By Elizabeth Prata
Spiritual Warfare is real. Yet many Christians ignore this topic, which should be on our mind daily. After all, we battle the unseen realms in our own body as we kill sin in our flesh; we battle unseen spirits who tempt us; and we battle the world with its philosophies constructed by satan and his minions.
On the other side, the topic draws crazies who hyper-focus on it. We need to be balanced in our approach to any topic. Face it realistically, biblically, but not with excessive, out-of-balance focus.
The topic of spiritual warfare is outlined in many places in the Bible, but one of the most familiar is in Ephesians 6. That chapter outlines our armor available to us in the battle, which is specifically described.
While spiritual warfare is real and prevalent in our lives, and while it is a topic often addressed in the Bible, I’ve found few solid resources on it. The topic seems to invite twisted approaches, fringe ministries, lure crazies. So I compiled a few of the solid resources for you on the topic of Spiritual Warfare.
The synopsis for the book Spiritual Warfare in a Believer’s Life says, “Spiritual Warfare in a Believer’s Life is a practical compilation of sermons and teachings by Charles H. Spurgeon, England’s famous 19th-century preacher. The book cuts through mystical ideas to focus on how believers can use the power of the gospel to fight everyday discouragement, sin, depression, and spiritual opposition.”
Or listen to Spurgeon’s sermon on spiritual warfare being read here, or read along with the transcript, here
In this two part message, David Powlison sets forth a biblical demonology and explains the biblical parameters for battling the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare, audio part 1 https://ibcd.org/power-encounters-reclaiming-spiritual-warfare-part-one/
Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare, audio part 2 https://ibcd.org/power-encounters-reclaiming-spiritual-warfare-part-2/
Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare Notes/Outline part 1 Powlison-Power-Encounters-1.pdf,
Notes/outline part 2- https://ibcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Powlison-Power-Encounters-2.pdf
Book by Donald Grey Barnhouse- Book blurb: “In this series on The Invisible War: The Panorama of the Continuing Conflict Between Good and Evil, it explores the spiritual battle involving God, Satan, angels, demons, and humanity. Dr. Barnhouse explored a theme rarely touched upon by students of the Bible: the great conflict which exists in the spirit realm. Although almost entirely unrecognized by mankind, this warfare affects, in one way or another, the life of every person on earth and especially the life of the child of God.”
Read online at the Internet Archive Digital Library https://archive.org/details/invisiblewarpano00barn
Or buy the paperback, which is widely available.
Ligonier resource on Ephesians 6 and “The Church’s Warfare”, a message given by Stephen Nichols. The synopsis states, “Having redeemed us from sin, Satan, and death, God has enlisted us as soldiers in His army, calling us to wage spiritual warfare against the enemy until Christ returns and giving us armor and weapons for the battle. In this message, Dr. Stephen Nichols looks at spiritual warfare and the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10–20, guiding us in what it means to be strong in the Lord.”
the-end-time.org 