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Spiritual Warfare Bible Study by Paul Cook Introduction Over the years that I’ve been walking with Christ, I’ve sensed my own need to have a more solid understanding of spiritual warfare. In the Christian community there has been a great deal written and said about spiritual warfare over the years. Some teachings are scripturally based, some are experientially based and others combine both scripture and experience. I believe that experience, though valid, should ultimately be tested against the scriptures. The primary goal of this study is to explore the wealth of information that scripture gives us concerning spiritual warfare. It provides practical applications of spiritual warfare for daily living. It will also address these questions:
Suggestions for doing the study
Take your time in answering each question. Consider what the Lord desires to teach you through each scripture. Feel free to explore the wider context of the scripture references as needed. It will help you to retain the study points if you print out the study and write the answers down as you go. To compare your answers with mine, you can refer to the complete study document, which includes my responses. You may also find it helpful to take notes in a journal as you go. Look up the Bible verses! Even if you’ve memorized a verse or think you know the gist of it, I encourage you to read it again. Sometimes the Lord reveals new meaning to verses when we reread them. Each Bible verse in the study has a hyperlink to an online Bible for your convenience. If you have any questions concerning the study or find a typo, please contact me through my website at www.porn-free.org. Outline I. Introduction to Spiritual Warfare…………………………page 6 A. What is Spiritual Warfare? B. Origin of the conflict 1) Before Man 2) Creation of Man 3) The Fall of Man and Satan’s assumption of power 4) Mission of Jesus Christ, the 2nd Adam, restoring dominion to Man C. Spiritual warfare today
II. Basic Training…………………………………………….page 12 A. Purpose B. Kingdoms in Conflict 1) God’s kingdom a. Characteristics b. The Commander in Chief c. Angels d. People 2) Satan’s kingdom a. Characteristics b. The commander c. Forces i. Evil angels ii. Demons &
evil spirits b. Purposes c. Response to spiritual warfare iii. People C. How the enemy attacks us 1) Tempt through lust of eyes, lust of flesh and pride of life 2) Steal, Kill and Destroy 3) Oppose the Gospel of Christ 4) Veil the mind from the truth 5) Weaken faith in God
III. Spiritual weaponry………………………………………page 26 A. Foundational weapons 1) The Authority of Christ 2) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit B. The Armor of God 2) Armor specifics a. Shield of Faith b. Helmet of Salvation c. Breastplate of Righteousness d. Belt of Truth e. Feet shod w/ preparation of the Gospel of peace f. Sword of the Spirit 3) Putting on the Armor C. Other spiritual weapons 1) Hope 2) Praise 3) The Blood of Jesus 4) Love 5) The Gifts of the Spirit 6) Anointing with Oil 7) Prayer 8) Fasting D. Using your spiritual weapons 1) Proper context for spiritual warfare: submission to God’s will 2) Mindset for Battle 3) Case studies of spiritual warfare from scripture
IV. Warfare disciplines……………………………………...page 51 A. Our Trainer and trainers 1) God as the Master Trainer 2) People as trainers B. Disciplines to promote combat readiness 1) Having regular quiet times 2) Testing doctrine and spirits 3) Controlling thoughts 4) Exercising Godliness a. Physical & spiritual exercise compared b. Examples of how to exercise godliness 1) Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices 2) Serving others in love 3) Following the Holy Spirit 4) Controlling our thoughts 5) Controlling the tongue 6) Fleeing temptations and pursuing good things/behaviors 7) Pursuing holiness 8) Keeping watch over the heart 5) Continuous
Prayer b. Frequency of prayer c. Persistence in prayer d. Examples V. Battle Wounds & Recovery……………………………...page 63 A. Introduction B. Sharing in the sufferings of Christ (physical, emotional and spiritual) 1) Examples of suffering (emphasis on spiritual warfare) 2) What suffering accomplishes 3) How to go through suffering C. Recovering from battle wounds 1) Battle Damage Assessment 2) Unforgiveness & other sin 3) Rejecting the enemy’s lies 4) Reconnecting with the body of Christ 5) Seeking God for healing 6) Rest I. Introduction to Spiritual Warfare A. What is Spiritual Warfare? In general, spiritual warfare is the conflict between good and evil. It is the ongoing battle between two diametrically opposed kingdoms: God’s kingdom (good) and Satan’s kingdom (evil). Though it is inherently a spiritual conflict, spiritual warfare also manifests in the natural realm of flesh and blood. Humans are caught in the midst of this conflict and may participate in the struggle on either side. B. Origin of the conflict 1) Before Man The origin of the conflict between good and evil goes back before the creation of Man. One of God’s powerful angels, Lucifer, played a key role. 1. Read Ezekiel 28:12-13. What are some details about Lucifer’s original character and appearance?
2. Please describe Lucifer’s original position in heaven and on earth according to the below verses:
Lucifer’s first mistake was that he entertained sin in his heart. Ezekiel wrote, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you” (Ezekiel 28:15 NIV). 3. Read Ezekiel 28:17-18. What were Lucifer’s sins and how did they affect him?
4. What were the five things Lucifer purposed to do? Isaiah 14:12-15: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
5. Read Revelation 12:3-9. What did Lucifer apparently do to some of God’s angels? :
6. What did God do to Lucifer (and his evil angels) because of his sin / rebellion?
Isaiah 14:12,15, Revelation 12:7-9:
Lucifer was in the Garden of Eden in the form of the serpent. Apparently he had already rebelled against God, becoming Satan (i.e. The Adversary). His goal was to deceive Eve and ultimately Adam. 2) Creation of Man 7. Read Genesis 1:26-27. In whose image and likeness did God create humans?.
8. Read Genesis 1:26,28, Psalm 8:4-8. What authority/power did God give to man?
3) The Fall of Man and Satan’s assumption of power
9. Read Genesis 3:17-19, 2 Peter 2:19, Romans 5:6,12-14,17,20-21.What were three things that happened as a result of Adam and Eve’s sin? 1. 2. 3.
10. Read Romans 8:19-21. How was the rest of creation affected by Adam and Eve’s sin?
11. What power and authority did Satan gain after deceiving man? For each verse, please write the aspect of Satan’s power and authority it reveals:
With such an array of powers, it is easy to see how many people might fall under Satan’s influence. Thankfully, Jesus Christ came to undo the works of the devil and bring salvation to all those who would believe on his name. Let’s examine Christ’s work and how it affects those who believe in him.
4) Mission of Jesus Christ, the 2nd Adam, restoring dominion to Man 12. How was Jesus like a second Adam? Read the following passages and comment on what they reveal about Jesus:
13. Read 1 Corinthians 15:22-28. As a “second Adam”, what are Christ’s objectives from now until the end times?
14. Read Luke 4:18-21. What were 5 of Jesus’ initial mission objectives as he began his earthly ministry? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. One of the first things people noticed about Jesus in the beginning of his ministry was that he preached the word of God with authority (Luke 4:31-32). Next, he demonstrated that authority in many different ways. 15. For each verse, briefly write what Jesus did: Luke 4:33-37,41, Luke 8:26-33:
16. What did Jesus “inherit” as a result of his victory on the cross and his resurrection?
17. What did Jesus accomplish on the cross for those who believe in him?
It is awesome to think that we are co-heirs with Jesus, with all the authority and power that he has (see question #16 answers). Unfortunately, some Christians don’t fully understand the scope of their inheritance in Christ, or worse, they understand it but don’t believe it. As with many aspects of the Christian walk, faith is the key to moving into our inheritance. 18. Read Matthew 28:18-20. What mission did Jesus confer upon us as his believers to carry out on earth?
19. Read Genesis 1:28. How is our mission similar to Adam and Eve’s mission prior to The Fall?
C. Spiritual warfare is occurring today Satan is certainly opposed to our fulfillment of God’s mission, as it will ultimately contribute to his final demise. As expected, Satan attacks people in a variety of ways in hopes of destroying their faith, alienating them from God and sabotaging them with temptation. 20. Here are some examples of ways in which Satan attacks people. For each verse, write a short description of the attack described.
Those are just a few of the many ways that Satan and his forces oppose God’s kingdom. We’ll further discuss enemy tactics later in this study. Though God has declared victory over Satan and his forces,
the process of bringing them under Christ’s feet is still underway (1
Corinthians 15:25). As members of God’s family and army, we have an
important role in that process.
II. Basic Training A. Purpose Now that we have reviewed the origin of the spiritual conflict between good and evil, we can begin the “Basic Training” of our preparation for spiritual warfare. In the previous section we learned how our enemy, Satan, opposes and attacks us in a variety of ways. As God’s adopted children through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive a commission in God’s army to continue the work of Christ in bringing every enemy under Christ’s authority. With that in mind, we are given several instructions concerning readiness for battle. 1. What instructions concerning battle readiness do each of the following verses give us?
We can assume that our enemy is well skilled in warring against mankind, and has about 6000 years of experience! Training is an essential activity for the warriors who hope to succeed in resisting the enemy and advancing God’s kingdom. In this section, we’ll explore some fundamental areas that we should be familiar with for warfare, including the forces, their capabilities and the enemy’s typical tactics. B. Kingdoms in Conflict In conventional warfare, military intelligence is often a key ingredient to victory. As spiritual warriors, it is important for us to understand the two kingdoms in conflict and the relative capabilities of each. 1) God’s Kingdom a. Characteristics Jesus used many parables to describe the characteristics of God’s kingdom. 2. For each of the scripture passages, please write the aspect of God’s kingdom that is described:
Mark 16:17, Philippians 2:9-11:
Jesus’ many parables illustrated a kingdom that was radically different from earthly kingdoms. This difference is especially evident in the concept of greatness in the kingdom. In earthly kingdoms, military might, wealth and political power are typical measures of greatness. In God’s kingdom, such things are foolishness, as God has unlimited power and resources. So how is greatness measured in his kingdom? 3. Please read the below verses and write how greatness is measured in God’s kingdom:
Matthew 20:25-28, Matthew 23:11:
b. The Commander-in-Chief Read Ephesians 1:20-23 and Revelation 19:11-16. 4. Who is in command of God’s army?
5. What are some of the names he is known by?
6. Describe the commander’s current position and authority:
c. Angels Holy Angels are created spiritual beings that do God’s bidding. God can give angels great power and authority to carry out missions (ex. Revelation 18:1). I’ve listed below some of the typical missions angels are sent to do, along with an example from scripture. 7. For each verse, please briefly summarize what happened. Execute God's judgment on the earth
Other examples: Genesis 19:13, Numbers 22:22,31-32
Serve in God’s army, which may intervene in human conflicts
Other examples: 2 Kings 19:35, Joshua 5:13-6:5
Fight against Satan and his angels
Other example: Revelation 12:7-9
Help God’s people Helping God’s people is an angelic role particularly relevant to spiritual warfare. God’s angels are "flames of fire" that minister to Christians (Hebrews 1:7,14). 8. For each of the below verses, summarize how the angels assisted people:
Give instructions
Other examples: Acts 10:22, Revelation 1:1
Protect
Other examples: Psalm 34:7, Psalm 91:11-12
Respond to prayer
Other example: Matthew 26:53
Strengthen people
Other example: Luke 22:43
We should remember that God directs the holy angels (Psalm 91:11), not us. We are to pray to God, not to the angels. Many non-Christian religions involve praying to deities who in fact are not gods but demons or “fallen angels.” (ex. Deuteronomy 32:17). d. People People who believe and obey Jesus Christ are among the most effective troops in God’s army.
9. What is our identity in Christ?
10. Read 2 Timothy 2:1-4. What is our role in God’s army?
11. Read 1 John 4:4. What do we have in us that is greater than Satan?
12. What are we commissioned to do?
2) Satan’s kingdom a. Characteristics Satan’s kingdom is basically opposed to God’s kingdom in every way. 13. For each of the below verses, write the characteristic of Satan’s kingdom that is illustrated:
14. What are five objectives of Satan’s kingdom? 1. John 10:10:
2. Luke 4:6-8:
3. Ephesians 2:2:
5. Revelation 12:17:
b. The Commander As we studied previously, Satan was formerly the angel, Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), who was the covering cherub for God's throne (Ezekiel 28:12-16). Created perfect in beauty, Lucifer was full of wisdom. Lucifer became Satan, meaning the adversary, when he sinned by pride (Isaiah 14:13-14, Ezekiel 28:17). He was cast out of heaven to earth and now fights against God’s followers. He is the current ruler of the earth (Luke 4:5-6, John 12:31) and is referred to as the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2 NKJV). In addition to his typical work of stealing, killing and destroying, Satan accuses Christians before God day and night (Revelation 12:10). He is the “Father of Lies” and has been a murderer since the beginning of creation (John 8:44). He has authority, power and a throne (Revelation 13:2), and may give his authority over the earth to whomever he wishes (Luke 4:5-7). He will ultimately give his throne, his power and authority to the beast (Revelation 13:2). Even though Satan is a fallen angel, he still has power that we should be cognizant of. 15. What Satanic powers are mentioned in the following verses?
2 Corinthians 4:4, Revelation 20:2-3,8:
Satan’s power, though considerable, has notable limitations. 16. Please note how Satan’s power is limited according to the below verses:
Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26:
c. Forces Satan has a well organized group of forces to carry out his schemes on the earth. With the exception of people who serve his purposes, Satan’s forces are spiritual entities. 17. Read Ephesians 6:12. What are the various groups of evil forces under Satan’s control?
18. Who are these forces “wrestling” with?
i. Evil Angels Satan’s angels are involved in cosmic and human events, just as God’s angels are. Scripture suggests the number of Satan’s angels is one third of God’s original population of angels in (Revelation 12:3-9). Since there are "myriads and myriads" of God's angels, it follows that there is a large number of evil angels as well (Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 5:11). 19. Please briefly summarize the conflicts that evil angels were involved in for each of these references:
Some rebelling angels were imprisoned just before Noah's flood and now await final judgment (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6). 20. Read Genesis 6:1-6. What did these angels do to deserve incarceration?
21. Read 1 Peter 3:18-20. Who came and proclaimed his finished work to these angels while they were in prison?
22. Read Matthew 25:41. What will ultimately happen to evil angels?
ii. Demons/Evil Spirits While demons and evil spirits could be the same beings as evil angels, there are enough references to them in the New Testament to warrant further study. a. Examples By studying some particular incidents we can learn much about demons and evil spirits. 23. Read Luke 8:26-35. How were the demons able to communicate with Jesus? What was their demeanor as they confronted Jesus?
24. How had the demons apparently affected the man they inhabited?
25.What was the corporate name that the demons went by? Why was this used?
26. Did the demons obey Jesus immediately? If not, what did they do in response to his command?
27. What was the one place the demons definitely did not want to go?
28. From the demons’ bargaining attempts, what can we conclude about the “home” they preferred to inhabit?
29. What does the final condition of the man tell us about how the demons had affected him?
Mark’s account of the Gerasene demoniac gives us further details. Read Mark 5:1-13. 30. What additional details do we find concerning the demonized man’s strength?
31. What did the man do constantly, night and day? What did he do that was self-destructive?
32. How many demons were in the man?
Jesus took a few moments to teach about evil spirits, while replying to the Pharisees’ request for a sign. Read Matthew 12:43-45. 33. When an evil spirit leaves a person, where does it go and what does it look for?
34. What are two reasons it returned to the person it left?
35. How did the evil spirit regard the body of the person it left?
36. What reason does Jesus suggest or imply for the spirit being able to re-enter the house?
37. Who does the evil spirit recruit to come with it when it re-enters its host? How is the host person affected?
38. In summary, what does Jesus’ explanation tell us concerning the characteristics and capabilities of evil spirits?
b. Purposes of demons and evil spirits From the examples we just studied, we can get a feel for the purposes of demons and evil spirits. From the story of the Gerasene demoniac and Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 12 we know that one purpose of demons is to torment their victims, even to the point of causing death. This may not be their main objective, however, as torment could simply be a means by which to achieve a “higher” purpose. We find a hint of such a purpose in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Read 2Timothy 2:24-26. 39. What had happened to the people in opposition to Paul?
40. Considering that Satan’s forces serve him, what can we
surmise concerning a purpose of demons based on the above scripture?
41. Read Ephesians 2:1-3. What Satanic work in mankind is revealed in this passage?
42. Again, assuming that Satan’s forces assist him in this work, what purpose might demons have when inhabiting or influencing people?
As we have seen in the examples we’ve studied, demons tend to be communal and defensive of their territory. With the Gerasene demoniac, the group of demons named “Legion” resisted being cast out. The Matthew 12 demon recruited seven additional demons to come and live with it in the host. We also know from Mark 16:9 that Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene.
43. From a military perspective, what might be the purpose for multiple demons inhabiting a location / host?
44. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. What are our spiritual weapons intended to “pull down”?
A stronghold can exist where a person has allowed sin to rule his or her life or simply has tolerated its existence. By repeatedly sinning in a given area, a person builds a stronghold, which then in turn may allow demons to enter. 45. Based on the examples we’ve studied, what are some ways that demons might reinforce strongholds in people?
46. One final purpose that demons and evil spirits fulfill is illustrated in Acts 16:16-18. What purpose did the evil spirit apparently have?
c. Responses to spiritual warfare As we’ve seen in previous examples, demons resist being expelled in a variety of ways. One of the reasons for this is that they apparently vary in power level. Let’s examine another example which illustrates this. 47. Read Mark 9:17-29. What did the spirit do when it saw Jesus? Why do you think it did this?
48. How did Jesus deal with the spirit? How did the spirit respond?
Matthew’s account of this story reveals some additional information. 49. Read Matthew 17:19-21. What were two reasons Jesus gave for the disciples being unable to cast out the demon?
From Jesus’ reply we can conclude that some demons are “stronger” than others.
A final point concerning demons and evil spirits concerns their “recognition” abilities. 50. Read Mark 1:23-24. Who did the demons recognize?
51. Read Acts 19:13-16. By whose authority did the Jewish exorcists attempt to expel the spirit?
52. Who did the evil spirit claim to know or recognize? Who did they not recognize?
53. What was the implied reason that the spirit was able to beat up the exorcists and chase them away?
54. What can we conclude about evil spirits’ recognition abilities?
iii. People: People can knowingly or unknowingly further the plans of Satan by doing evil. 55. Read Matthew 13:24-30,36-43. What two groups of people does Jesus describe in this parable?
56. What were the implied missions of the sons of the wicked one?
Perhaps the most dangerous sons of the Devil are those who pose as church people. By infiltrating God’s people, they may gain positions of trust and respect, from which they can do great damage to the body of Christ. 57. Read 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. What types of positions do Satan’s servants seek in ministry?
We find a detailed description of false prophetesses in Ezekiel 13. Working somewhat “under cover,” these women were practicing magic against God’s people. God instructed Ezekiel to prophesy against these false prophetesses. 58. Read Ezekiel 13:17-23. What were some of the notable things that these women were doing?
Jesus called a group of Pharisees and Scribes sons of the Devil in John 8. 59. Read John 8:38-47. What were the Pharisees and Scribes doing that indicated they were sons of the Devil?
The Devil’s sons are not all trying to masquerade as followers of Christ. Paul encountered such a person in his ministry on the island of Cyprus. 60. Read Acts 13:8-10. What two things did Elymas the Magician do?
61. Speaking through Paul, what did the Holy Spirit say about Elymas?
62. What were Elymas’s ongoing evil efforts aimed at doing?
Satan is perhaps a master opportunist. Though he has many dedicated servants, he apparently uses unwitting people often to carry out his will. We find examples of this in scripture. 63. For each example below, please summarize how the people served evil purposes:
We should also take a moment to consider the spiritual powers that the Devil’s servants can potentially wield. 64. Read Exodus 7:8-24 & Exodus 8:5-6. What 3 feats were Pharaoh’s magicians able to accomplish? There is one final “force” that can work to further the Devil’s purposes in every person. In fact, the devil crafts his temptations to appeal to this force in hopes of persuading us to sin. This enemy has the greatest potential to ruin our walk with God and destroy our lives. 65. Read James 1:14-15 & 1 Peter 2:11-12. What or who is this enemy?
66. Read Matthew 15:19-20. What is a source of our inherent evil desires?
C. How the enemy attacks us The devil uses many tactics to accomplish his mission. By studying examples of the devil’s tactics from scripture, we can better recognize them when we face them in spiritual warfare. 1) Tempt through lust of eyes, lust of flesh and pride of life Tempting through lust and pride are perhaps the more obvious ways that Satan and his forces attack us.
67. For each verse below, write down a short description of the temptations used:
2) Steal, Kill and Destroy In teaching about the Good Shepherd, Jesus contrasted himself with false shepherds who were thieves. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). As the ultimate thief, Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy God’s people, just as the thief did to the sheep in Jesus’ metaphor. Let’s consider some examples from scripture of Satan’s work in these areas. 68. Read the below examples and briefly describe what was stolen, killed or destroyed:
3) Oppose the Gospel of Christ Another way the enemy attacks is by opposing the Gospel of Christ. Satan opposes the Gospel in order to stop it from strengthening and expanding God’s kingdom. The Gospel is the truth that sets people free from the bondage of sin and enables them to become the sons of God they were created to be. This greatly threatens Satan’s kingdom. Let’s examine some examples of his opposition to the Gospel. 69. Read the below examples and briefly describe the tactic used to oppose the Gospel:
Colossians 2:8, 2 Timothy 2:17-18:
4) Veil the mind from truth One tactic that is particularly effective in warfare is to veil or blind the mind from truth. Satan has notable power to deceive people, i.e. to influence what people see and believe. Let’s look at some examples of this “mind control” in the scriptures. 70. For each scripture, please describe how people’s minds were influenced:
5) Weaken faith in God Our faith is potentially a very powerful weapon against the enemy. When we believe God and his word, all things are possible to us. It makes sense therefore that one of Satan’s strategies is to weaken our faith in God. He does this in a variety of ways. 71. Please read the below passages and describe how the enemy (and his forces) tried to weaken people’s faith:
Luke 8:13, 1 Thessalonians 3:4-5:
III. Introduction to Spiritual Weaponry A. Foundational weapons 1) The Authority of Christ Having studied the kingdoms in the conflict and the enemy’s tactics, let’s now study our spiritual weapons. Perhaps the greatest weapon we have is the authority that God has given us through Jesus Christ. 1. Please write down the aspects the authority in Christ that God has given us in each of the below passages:
Matthew 18:18-20 (for additional insight, read the Amplified translation):
2) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit In addition to the authority of Jesus, God has given us the Holy Spirit. 2. For each passage below, write the functions of the Holy Spirit that are mentioned:
3. Read Acts 13:6-12. In what ways did the presence of the Holy Spirit in Paul influence what happened?
Armed with the authority of Jesus and the Spirit of God living in us, we have many additional spiritual weapons at our disposal to fight the enemy. It is up to us to learn about these weapons and use them. If we wait for a crisis to get familiar with our weapons, our lack of skill will likely result in our defeat. Our enemy is a highly skilled adversary and his forces are experienced veterans. They know our weaknesses and how best to exploit them. God calls us to be good warriors, trained and skillful in using the weapons he has given us. 3. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. What does the Bible say about our spiritual weapons? What are they capable of doing?
B. The Armor of God 1) Introduction Like the “general issue” gear that a new soldier receives when enlisting, the Armor of God is a foundational group of spiritual weaponry. Primarily defensive in function, the armor increases our endurance on the spiritual battlefield. 4. Read Ephesians 6:10-18. What are the 7 components of the Armor of God? 5. Read Ephesians 6:11. What is the purpose of the Armor of God?
2) Armor Specifics a. The Shield of Faith 6. What are two definitions of faith presented in the below verses?
2 Thessalonians 1:11 (Amplified):
7. Considering the Hebrews 11:1 definition, why is faith a key ingredient for the entire set of the armor of God?
8. Read 1 Peter 1:3-5. Our faith hooks our shield up to what power source?
9. Read Ephesians 6:16. What does the shield of faith do?
10. Read Psalm 91:2-10. What are some examples of the “arrows” the enemy may send our way?
11. Read Mark 9:23-25 & Hebrews 12:2. If our faith is weak, who can we ask for help in strengthening our faith?
12. Jesus used several illustrations to show the potential power of faith. Please read these two examples and summarize:
b. The Helmet of Salvation The helmet of salvation covers our heads which contain our minds. Our minds are highly significant in spiritual warfare. 13. For each passage below, please describe the aspect of mind’s significance to spiritual warfare:
14. Read 2 Corinthians 4:4. As we studied previously, what has Satan done to the minds of many people?
Our salvation through faith in Jesus brings us justification and peace with God (Romans 5:1-2), such that we can have eternal life with God (Romans 6:23). It also gives us access to God’s throne so that we may petition him by prayer, without fear of judgment (Hebrews 4:15-16, Hebrews 10:19-22). The value of having open access to God cannot be understated, yet so often people fail to make use of that access through prayer. Prayer is one of the ways we engage God’s protection that comes with the helmet of salvation. 15. Read Philippians 4:6-7. Please describe how prayer engages the protection of the helmet of salvation.
16. Read Isaiah 26:3. What is the key to remaining in God’s peace?
17. What are three or four ways you can foster a God-focused mindset?
c. The Breastplate of Righteousness 18. Read Genesis 3:7-10. When Adam and Eve sinned, what was their initial reaction?
In a sense, Adam and Eve lost their “spiritual covering” by sinning, because God’s glory (i.e. righteousness) no longer clothed them. Their sin caused separation between them and God, which ultimately led to them being driven out of the garden. 19. Read Isaiah 59:15-17. Who was the man whom God sent to first put on the breastplate of righteousness?
20. How did righteousness affect this man? (verse 16)
Jesus was the first Son of God who made the way possible for us to become sons (gender neutral) of God through faith in him. With that in mind, we too can put on the breastplate of righteousness. 21. Read Philippians 3:8-9. What is the source of the righteousness in our breastplate?
Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are “re-covered” with God’s righteousness and have peace with him.
22. What significant “spiritual organ” does the breastplate protect?
23. Read Proverbs 4:23. Why is the heart so important?
One of the traps people sometimes fall into is trying to earn God’s acceptance by being good. No matter how hard we try, we can not earn righteousness that God will accept. Through faith in Christ, however, God confers righteousness upon us. Though we can’t earn our salvation by being good, God still expects us to live in a righteous manner out of love and devotion to him. 24. Read Romans 6:13. How are we to “present ourselves” each day?
d. The Belt of Truth 25. Read John 17:17. God’s word is the Christian’s source of truth. What does God use it to do in us?
26. Read John 8:31-32. What effect does truth have on us when we know it?
27. Read John 8:31-32 AMP. What is the key to knowing the truth?
28. There are several practical actions we can take to foster our abiding in God’s word. Please read the below verses and summarize the action taken:
29. How will knowing the truth help us fight temptations?
30. Read John 16:13. What “helper” has God given us to assist us in knowing and clinging to the truth?
e. Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace The Amplified Bible explains the meaning of this piece of our armor:
"And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace" Ephesians 6:15 AMP
31. Read Romans 5:1-2. What is the “Gospel of peace”?
32. Read Ephesians 2:18-19. In addition to having peace with God through Christ, what other benefits do we enjoy?
Knowing we are members of God’s own family, with direct access to him should help us stand confidently in battle against the enemy’s forces. We have his resources at our disposal!
33. Read Philippians 4:6-7. When trials, tribulations and other challenges come up in our lives, how are we to respond?
f. The Sword of the Spirit 34. Read Ephesians 6:17. What is the Sword of the Spirit?
To better understand the Sword of the Spirit, let’s examine the meaning of the Greek words Logos and Rhema, which are often used for the "word" of God in the New Testament:
Applying those definitions, using the Sword of the Spirit is verbalizing specific scripture verses (logos) to the situations we are facing. This can be done through declaration, prayer or song. 35. Jesus gave us a striking example of how to use the Sword of the Spirit in defeating temptations. Read Luke 4:1-13. Please describe what happened.
36. The Sword of the Spirit may also be used in general ministry activities such as prayer and preaching. Please write dow |