God provides powerful protection for our inevitable skirmishes with Satan.
The year he turned 18, our son Brian was taken captive by Satan. No, he didn’t get involved in Satan worship or the occult. It wasn’t drugs or sex. Instead, he fell under the influence of existentialism, agnosticism, and nihilism — modern philosophies that drive many young people to commit suicide.
This ushered us into one of our longest, most traumatic periods of spiritual warfare. As years crept by, God used truths from His Word to rescue us from fear and unbelief.
The main Bible passage on how to resist Satan is Eph. 6:10–18. These scriptures give us a foundation for our beliefs about spiritual warfare and some powerful weapons we can use in battle.
Be Strong in the Lord
Paul begins with the command, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Mere human strength amounts to nothing when we face powerful spiritual enemies. It’s like throwing rocks at a Sherman tank. We need supernatural power in this war.
In Eph. 1:19–22 and Eph. 3:20, Paul speaks of the vast resources of God’s power — the same power God used to raise Christ from the dead and enthrone Him in the heavenly realms, high above all other powers. How does the Lord clothe us with this power? According to Eph. 3:16–17, He strengthens us with power through His Spirit, who is within us. Our part? We’re to choose His power rather than our own:
“Lord, I’m totally powerless against Satan and his helpers. But my eyes are on You. How I rejoice that You live in me! You are infinitely greater than the evil one who is in the world (1 Jn. 4:4). I praise You that Your strength is made perfect in weakness, and that victory is not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit. I depend on You to strengthen me as I resist the devil. By faith I can overcome him.”
We’re also strong for battle because we’ve been raised up and seated with Christ. We share His position of power. We don’t have to strive toward a possible victory; we can live from a position of victory already won by Christ.
Eph. 6:12 mentions briefly the powers that influence and control our secularized world. It also mentions the evil powers that exist above the earth. But the focus of the passage is on being strong in the Lord who has overcome these powers, on wearing our armor, and on remaining strong until the battle is over.
The Whole Armor of God
God’s provisions for winning our battles include armor — simple, ordinary armor, but armor that our spiritual enemies cannot penetrate.
Romans 13:12–14 says, “Put on the armor of light … clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” As you experience Jesus within you and express Him in your character, you wear the armor.
What does this armor look like?
The first piece is the belt of truth. Truth directly opposes Satan, the father of lies. Often the battlefield is our minds, where our spiritual enemies plant all kinds of doubts and false ideas about God, ourselves, and life — and about Satan and his demons. Truth helps us see through false beliefs and values.
To put on the belt of truth as we dealt with Brian’s captivity, we dug into the Scriptures, seeking a richer knowledge of God. As we got a grip on God’s Word, its truths got a grip on us. We found new strength in truths about God: that He’s good and loving and wise, that He places limits on Satan, and that His power is so great that His enemies cringe before Him. And in truths about ourselves — our new identity and exalted position in Christ and our need to depend on God.
Righteousness is our breastplate, our coat of mail. We are right with God now and forever! We are alive with the righteous life of Christ. Once and for all He has removed our sin and guilt (Romans 8:1, 2 Cor. 5:21). When we believe this and rejoice in it, Satan’s accusations will glance off our “breastplates” and fall away.
As we watched Brian drift away from God, Satan would assault us with thoughts that we had failed as parents. I (Ruth) would combat this with the truth that God had blotted out my past failures. I did a lot of heart searching, confessing as the Lord gave new insights — and asking Brian’s forgiveness for ways I had failed him.
Righteous character and actions are another part of the breastplate. When we consistently say no to our sinful desires, the devil gets no opportunity to gain a foothold in our lives (Eph. 4:17–32).
The gospel of peace is our protective footwear. In ancient days, when Israel’s army had won a battle, a runner would hurry to report the news of victory and peace. We are equipped with far better news: Christ’s victory over sin and Satan (Col. 2:15, Eph. 1:19–21). He has won the war! As we learn how to proclaim the news that God offers forgiveness and friendship with Him, now and forever, we are able to set people free from Satan’s control.
During the time of Brian’s struggles, we continued to share the gospel with unbelievers and affirm its truths to believers. We found great comfort in having peace with God — intimate friendship with this all-sufficient One.
The helmet of salvation protects our minds. Salvation is a victorious word that embraces our past, our present, and our future. We have been delivered from the guilt and punishment of sin (Jn. 5:24), we are being delivered day by day from the power of sin (Romans 6 and Romans 8), and, in the end, we will be delivered from the very presence of sin.
This hope of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8) gives us the happy certainty that God has planned a magnificent future for us. What a morale booster! This hope, this confident expectation, is not a luxury; it’s a basic necessity for overcoming the enemy. Without it, we might be disheartened by the enemy’s frequent attacks.
When discouragement about Brian threatened to set in, the helmet of salvation protected us, giving us assurance that Christ is the great Savior, the great Rescuer. We knew we were on the winning side and that the Lord would triumph.
We’re also to take up the shield of faith. In Paul’s time, the soldier carried a huge shield that protected his whole body as he crouched behind it. Our shield is faith — simply believing what God has said about Satan and his defeat. About how to glorify God, even in the midst of trials and spiritual struggles. And about Himself, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, who fills us with power for obedience and service.
As we thought about Brian, again and again we’d choose a position of faith. We trusted God to work in us and in Brian, fulfilling His purposes when and as He chose.
Praising God is a great way to strengthen faith. We’ve found it helpful to use psalms of praise (such as Psalms 145–150) and cassette tapes of praise music.
In our other hand, we’re to take the sword of the Spirit. The Spirit’s sword is sharp and full of living power (Heb. 4:12). For maximum effectiveness as soldiers, we must become experts in using our swords. We must keep them ready for use when we’re tempted, when we pray, and when we serve.
Jesus is our model for using God’s written Word as a sword to ward off the enemy’s attacks (Mt. 4:4–10). We, too, can use Scripture in our spiritual warfare — verses we have “soaked in” and memorized. Then, in each battle, the Spirit can bring a suitable truth to mind.
Time and again we used truths that the Lord had made ours in special ways — sometimes “new” truths, sometimes old standbys. Often the Holy Spirit led us to Isaiah 49:24–25 ( NAS ) to help us refocus on the Lord and His promises:
“Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?” Surely thus says the Lord, “Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, and the prey of the tyrant will be rescued; for I will contend with the one who contends with you, and I will save [rescue] your sons.”
Or we used 2 Chron. 20:15, “Do not be afraid or discouraged … For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” As the years stretched on, we discovered Isaiah 49:23: “Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame” (NAS).
Putting on the Armor
These pieces of armor represent basic elements in our walk as obedient Christians. Some of us may even be wearing the armor without fully realizing it. Yet we are safest when we meditate often on Ephesians 6 and use it as a prayer list and a checklist — a reminder to choose the thoughts and actions consistent with each piece of armor.
There are no shortcuts, no simple formulas, for using the armor. Each believer needs to pore over the armor passage (and related passages, including the rest of Ephesians) for himself so that rich, personal meaning can break through. We must let these truths grip our hearts.
This is particularly important when we sense a definite attack or feel the enemy may be getting the upper hand. As we were working on this article, I (Ruth) sensed that Satan was resisting us. I felt an inner barrier against sitting down to work on it, and a strange series of events seemed to indicate satanic opposition.
Disheartened, I spent some time praying over Ephesians 6: “Lord, am I wearing all the armor? Are there special ways I need to use the weapons?” As I went through the passage point by point, the Lord reproved me here, encouraged me there. This led to some confession, some praise, some requests.
I prayed that in this trial God would thwart Satan’s desire to upset me, discourage me, eat away at my faith, and hinder our writing. I prayed that God would accomplish His purposes through using the article to help others and through refining and purifying my life (Job 23:10).
A great help in “putting on” these pieces of armor is to praise God for the tremendous realities they stand for. What confidence we can have as we wrestle against our spiritual enemies! In times of battle and in times of rest, we can exult and sing for joy (Ps. 149:4–6).
We’re not to hang our armor in some convenient closet, saving it for times of crisis. We’re to wear it all the time, alert to use our weapons during small trials as well as massive attacks.
Pray at All Times in the Spirit
In Eph. 6:18, Paul points us to another mighty weapon — warfare prayer: “Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people” ( New Century Version ).
Prayer is God’s heavy artillery in the battle against the invisible evil spirits who war against our souls and against God. As C.S. Lewis wrote, God is “calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” Prayer lets us operate behind enemy lines, softening resistance, confusing strategies, cutting off supplies, and defeating evil purposes. Prayer gives us constant opportunity to be on active duty in this spiritual war.
Praying the Word. As you pray against Satan, try reading out loud some of the Scriptures cited in this article. Many find that speaking God’s Word solidifies their faith and helps them thwart the devil’s attacks. Using the Word in prayer helps transform tentative, doubting prayer into bold, confident prayer. His Word increases our faith by revealing who God is and helping us fix our eyes on Him.
Some years ago I (Warren) co-labored in Vietnam with Vern and Elsie Betch. Their two-year-old son began waking up every night, terrified and pointing toward the window. A seasoned missionary suspected demonic activity. He suggested that Vern and Elsie go into their son’s room the next time this happened, read aloud some Scriptures on the Lord’s victory and power, and pray. After they did this, he slept peacefully every night.
In Jesus’ Name. The name of our Lord Jesus Christ is also vital to our praying. We approach the throne of grace on His merits, never on our own; we resist the enemy in His authority and His alone.
Jesus’ name is not a magical incantation. Instead, it stands for decisive truths about who He is and what He has done — His infinite power and love, His triumph through the cross and resurrection, and His reigning position, high above all other powers. Using His name invokes His authority over Satan and demons and stimulates our faith in His power. To keep from using “the name of Jesus” lightly, we like to review often the truths behind His name — we praise Him and pray about Eph. 1:19–21, Col. 2:14–15, and Rev. 12:9–11.
A Prayer of Victory
We defeat Satan not only as we pray against him but also as we pray for believers. Here’s a sample of how you can pray for others (and for yourself), in seasons of need:
Father, You know the intense spiritual struggle John is facing. Thank you that he knows You and has been growing spiritually. But it seems that Satan is trying to devour him — to draw him back into his old attitudes and habits. The devil has no right to do this, for on the cross Jesus won the victory over him and his evil army.
I praise You that You raised Jesus from the dead and put Him at Your right hand, “a place that is infinitely superior to any conceivable command, authority, power, or control” (Eph. 1:21, Phillips ). Thank You that I can come confidently to Your throne and ask You, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to stop Satan. Bind him, Lord, and thwart his purposes in John’s life.
Thank You that this is Your desire, too. Help me keep on praying for John and praising You as the Lord God All-powerful. Nothing is impossible with You!
Prayer was a vital weapon in our battle for Brian’s rescue. Yet God led us to pray against a premature, surface deliverance: “Lord, do all you want to in all of us through this battle, then deliver Brian.”
As we prayed, we sought to focus our prayers on God’s purposes and glory, not on our impatience or our preferences. In His own way and time, God delivered Brian from these satanic philosophies into a life that continues to glorify the Lord.
What about Demons?
Prayer and the “armor of God” are our most effective weapons against the enemy. What about casting out demons? We do pray that God will continue to raise up mature believers equipped to help demonized people find deliverance. However, though this is an important ministry, it should not become our main focus. Paul’s main thrust was proclaiming the gospel and building up those who had come to Christ; now and then he cast out demons.
Sometimes demons flock to ministries that give them excessive attention. (Like their master, they love the limelight.) When such ministries refocus on Christ and His major, worldwide purposes, demons seem to lose interest and seek out other opportunities.
We’re at War!
As we strive to advance God’s purposes, we will find ourselves at war with the spiritual forces of evil in this dark world and in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). But as we resist, as we wrestle against these invisible powers, we are not to be preoccupied with them. Instead, we are to focus on our victorious Lord and His purposes. The primary goal of our warfare is not to defeat Satan. It is to glorify God through advancing His purposes, near and far.
We need to know what God tells us about our enemy and his methods, and we must learn to stand against his schemes. But far more, we need a growing knowledge of God and His directions for our warfare.