Spiritual Warfare

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 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." (Ephesian 6:10-12, NIV 1984)

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)

The Christian life is full of abundant spiritual blessings, but it is also characterized by spiritual warfare. In order to successfully engage in this warfare, it is necessary to understand the strategies of our Enemy. In their expositions and illustrations from the Bible, John Bunyan, Dustin Benge, and Bruce Ware have provided helpful teaching on the crucial subject of Satan's strategies for spiritual warfare.

In Pilgrim's Progress (near the beginning the section often labelled "The Fourth Stage"), John Bunyan allegorically depicts spiritual warfare in a scene between Christian (the protagonist of the story) and the demon Apollyon. In the build-up to the fight, Apollyon tempts Christian by:

1. Promising worldly riches ("what our country will afford, I do here promise to give thee");

2. Questioning God's goodness and power ("he never came yet from the place where he is to deliver any that served him out of our hands");

3. Accusing Christian of past and ongoing sin ("thou art inwardly desirous of vainglory in all that thou sayest or doest").

Satan is the "accuser of the brethren." His role, as seen in Bible passages such as Job chapters 1-2 and Revelation 12:10, is to constantly bring accusations against the faithful. He attempts to bring these accusations before God, but he also impresses accusations on our own minds. These accusations take our focus off of God, placing our attention on ourselves. Once our focus is shifted, Satan or his demons can enact the strategy of undermining faith by prompting us to doubt God and to exalt our own worldly urges.

In his book The Loveliest Place, Dustin Benge turns to Genesis 3:1-4 to examine how Satan prompts us to doubt God. Satan or his demons prompt us to doubt:

1. God's Word ("Did God actually say...?");

2. God's goodness ("Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?");

3. God's authority ("You will not surely die!").

In classroom teaching at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bruce Ware turns to Genesis 3:6 and cross-references 1 John 2:16 to demonstrate how our Enemy takes our natural urges but amplifies them to an idolatrous level and distorts them in order to dishonor God and to do us harm. Ware teaches about:

1. The hedonist urge (“good for food”);

2. The covetous urge (“pleasant to the eyes”);

3. The prideful urge (“to be desired to make one wise”).

Ware observes:

Now [as the serpent tempts her,] the woman for the first time is thinking about God, not as the source of her good, the one who wishes her best, who wants to provide and care for her, but now the tempter is causing the woman to think rather of God as a withholder, stingy, resentful, not wishing for her to experience all that can be experienced in life.

In this we see how Satan's attacks–whether they come as accusing us, prompting us to doubt God, or enflaming our desires–are all an attack on God's glory and on our faith. Satan's motivation is to belittle God and to harm His people. We combat Satan and his demons by glorifying God above all (exalting Him in our mind's attention, heart's desires, soul's affections, and body's actions) and by trusting in His Word.