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C. Other Spiritual Weapons
In addition to the armor of God, there are a number of other important weapons for spiritual warfare.
1) Hope
Definition: “to cherish a desire with expectation of fulfillment; trust; to long for with expectation of obtainment; syn = expect” (Webster’s)
Hope is closely linked with faith, as hope expects fulfillment of what we are believing for. Our hope is, or should be, based on the various aspects of our salvation in Jesus Christ. In general, hope is the expectation of the fulfillment of God’s promises.
52. For each scripture below, write down the aspect of salvation that we can hope in:
2 Corinthians 1:10, Psalm 91:14-15:
The story of Abraham gives us insight into how hope functions and what it produces.
53. Please read Romans 4:16-22 and summarize how Abraham hoped and what happened as a result.
As we see in Abraham’s life, hope is faith in action; it is the employment of our faith.
54. Read Hebrews 6:18-20. How does the hope of salvation affect our soul?
55. Read Romans 5:1-5. What vital benefit does the hope of salvation give us for spiritual warfare?
56. Please summarize the additional benefits of hope in the following passages:
Psalm 42:5,11:
57. Losing hope can be devastating to us. From the below passages, what are some possible effects of losing hope?
Sources of hope
58. Read Romans 15:13. What is the Holy Spirit’s role concerning our hope?
59. Read Romans 15:4. What is another source that will encourage us in our hope?
2) Praise
Definitions:
Praise: “Glorify by the attribution of perfections” (Webster’s)
Praise is more than mere words. Hebrews 13:15 refers to praise as a sacrifice that we should continually offer to God.
60. Read Psalm 34:1. When did David say to praise the Lord?
61. Who should praise the Lord?
62. How are we to praise the Lord?
63. As a spiritual warfare weapon, praise can do many things. Please read the below verses and write what praise did/does:
Psalm 8:2 (NIV):
Psalm 22:3 (AMP):
64. The Bible has plenty examples of praise in spiritual warfare. Please read the below scriptures and write down the elements of praise mentioned and the results that followed:
2 Samuel 6:12-15, 2 Samuel 7:1:
65. Take a moment to evaluate your efforts at praising God. In what areas can you improve?
3) The Blood of Jesus
66. Read Revelation 12:10-11. What were the means by which the Christians (i.e. “brethren”) overcame Satan and the fear of death?
Just as the Christians in Revelation did, we too can use the blood of Jesus and our personal testimony of Christ in the spiritual battles we face. The late Derek Prince, a respected authority in spiritual warfare, explained:
“It is when we testify personally to what the blood of Jesus does for us that we can claim all the benefits that God has provided for us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Our bold, continuing personal testimony becomes the hyssop that applies the blood of Jesus to our lives.”
ref: Because of the Angels, The Climax of the Conflict, Letter from Derek Prince Ministries, February 2001
Note: Hyssop was a plant the Israelites used to sprinkle the blood on their doorposts during Passover.
67. Please read the below passages and write down what the blood of Jesus does for you:
Believing in all that the blood accomplishes, we can “pray it” or “speak it” in warfare situations. For example, after God healed me from the compulsion to view pornography several years ago, I continued to be hit with temptations periodically. One of the tactics I learned was to apply the blood when I realized I was being tempted. I would say (audibly or in my mind), “Satan, in the name of Jesus I rebuke you and command you to leave me alone. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who died for me and defeated you.” If the temptation persisted, I would then repeat “the blood of Jesus covers me” until it subsided.
4) Love
Using love as a spiritual warfare weapon may seem paradoxical, but it is in perfect harmony with God’s way of fighting battles. Before we attempt to use love as a weapon, we must understand how God loves us.
Jesus said that the greatest love is shown when a person will lay down his life for another (John 15:13). Jesus demonstrated that love, as well as taught about God’s love in several parables.
68. Read Luke 15:11-32. What does this parable tell us about God’s love?
69. Read 1 John 3:1. What manner of love is God’s love described here as?
When we combine these different pictures of God’s love, it gives us a better idea of how amazing God’s love is. Through Jesus, God laid down his life for us. As the Father of Jesus, God loved us so much that he allowed his Son to undergo a great deal of agony on our behalf. If we should fall into trouble such as the wayward son, we have the picture of a merciful, forgiving Father who will welcome us back when we return.
Following in Jesus’ footsteps, we have the important mission of showing God’s love to people.
70. For each of the below passages, write down the specifics of our mission of love that are mentioned:
Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27,35:
In short, love is to characterize everything we do (1 Corinthians 16:14). This is a difficult task, especially when we have to deal with enemies. Thankfully, God didn’t leave us on our own to come up with this supernatural kind of love.
71. Read 2 Timothy 1:7. How does God equip us to love others?
We have God, the God of love, in our hearts through the Holy Spirit; he gives us the power to love the unlovable
72. Read Romans 12:19-21. What happens when love is used in spiritual warfare?
73. John described an amazing process of love that results in fear being “driven” from us. Please read 1 John 4:14-19 and describe this process in your own words.
74. Read Romans 8:35-39. What are the things that can separate us from God’s love?
75. What are some practical ways you can practice love with the people in your life?
5) The Gifts of the Spirit
Though not always regarded as spiritual weapons, the gifts of Spirit can be instrumental in driving evil back and reclaiming lost territory for God’s kingdom. This is in line with our mandate from the Lord to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
76. What are the nine gifts of the Spirit (or manifestations) mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11?
77. What seven spiritual gifts are mentioned in Romans 12:6-8?
78. Read 1 Corinthians 12:7. What is the purpose of the gifts of the Spirit?
The gifts are given to build up or edify the Body of Christ. This can range from preparing people for spiritual battle to helping them heal from wounds received in warfare. When used properly the gifts of the Spirit will increase our battlefield endurance and reduce our recovery time from warfare wounds.
79. Read 1 Corinthians 12:11. Who decides what gifts are given to each person?
80. What specifics does the Bible give us in the below verses on the attitude we should have toward the gifts of the Spirit?
1 Corinthians 12:1, 1 Corinthians 14:1:
Since love is the foundation for the operation of the gifts of the Spirit, anything that detracts from love can be a possible corrupting influence on the gifts of the Spirit. Some examples include greed, lust, desire for power or control, love of men’s praise and fear.
81. What spiritual gifts do you think/know God has given you?
If you are unsure of what your spiritual gifts are, I encourage you to take a moment to ask God in prayer to reveal your gifts to you and teach you how to use them for his purposes. Here is an example prayer you can use:
Father in heaven, thank you for creating me with special gifts to minister to your people. I ask for wisdom concerning my spiritual gifts. Please reveal to me what my spiritual gifts are and teach me how to use them in the body of Christ. Please help me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit throughout the day and obedient to your convictions. Please protect me from the enemy’s deception and temptation. Father, I praise you and thank you for including me in your wonderful work on earth! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
6) Anointing with Oil
Anointing with oil is a physical act that we do to symbolize a spiritual dedication or consecration of a person, object or location to God’s purposes. As a spiritual weapon, it is a way of staking claim to a territory for God’s kingdom. Webster’s definition of consecrate is “To devote irrevocably to the worship of God.”
Oil is the most commonly used substance for anointing. In the Old Testament law, God gave a special, exclusive recipe for holy anointing oil. Under the new covenant, however, we see that other substances may be used for anointing as well. For example, Jesus anointed the blind man in John 9:6 with clay and spit!
82. Read Exodus 40:9-11,13,15. What did God instruct Moses to do with the tabernacle, utensils and priests to prepare them for God’s service?
83. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19. Under the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ, where is God’s tabernacle / temple?
As living tabernacles through Jesus Christ, we can use our bodies and possessions to honor or dishonor God. By anointing them, we consecrate them to serve God and not evil.
84. Anointing with oil can be a key element in the healing process. What do the following scriptures say concerning anointing sick people with oil?
85. In addition to church leaders and the disciples, who else may anoint people with oil?
When to anoint
86. Describe the occasions in which anointing was performed in the following verses:
Prior to using oil or any other substance, I ask the Lord to bless it and use it as a holy medium for his purposes. The significance of anointing is not in the substance used, but rather in the spiritual reason behind the anointing.
How to anoint
Matthew 28:19 & James 5:14 instruct us to anoint “in the name of the Lord.” Since we typically express the name of the Lord in the three persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we can say this when anointing:
“I anoint ___________ in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
When I anoint, I lightly wet my fingertip with the oil and make the symbol of the cross on the object while saying the words. I may then follow with a short prayer further expressing my intention. Again, it matters not so much what you do or say when you anoint as much as what your intent is spiritually.
We can anoint people, places and things to consecrate them to God’s purposes. Here are some suggestions of things to anoint:
People (family members, ministry workers, etc.)
Buildings (house, church, office, rooms, etc.)
Objects: Furniture (esp. beds), computer, monitor, TV/VCR, cars, gifts from others, etc.
Pets
87. Anointing is a significant act and should be taken very seriously. What warning was given in Leviticus 21:10-12 to the head priest?
Likewise, it behooves us to do our best to ensure that the things we anoint will not be used to dishonor God. We should honor the dedication we have made to the Lord when we anoint.
7) Prayer
We previously examined the benefits of praying in the Spirit. Prayer in general is a powerful weapon for spiritual warfare.
88. Read Luke 5:16. How frequently did Jesus pray?
89. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17. How often are we to pray?
90. There are many reasons to pray. The following passages highlight several of them which relate to spiritual warfare situations. Please read each example and then write down the purpose of the prayers that were offered.
8) Fasting
Christian fasting is primarily a tool by which we humble ourselves before God. Humility invites God to draw near to us and work through us as opposed to pride, which repels God from us (James 4:6-7). By denying our flesh its desires for food and/or water, we fortify our commitment to following God. It is a way of exercising our spirit’s will to serve God over the flesh’s will to serve sin.
91. Jesus expected that his followers would fast after he left earth. How do these two examples show that expectation?
Purposes and examples of fasts in the Bible
92. For each of the below Old Testament examples, please summarize the circumstances and the fast that was done.
There aren’t many examples of fasting in the New Testament, but there are some significant ones.
93. Read Matthew 17:14-21. How was fasting linked to the disciples’ failure at casting the demon out of the boy?
94. Read Acts 13:2-3. How was fasting used in this example and what were the results?
95. Read Luke 4:1-2. How was fasting involved with spiritual warfare in this example?
D. Using your spiritual weapons in warfare
1) Proper context for spiritual warfare: submission to God’s will
Now that we’ve examined our spiritual weapons, we should take a moment to explore the proper context for using them.
96. Read John 5:19. What general rule did Jesus use in determining what he would do each day?
Jesus completely submitted to the Father’s will. Part of the Lord’s prayer that Jesus taught included the phrase, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 KJV). Jesus ultimately surrendered his will to the Father to the point of dying on the Cross (Matthew 26:39,42). Likewise, we’ll need to surrender our will to God, especially when it comes to spiritual warfare situations.
97. Considering the below verses, what can happen if we take spiritual warfare into our own hands, using it for our own desires and purposes?
Even as redeemed people, we still must daily put off our old self and its sinful desires. Spiritual warfare is likely to generate temptations toward revenge, anger, pride and other destructive desires. If we yield to these destructive desires and attempt to wage spiritual warfare, we’ll undoubtedly be giving the enemy a foothold in us.
As an interesting side note, the occult realm often draws people seeking power and/or knowledge to use for their own purposes. This power and knowledge is real, yet people often don’t realize that it comes with the price of slavery to the devil.
98. Read Genesis 3:1-6. The temptation for power and knowledge beyond what God has given us appeals to our pride of life. How is this similar to Satan’s temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden?
As we considered earlier, Jesus demonstrated how to live for God’s will and avoid getting ensnared in carnality and pride of life.
99. Read Luke 4:3-12. How did Satan tempt Jesus to act on his own initiative, apart from the Father?
It behooves us to stay as close to God as possible and continuously look for indications of where he is working and guidance on what he wants us to do. This information may come through prayer, an inner impression, a word of knowledge or wisdom, circumstances, another person or the scriptures. Charging into the enemy’s camp on our own initiative without orders or covering from God could be disastrous for us and our families. Our presumption and pride could give the enemy sufficient footholds to counterattack in a variety of ways.
2) Mindset for Battle
It is very important for us to adopt a “kingdom mindset” if we’re to fully engage our potential as sons of God and be effective in spiritual warfare.
100. Read Matthew 6:25-34. As God’s sons (or children), what is to be our primary focus?
When we focus on the cares of the world or other carnal interests, our ability to wage effective spiritual warfare for God’s kingdom is diminished. Additionally, when we’re being distracted from God, we’re susceptible to hijack by the enemy.
101. As you consider your own situation, what are some areas of carnal distraction that you need to guard against?
102. Another important area is our attitude toward sin and temptation. What do the following scriptures tell us concerning the attitude we should have?
103. Since sin and temptation are clearly vehicles of the enemy, what are we to do with the sin that holds us back from living for God?
It behooves us to adopt a “no mercy” attitude toward the sins that entangle us, especially in areas that we’ve dabbled with in the past. We can no longer give pet sin and temptation a place in our lives, especially if we’re planning to wage spiritual warfare for God’s kingdom.
104. As you consider your weaknesses, are there any areas of sin and temptation that you have been tolerating? If so, what radical actions can/will you take to rid yourself of them?
3) Case Studies in Spiritual Warfare
Let’s now look at some key examples of spiritual warfare to see how the weapons can be used. For each example, please answer these questions:
105. 2 Kings 6:8-23:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
106. 2 Chronicles 20:1-30:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
107. Ezekiel 13:17-23: This example shows a rare glimpse of how occult powers can be used against God’s followers, and in some cases even cause death!
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
108. Daniel 10:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
109. Mark 5:1-13:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
110: Mark 9:14-29:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
111. Luke 4:1-13:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
112. Acts 13:1-12:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
113. Acts 16:16-18:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
114. Acts 16:19-34.
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?
115. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6:
Who was fighting?
What spiritual weapons were employed?
What enemy tactics were used?
What happened?