Spiritual Warfare – You’ve Already Got It

The battle is between your ears!  It’s not out there somewhere in the “heavenly places.” It’s in your mind!

Chapter 13 – The Battlefield
God is a spirit, and He moves in the spiritual world. (John 4:24) Everything God has provided – by grace – is already a reality in the spiritual realm. But whether or not they ever manifest themselves in the physical realm depends on our ability to receive – not God’s giving.

There are things we can do to shorten the manifestation time. There are also things we can do to delay it. Dealing with the devil and overcoming his hindrances to the manifestation of what God has already provided is popularly called “spiritual warfare.”

Spiritual Warfare
Satan does exist. There is evil in this world. Demonic forces are fighting against God and his kingdom. Prior to the last couple of decades, most of the Body of Christ had been very ignorant of Satan’s devices. Many believe that all of the devils were over in Africa or some other undeveloped part of the world. But they didn’t believe that any of the Western developed, “civilized” countries had any such thing as demonic activity. In the past 30+ years, that notion has been thoroughly shattered, especially among charismatic Christians. There still may be some evangelicals and mainline denominational folks who are unaware, but not very many.

Anyone who truly believes the Word of God has to acknowledge that Satan is a real foe. The devil tempted Jesus and opposed Him during His entire ministry. The Bible records many instances where the Lord healed people by casting out demons.

However, much of the Body of Christ has swung from ignorance to a very weird extreme. That’s why many “spiritual warfare” teachings and practices today actually credit the devil with abilities and powers he doesn’t really have.

Satan Is a Defeated Foe!
Satan is a factor. He does hinder what God has already done in the spiritual realm from manifesting in the physical realm. It is important to learn how to resist the devil and take authority over him. But I want to make it crystal clear that Satan is a defeated foe! The only reason he’s able to do anything is because of our own ignorance, unbelief, and fear. Although the Body of Christ today has come to an awareness of the devil’s existence, they have remained, for the most part, functionally ignorant of Satan’s true devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Between Your Ears
The book of Ephesians was written from the standpoint that everything has already been done. It’s just a matter now of possessing what God has already provided, not trying to get him to give us something new. With this in mind, let’s look at how Paul winds this letter down in the last chapter.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:10–12

These verses make it very clear that we are in a battle – and those who don’t believe it are destined to lose!  We are in a battle, but it’s not out there in the heavenly places. We are fighting demonic powers – and they do exist in heavenly places – but the battlefield (place of engagement) is your mind.

Notice verse 11: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Wiles are lies, cunningness and craftiness. All of these words imply that. He doesn’t have actual power of his own to force anyone to do anything. We must surrender ourselves to him first. Therefore, the devil is really a non-factor to those who know and understand the truth.

Satan is absolutely a defeated foe! He has zero power to do anything. All he can do is deceive you through wiles, cunningness, craftiness, and lies, and then use the very power you surrender to him against you. That’s why ignorance is so expensive! The devil’s goal is to keep you ignorant of the truth and believing his lies.

After soundly rebuking the Corinthians for falling into all kinds of weird things, Paul confided: But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3)

Notice all the words denoting deceptive practices: “beguiled,” “subtlety,” and “corrupted.” Satan comes against us by corrupting our minds from the simplicity that’s in Christ. In other words, he tries to make us think that the gospel is harder than it really is.

Why did Satan choose the serpent – the craftiest animal on the face of the earth – to come against Eve? Because the devil knew he had absolutely no power to force or intimidate Adam or Eve into anything. He had to deceive them instead! (Genesis 3:1)

Satan’s only power is deception!

Satan started the deception by asking, “has God really said…?” (Genesis 3:1). He challenged the Word of God. It’s the truth of God’s Word that enables us to seek God, yield to Him, and resist the devil. If Satan hadn’t challenged the Word and gotten them to question and second–guess it, his temptation would’ve gone nowhere. The serpent didn’t come to force or intimidate but to deceive.

The devil says, “Oh sure, God loves the world. But what makes you think he loves you?” Then he gets you into feeling and trying in some physical, natural way to discern whether or not God loves you. There you are on the devil’s turf in the physical realm not understanding from God’s Word that in the spiritual realm, it’s already done. Because you don’t feel loved, and you don’t have any goosebumps, you pray, “Oh God, please pour out Your love in my life,” which is actually a prayer of unbelief!

Satan loves to hinder people from coming to the Lord, but his only “power” is deception and lies. The devil can’t keep you from doing anything. If he could, he would have kept you from being born again.

Instead, all he can do is taunt you and immediately afterwards say, “you didn’t get it, you didn’t get it!” He can’t stop you from doing anything! Satan can’t do anything to you without your current consent and cooperation.

The devil would rather you not be born again, but now that you are saved, the next best thing is to persuade you to say, “Oh sure, God can do all these things, but he won’t do them for you.” Satan loves that!

Satan comes to believers and says, “If you really such a great Christian, why don’t you have this and do that?” The devil will condemn you over what you don’t have and try to keep you focused on just the physical realm.

But the truth is, in the spirit, you already have everything. The key to seeing what you have in the spirit manifest in your life is believing and acknowledging it.

That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

The way you get your faith to work is by starting to acknowledge the good things in you in Christ!

However, most Christians say, “there isn’t any good thing in me!” And point to Romans 7.  “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18)

You need to understand the parentheses to properly interpret this verse. This wouldn’t have been a true statement had Paul left out “that is, in my flesh,” because in him dwells God Himself – and everything God is and had given him – which is good. But Paul specified his flesh – his physical, carnal, natural, not born–again self. It’s fine for a Christian to understand that in their flesh – apart from Christ – they are nothing. But in Christ, they can do all things and much good dwells within.

To live in victory, you need to be focused on who you are in Christ!

Satan aims his warfare here. He specifically targets your understanding and acknowledging of who you are and what you have in Christ. All he has are lies and deception. The devil doesn’t have any more power to make you fail in any area of your life then he had to make Adam and Eve fail. He has to deceive you.

The truth is, if you are born again, you do have everything. You are complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10) Everything you’ll ever need has already been given to you. You’re not standing and fighting against some demonic entity with superior power and authority. Instead, all you’re doing is combating his lies and deceptions – the same ones he used on Adam and Eve.

Processes of Your Mind
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.

The battle against the devil is waged in your thoughts. That’s why God’s word is so essential! Satan’s only power is deception. He lies and represents himself as more powerful than he is. But truth is the antidote to deception.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”  2 Corinthians 10:3–5

Notice how our warfare is against thoughts, imaginations, strongholds, and knowledge that comes against the Word of God. These are all processes of your mind.

Satan is powerless unless you believe his lies and fall into his deception. Most Christians believe the devil has tremendous power and authority, much more than we do as physical human beings. That’s simply not true.

Satan is a defeated foe. Although he has been beaten, he walks about “as a warring lion… seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8)

The devil isn’t a true lion; he just walks around roaring like one trying to intimidate the Body of Christ. But the truth is, he’s had his teeth pulled, and all he can do now is gum you. Apart from the power you give him through believing his lies, Satan can’t steal anything from you. He uses ignorance, fear, and unbelief to oppress and destroy.

Chapter 14 – Delivered!
The devil is a factor, but not because he’s superior in power and authority. He deceives people, and they yield to him through fear. This is what actually empowers him. Satan takes a person’s own fear and uses it against them to eat their lunch and pop the bag!

My awareness of the spiritual realm increased dramatically in 1968 when I first became really turned on to the Lord. I not only realized that God was alive and well but also that many things happening in this world were caused by demons. The Holy Spirit showed me that many problems – especially sickness, disease, and emotional problems – were demonic in origin. So I started praying for people and seeing them delivered!

There was a period of time I inadvertently put too much of my focus on the devil. Since there were so many people coming to us for deliverance and so much demonic stuff happening, we were constantly talking about Satan. I found myself spending more time speaking to the devil in “prayer” then God (back then I prayed 2-4 hours a day). I knew something had to be wrong with that.

In Ephesians 6, all of the armor you use against the devil is for the front. There’s no armor for the back.

Too Much Credit
I was giving Satan too much importance in my life with all the time I spent binding and rebuking, learning about, and focusing my attention on him. The Lord showed me that I had glorified the devil and given him more power than he actually had. I immediately repented and decided that the best defense is a good offense. So I started being constant and bold in praising and worshiping God. I believed that if I kept my focus on the Lord, it would totally destroy Satan’s inroad into my life.

I had empowered the devil through my own fear and the undo emphasis I was placing upon him in my life.

This happens over and over again in the Body of Christ today. We’ve given Satan too much credit. He is a factor, going around seeking whom he may devour, but the only reason the devil can actually do something to someone is is because they empower him through their fear. Much of what is being taught as “spiritual warfare” today is ascribing to the devil more power and authority than he really has.

Satan has zero power and zero authority. All he has is deception.

“Spiritual warfare” conferences that ascribe to the devil great power and talk about having to bind ruling principalities over places before anything positive can happen are presenting ideas that are contrary to God’s Word. But these false concepts are actually causing many Christians to yield to and empower the devil!

Chapter 15 – The Triumphant Procession
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”  Colossians 2:13 – 15

Spoil means “to take everything of value from a conquered foe.” It’s not talking about fruit and meat that spoils and turns rotten. This kind of “spoil” is from the venue of conquest. It’s conquering an enemy and taking everything from them.

Satan, principalities, and all other demonic powers have been spoiled. Through the Cross and Resurrection, Jesus Christ stripped the devil of all power and authority. The first Adam may have surrendered it at the Fall, but the last Adam took it back at the Resurrection. Now Satan has no power or authority. His only weapon is deception. If you yield to the devil’s lies, he’ll use your power and authority against you!

Jesus absolutely defeated the devil at every turn. Christ destroyed “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” so that He could “deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15) Notice that it’s the fear of death that opens the door to bondage. Satan has no power of his own now. He can only come against you with deception. But Jesus has delivered us.

Have You Missed It?
There’s been a victory parade – a triumphant procession! The devil has been paraded through the Scriptures and shown to be an absolute zero with the rim knocked off. He’s a nothing!  The problem is that most of the Body of Christ has missed the parade – especially among the “spiritual warfare” people.

Satan is alive and there is a battle being waged, but it’s not in the heavenly’s with demonic beings who have awesome power and great authority. All the devil has is his tremendous ability to lie and deceive. Don’t glorify Satan! Don’t ascribe to him power he doesn’t really have! Stand against his lies and believe the truth. Focus your attention on God, not demons. The true battle is in your head. Therefore, remember the parade!

Yes, there are demonic powers. Yes, there is a hierarchy of demons. Yes, they are assigned to specific places. But it’s a wrong application to preach that the reason more people aren’t being born again and set free is because we haven’t prayed and done enough “spiritual warfare.”

Old Testament versus the New
In the Old Testament, you’ll find different examples of individuals praying for certain cities and specific people. Abraham interceded for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses interceded for his siblings and the children of Israel. They pleaded for mercy with an angry God who wanted to execute judgment for sin. However, that’s very different from today.

There is a huge difference between what happened in the Old Testament and what happens now in the New. In the Old Covenant, Jesus had not yet made atonement for our sins. He hadn’t yet gone to hell for us and become our Eternal Intercessor. (Hebrews 7:25)

Therefore, it was appropriate for these Old Testament saints to ask for mercy, because mercy wasn’t yet totally given. It was being shown in measure, like it was on credit and not the actual transaction. The atonement had not yet been made.

But on this side of the Cross, there’s a huge difference in the way we relate to God. God is pouring out mercy and grace today, not wrath. (2 Corinthians 5:19) he’s not imputing men’s sins unto them. It’s absolutely wrong to think that God is angry at us because of sin and that he’s ready to judge this nation. It’s incorrect to believe that God is about to unleash judgment unless we repent and the intercessors unite to beg and plead with him to stay his wrath. Jesus Christ already atoned for all sin. He is the Intercessor to end all that kind of intercession.

Tragedies and terrorist events happen, attacks happen, but that’s just sowing and reaping. Sowing bad seeds and reaping a negative harvest is different from God sending His wrath. God’s not bringing judgment on people in this day and age. The time is coming when He will, and he’ll be just in doing so. But during the church age, He’s releasing mercy and grace.

New Testament Intercession
A New Testament intercessor recognizes that God has turned from His wrath because of the atoning work of Jesus Christ. There is now no need to beg him for mercy the way Moses did. Jesus atoned not only for our sins but “for the sins of the entire world. God has turned from His wrath and is now extending mercy and grace to all people everywhere.”

To pray, “Oh God, turn from Your fierce wrath. Oh God, pour out your power. Please, move.” Is to deny the atonement and intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a huge difference between the way intercession was done in the Old Testament and what happens now in the New. Much of what’s being taught today as “intercession” and “spiritual warfare” is absolutely and Old Testament mentality. It’s anti-Christ. It’s denying the truth that Jesus spoiled the devil of all power and authority. It’s glorifying Satan. Basically, it’s just people who missed the parade!

The Antidote for Deception
True spiritual warfare is fought on a personal level. You resist the lies and deception of the devil. This is primarily done through knowing the truth.  “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

Understanding the truth is the antidote for deception.
Deception’s power and strength comes from the fact that you don’t know you’re deceived. But once you realize the proper standard – the truth – deception immediately loses its power.

If someone were terrorizing and threatening to kill you, you would be afraid. However, if I showed you that person’s corpse, your fear would immediately leave. Once you know the truth of their demise, their threats would no longer intimidate you.

God’s Word is truth. (John 17:17) I take God’s Word and meditate on it. Through the Word, I love God and commune with Him and stay positive by constantly seeking Him. I also fellowship with the Lords people. These are just some practical ways that I personally wage spiritual warfare. The best defense is a good offense!

Praise is a very powerful weapon against the devil! It literally drives him out. He can’t stand to be around the praise and worship of God.

Once every couple months, I will rebuke and bind the devil over something, but it’s not because he has this awesome power coming against me. It’s just that the battle in my mind – my thoughts – has become so intense that I verbalize my resistance, saying, “I rebuke these thoughts in Jesus name. Satan, you have zero right and zero power over me!” But most of the time, I don’t ever have to say anything out loud. I just counter the lies that come my way with truth and continue in constant praise.

This might not be aggressive enough at first if you’ve been dominated by the devil for a long time. If you are demonized and are trying to come out of it, you might need to emphasize, rebuke, and speak things aloud more. However, once you’re free, it’s fairly easy to keep that freedom just by speaking the truth.

Send in the Truth!
I used to just rebuke demons in other people when they came to me. But I’ve come to realize that if I cast a demon out of someone on my faith alone, I’m actually doing them a disservice. (Matthew 12:43-45) Those evil spirits will just come back on them again if they don’t know, understand, and apply the truth against the lies they once believed.

The best way to deliver someone is to tell them the truth. Instruct them in the Word of God. Teach them about the triumphant procession and their victory in Jesus. Help them understand God’s promises concerning their problem and encourage them to diligently apply this truth to their thoughts.

I could give you hundreds of testimonies of people who heard me preach the truth of God’s Word and were set free from demons without me even rebuking a devil. I’m talking about severe demonization’s – people who were non-functional or even doped up and in a mental ward – being completely delivered because they simply listened to the truth and received it in their hearts. They were set free without my even praying for them!

There are other times when I do cast demons out of people. Sometimes Satan has ingrained certain lies so deeply into someone’s thinking that they still need another person to pray and rebuke it even though they’ve seen and embraced the truth. That’s why I often cast demons out of people when praying over sickness, depression, and the like. The demons leave and the people get free. But I always impart some truth to them to use for their protection and to keep the devil from coming back again.

I wage spiritual warfare over a city or a country by sending in the truth. I do that by sharing God’s Word through television, radio, tapes, CDs, books, videos, and the Internet. As people hear the truth, their hearts open and become more receptive to the gospel. Then, I also go in – or send others who have been trained – to preach and teach the Word in person. True spiritual warfare is bringing the truth of God’s word to people!

Andrew Womack