not reach you.

You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord—my refuge,
the Most High—your dwelling place,

10 no harm will come to you;
no plague will come near your tent.

11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you,
to protect you in all your ways.

12 They will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the young lion and the serpent.

14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me,
I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he knows My name.

15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will rescue him and give him honor.

16 I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him My salvation.

Psalm 91. Divine wings and guardian angels

Some threats lie in wait for us (3), some sneak up insidiously (3, 6); some are our own dreads, real or imaginary, some reflect hostility (5); some, again, we meet on life’s pathway (12–13). Life is like that. But simple trust brings us into a place of strong defence (2), the personal warmth of divine care, pledged defence (4) and a host of heavenly guardians every step of the way (11). The form in which all this is stated itself serves to affirm our protected status.

A1
(v 1) Theme stated: sure protection
B1
(v 2) Personal testimony
C1
(vs 3–8) Affirmation
B2
(v 9a) Personal testimony
C2
(vs 9b–13) Affirmation
A2
(vs 14–16) Theme confirmed: divine protection

It is a psalm of personal testimony (2, 9) but the matter does not rest there. Testimony may be the product of imagination or of wishful thinking and, in any case, what is true of one person may not necessarily apply to others. But here human testimony is enfolded (1, 14–16) in divine testimony and affirmed by the word of God (3–8, 9–13). The whole is a highly artistic way of expressing a fundamentally important fact: that we are always totally secure. How such a psalm came to be written is a matter of conjecture. Did a troubled individual seek out a prophet who applied the word of God directly to his need and then was privileged to be the agent of the voice of the Lord, or is the whole just the record of individual pondering of a great truth in the light of experience and truth. Here is a psalm for every believer every day.

Read more from New Bible Commentary