Lausanne World Pulse – Perspectives Articles – Spiritual Warfare: Arise, Fight, and Never Give Up!

By John Godson
June 2009

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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 6:10-12

The Christian life is spiritual warfare. Many Christians are prone to overlook or minimize this; however, we cannot run away from the fact that we are in a war. The day we decided to become disciples of Christ we declared war against the kingdom of the devil and all his works in our lives and in our communities.

This war is real. We can either decide to fight or be defeated. Many of us are not experiencing any warfare because we have long been defeated and the enemy doesn’t bother us anymore.

The picture Paul used in Ephesians was that of a Roman soldier who needed to be strong and watchful in order to be able to fight well. It is a picture of a soldier who needed to be careful and prepared at all times. Spiritual warfare is about overcoming the enemy, his temptations, and his traps. It is about winning new territories for God.

The reason why spiritual warfare is so important is that prayer is not only about talking to God; it is also about defeating the devil and his evil plans.

The reason why spiritual warfare is so important is that prayer is not only about talking to God; it is also about defeating the devil and his evil plans. The devil has a ministry. His 24/7 ministry is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. The ministry of the devil is to war against the purposes of God in our lives and in our nations. His main calling is to make sure as many people as possible go to hell, including you and me. His mission is make people doubt God.

The Bible is full of accounts of spiritual warfare, starting from Eden and ending at the book of Revelations. The Bible itself is an account of the warfare between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. We as human beings are the objects of this warfare. It is a war for our hearts and our loyalty. We have been given the privilege and power of serving as agents in waging warfare against the devil.

However, we may not be conscious of the spiritual activity going on around us and in our communities and nations. We participate in this warfare through our prayers and witness. Let us look at one of the few examples of warfare in the Bible.

Daniel and Spiritual Warfare

At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.” (Daniel 10:2-13)

This is a telling story about prayer and spiritual warfare. Daniel decided to seek God’s face in prayer and fasting. He prayed and fasted for many days; however, no response was coming. On the twenty-first day, the answer came through an angel who told him that the prince of Persia withstood the angel and delayed him. God had given an answer to Daniel from the very first day he started praying. The answer did not get to him until Michael came to help the angel to fight the prince of Persia who was the demonic prince over the kingdom of Persia. What would have happened if Daniel had stopped praying? His prayer brought help.

John Abraham Godson is a member of the Polish parliament. He came to Poland in 1993 as a missionary with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). He served as deputy chair of the Intercession Working Group of The Lausanne Movement between 2005 and 2010. He is married with four children. They make their home in Lodz, Central Poland.