7 Truths to Remember as You Deal with Spiritual Warfare

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. Contributing Writer
Updated May 02, 2024

Recently, I have had people reach out to me with questions related to spiritual warfare and it caused me to think about some things people often miss or forget regarding spiritual warfare. For that reason, I want to offer you seven truths to remember as you deal with spiritual warfare.

1. Spiritual Warfare Is Real

“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” (Ephesians 6:12).

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Spiritual warfare is a real thing. It is not imaginary or something made for Hollywood. It is real. We have an actual enemy and adversary who, if he could, would love to take us out or, at the very least, lessen our impact. He has not found success in taking us out, but he has done a pretty good job (with our help) of lessening our impact.

What you will discover in spiritual warfare is whether you win or lose has nothing to do with your enemy. It has everything to do with you. God has equipped you with everything you need to be victorious and win in spiritual warfare. While spiritual warfare is real, what is also real is you can win in warfare and don’t ever have to lose.

2. You Have No Reason to Be Afraid

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Even though spiritual warfare is real, because you are in Christ, you have nothing to be afraid of. Remember, God has told you about it and equipped you for it, so don’t be afraid. Not being afraid does not mean you don’t respect your opponent; it just means you won’t be intimidated by him.

3. Every Attack Is Not from Satan

One thing you must be careful with is blaming everything bad or negative that happens in your life on Satan. The old line from comedian Flip Wilson was “the Devil made me do it.” Sometimes, this is how we perceive spiritual warfare, that Satan himself is attacking. That is simply not true and honestly, it is not even possible.

While I don’t know the exact number of fallen angels or demons there are, there is only one Satan, and he cannot be everywhere all the time. Also, every negative thing that happens in your life is not from Satan. There will be times when God will allow things to happen so he can use them to help you grow and mature.

When Jesus walked the earth, there was a time the devil tempted him, but he was not in a continuous attack or constantly fighting with the devil. The same is true for you. There will be moments when you will actively engage in warfare, but there will also be times when you won’t. I suggest in your life that you focus on your relationship with Jesus more than your war with the enemy. The reality is you will spend far more time in relationship than you will in warfare.

4. You Cannot Be Demon Possessed

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I remember a trip I took to Maryland. We got to the hotel after midnight and we were exhausted. We just wanted to check in so we could get to our room. Even though we arrived so late, there was a delay because they were at full capacity. However, after waiting a little while, they finally gave us our room. We dragged all our luggage up to the room and when we opened the room door, to our surprise, someone else was already in the room. We had to go back down to the front desk, wait a few more minutes, and they eventually assigned us to another room.

The reason I tell you this story is that as a believer in Jesus Christ, your heart is already occupied. You are a temple of the Holy Spirit, and he lives in you. For this reason, you cannot be demon possessed. Think about it. Is a demon going to come in and kick God the Holy Spirit out of your life? No, that will never happen. When you are in Christ, you are not your own. You belong to him and there is no way a demon is going to take up residence inside you. This does not mean they won’t try to oppress you, but they cannot possess you.

5. Your Weapons Are Greater than His

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

In your spiritual warfare, please recognize that your weapons are greater than Satan’s. Every weapon you have demolishes and destroys the works of the enemy. These are not just the type of weapons to help you get by. These are the types of weapons to help you defeat and dismantle. When you go into the battle, recognize God equipped you with better weapons that will help you win.

6. Your Power Is Greater than His

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Not only do you have superior weapons, you also have superior power. I know we often give Satan a lot of credit and we must respect the strength of our opponent. However, you must also acknowledge that because the Holy Spirit lives in you, you are more powerful than he is. Now, don’t think this power is of your own accord because it’s not. But because you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you have more power than he does.

7. You Must Learn to Walk in Your Authority

Since you have greater power and greater weapons, all that is left is for you to learn how to walk in them. As great as it is to have power, it doesn’t mean a lot if you don’t have the authority to exercise it. In Christ, in spiritual warfare, you have the authority to wield all the power and weapons you have been given. The challenge for you and me is to make sure we learn how to walk in this authority.

A Concluding Thought

Sometimes in life, civilians are deputized. This means they are appointed and given authority as civilians to make an arrest. If you look at the original meaning of this word, it was applied when a deputy would give some of their power to someone who was not a police officer. By doing this, they could help the deputy. By deputizing them, they were empowering them to do a specific job.

Christ has deputized you. Jesus has shared his power and authority with you and has empowered you to win in spiritual warfare. It is disheartening for me to see people who are powerhouses walking in defeat because they don’t understand the authority they have in Christ. I challenge you today to discover and walk in the authority you have in Christ. He has given you everything you need to do the job and be victorious. As I said earlier, in spiritual warfare, whether you win or lose has nothing to do with your enemy. It has everything to do with you. Now you know why.

Take what you have been given and don’t just engage your enemy, defeat him. Because in Christ that is what you have been authorized to do.

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.