“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God.” (2 Cor 10:4)
One only needs to turn on the news to realize that the enemy is using every weapon to accomplish his goal of destruction, especially against believers. He uses every tactic to harm God’s children—discouragement, deception, distraction, and, sometimes, outright physical harm. He will do everything he can to take down anyone who puts their faith in the living God.
Among many examples in the Bible, Satan used his weapons to derail the apostle Paul’s witness, his ministry in Corinth (as well as Galatia, Gal 5:2), and tear down the church itself. In response, Paul wrote two letters to the church.
Having already spent eighteen months in Corinth during his second missionary journey, Paul traveled to Ephesus. But soon after his departure, Paul received news that the church was struggling with immorality, prompting him to write his first letter, 1 Corinthians. Not wanting the church to get off course again, Paul sent Timothy to minister in his place, but he soon heard more news that the church was again under attack.
A group of self-appointed false apostles was trying to overtake the church. These “apostles” scorned and vilified Paul to discredit his character, abilities, and direct apostolic calling. The chaos caused Paul to pause his work with the Ephesian church and head immediately back to Corinth.
Second Corinthians 2:1 tells us Paul’s visit was painful and not entirely successful or pleasant. His letter refers several times to one of the false apostles openly insulting him (2:5-8, 10; 7:12) and the Corinthians not coming to his defense. Saddened, Paul returned to Ephesus and wrote a letter to the Corinthians, what many scholars now call the “severe letter (2:4).”
Months later, Paul met Titus, who told him the Corinthians had repented of their rebellion. But Paul knew that rebelliousness still likely simmered under the surface, prompting him to write a third letter to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians) in which he defended his apostleship (ch. 1-7) and encouraged them to confront the false apostles (ch. 10-13).
Paul later returned to Corinth (12:14; 13:1-2) and discovered that his letter had successfully repelled the enemy’s attack on himself, the church, and the gospel itself.
Satan’s Plan of Attack
Satan’s attacks on Paul and the church are not uncommon. One only needs to go to Genesis 3 to see that the enemy has been wielding his weapons since the Garden of Eden, and they continue today in every faithful believer of God.
Satan tends to have a predictable pattern of attack: He approaches stealthily and then appeals to them by making them believe there is something better. He sows doubt by making the believers question what they know and trust.
Thankfully, believers do not have to sit down and endure the attacks. We are not unarmed. God provides us with our own set of spiritual weapons.
The Armor of God
One common weapon believers have is found in James 4:7 and Ephesians 6:14-18.
“Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
How does one resist? We take up our weapons, a few of which Paul describes in Ephesians 6.
“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 wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Eph 6:13)
God does not intend for believers to wear the armor of God occasionally; it is to be worn daily throughout one’s life. They include:
- The Belt of Truth– a commitment to the truth of God’s word
- The Breastplate of Righteousness– always behaving in reverent obedience to God’s righteousness and holiness
- The Shoes of Peace– sharing the gospel with others (Mt 22:38-39) and being an agent of peace in all situations
- The Shield of Faith– having complete trust in God’s words and promises
- The Helmet of Salvation– never forgetting that your salvation is eternal (Jn 6:37-39, 10:27-29; Rom 5:10, 8:31-39; Phil 1:6; 1 Pet 1:3-5)
- The Sword of the Spirit– the word of God
When we correctly wear the armor of God, He promises that the enemy’s attacks will not succeed; He will flee. But he is not the only one.
As James writes, believers should also flee directly to God. We must draw near to Him. When we do, God promises to draw near to us, wrapping His protective arms around us until the attack passes.
The Weapon of Worship
Another potent weapon is our praise and worship. Satan cannot tolerate such a robust defense. Second Chronicles 20 gives one example in which the Moabite and Ammonite armies sought to overtake Israel, but God gave King Jehoshaphat a plan.
Jehoshaphat gathered the Israelites and commanded them to fast, pray, seek God, and worship Him. God’s response was lovingly reassuring.
“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you.” (2 Chr 20:15, 17)
On the day of the battle, the king positioned the choir—clothed in sacred attire in honor of God’s holiness—to march ahead of the army, singing, “Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever (2 Chr 20:21).” Just as God promised, the enemy armies turned on each other, destroying each other before Jehoshaphat’s army ever arrived. “No one had escaped (v24).”
Placing the choir in front of the army took great trust and obedience. But God reminds us to stand still and experience His might. There is great power when we praise and worship the almighty God, Jehovah.
The Power of Prayer
Worship goes hand-in-hand with prayer. It is our direct line to the throne room of God. With such unrestricted access, believers have a constant weapon at their disposal. Anytime the enemy shows up, one only needs to call out to the Lord. Prayer is powerful.
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)
“Call to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.” (Jer 33:3)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” (Eph 6:18)
The late Dr. Charles Stanley famously said, “Fight your battles on your knees, and you will win every time.” The power of prayer is always a mighty weapon against the enemy.
The Weapon of the Cross
Yet another weapon in a believer’s arsenal is the cross. Jesus’ sacrifice opened a gateway to salvation and eternal life. It now continually supplies power to every follower of Christ.
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made you alive together with Him, having forgiven all your trespasses…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.” (Col 2:13-15)
Jesus nailed our sins to the cross, which completely disarmed Satan and his evil angels. Their plans are defeated, and they no longer have any hold on those who put their faith in the Son of God.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” (2 Cor 2:14)
Satan will always try to make us question our salvation or if God will take it away if we sin. But God reminds us to put on our helmet of salvation (Eph 6:17) and hold on to the fact that our salvation is secure because of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross.
The Name Above All Names
The name of Jesus is another mighty weapon against the enemy. It is a name above every other name that has ever existed.
“Therefore, God also has exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.” (Phil 2:9)
Jesus’ name describes His essential, eternally timeless nature and places Him above and beyond all comparison. As the God-Man, He is all-powerful over every enemy, and that power is available to us when we call His name.
Paul goes on to say in Philippians 2,
“At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (v10-11)
God created the entire universe to worship Him as Lord of all, including the enemy Satan and his demonic forces (1 Pet 3:18-22). The word “confess” is better translated as “affirm,” and we can be sure that Satan will ultimately agree that Jesus is more powerful than him.
Despite his best efforts, Satan knows the battle is already won. Nevertheless, he continues his quest for destruction.
The Word is Our Sword
A sixth incredibly powerful weapon a believer has is the word of God, the Bible. It is our “sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17).”
The Greek term for the sword mentioned in Ephesians 6:17 refers to a small dagger. As both a defensive and offensive weapon, the Bible is our weapon against Satan’s attacks and eliminating his evil strategies.
Recall that Jesus used Scripture when Satan directly confronted Him in the wilderness in Matthew 4. Each time, the Lord did not argue or put up a fight; He only quoted Scripture, each time saying, “It is written.”
Jesus sets a good example for all believers. Whenever the enemy attacks—which can be any time and place—we have the power of God’s word to defend ourselves. However, this weapon does not work if we do not have His word embedded in our hearts.
It is vital that we have God’s word in our hearts so that we can adequately defend ourselves. And the only way to do that is to read it often and repeatedly.
Memorization is not necessary, though it is helpful. Simply being familiar with what God says about you and His promises is enough to make the enemy flee. But it takes commitment to getting to know our Lord and Savior and developing a personal relationship with Him.
The Greatest Weapon of All
A believer’s arsenal of weapons is sufficient for any demonic attack. But the best weapon of all is God’s grace.
When Adam and Eve took Satan’s bait and ate the fruit, God set His plan of redemption immediately into motion, a plan that had been in place ever since the moment Satan rebelled (Is 14:12-21).
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her Seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Gen 3:15)
God’s plan was Jesus’ death and resurrection. Those who accept His gift of grace walk in victory and freedom from every enemy stronghold (Jn 8:36) and enjoy the promise of eternal life with Him. Satan is completely defeated because of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross and our faith in that work.
“And they overcame [the enemy] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Rev 12:11)
Because of our sinful nature, we cannot save or adequately defend ourselves from demonic attacks. But when we come to faith through grace (Eph 2:8-9), God supplies us with a bounty of weapons—the cross, His name, praise and worship, prayer, and His holy word. Each holds immense power, but we can only experience victory if we put our weapons to use.
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom 8:37)
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 Jn 5:4)
