Spiritual Warfare: Cosmic Battle

Dr Alfonse Javed
4 days ago
10 min read

Stay plugged in to God, the source of our strength, to stand firm against the power of darkness.

Ephesians 6:10-13 - 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 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 firm.

Do you ever feel that your life is a battle? No matter how hard you fight, one battle or another is always there, in the form of sin, stress, anxiety, depression, anger, sickness, joblessness, hopelessness, broken relationships, and the list goes on and on. If you feel that life is a never-ending battle, this mini-series that we are starting today on “Spiritual Warfare” will tell you that it is because of spiritual warfare that is waging against us from every side, by seen and unseen forces of darkness.

The problem is that most people have no idea that this cosmic spiritual battle is not limited to the unseen world but has a profound impact on our world, our lives, our homes, and our neighborhoods. They need to know it is all around us and it impacts every child, every man, every woman, every tribe, and every nation because we are born into an ancient cosmic conflict between powerful angels, some serving Satan and some serving God, some fighting for good and some fighting for evil.

Ephesians 6 outlined the nature of this cosmic spiritual battle that began before the foundation of the earth to show that what happens in the spiritual reality impacts our physical reality.

The big idea is that the Christian life is not a playground, but a battlefield where every believer is responsible to resist the devil. For this reason, we are not called to a life of comfort but to spiritual warfare in which the real enemy is not flesh and blood, but powerful, unseen forces of darkness that use flesh and blood for its purposes. Now, the question is, how do these unseen forces operate and what do we need to do to fight back?

Today in Ephesians 6:10-13, we start with the basic need to equip ourselves with the armor of God for the cosmic battle because that is what is needed to stand strong for the battle as we get training to fight, suit up for the battle as we get technique to fight, and stand firm in the battle as we get tactical to push back the forces of darkness.

Stand Strong for the Battle as We Get Training to Fight (Ephesians 6:10)

Notice that Ephesians 6:10 starts with the word, “finally.” Finally, because everything that has been said up to this point will not work unless we take our training seriously.

In Ephesians 1-3, Paul taught about our position in Christ.
In Ephesians 4, Paul wrote about divine principles by which we ought to live.
In Ephesians 5-6, Paul outlined daily practice in all sorts of situations.

Now, in the last few verses of the book of Ephesians, Paul wants the readers to be trained for cosmic spiritual battle. So, he writes, in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might,” where three Greek words for strength is used to emphasize the need of strength training.

The first word translated as “be strong” is endunamoó, which means to empower or to make someone strong. Its grammatical form in this verse indicates this empowerment is done to us and it is not meant to be a quick fix; rather, it is something that we must draw from regularly. The assumption is that all believers by nature are weak and unless they train regularly by practicing divine principles, they have no strength to stand against the power of the darkness.

The second word for strength is kratos, which is the extended power or dominion. That means any spiritual strength we may have to resist the devil is never ours because it’s extended to us; the source is not within us.

In Jude 1:9, we read, “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”

In certain circles of Christianity, people are taught this blasphemous judgment that usurps God’s authority and power to rebuke and pronounce judgement over the devil. We don’t have the power; we are the recipients of the power that is extended to us in Christ.

The third word is iskhoos, the forceful power and ability of someone. This is the source power, the eternal God who empowers us to stand strong. As long as we draw from Him, we remain strong. This power charges the full armor of God we must put on.

To get the most out of this daily strength training for the battle against the seen and unseen forces, we need to adopt the mind of a soldier who is being trained onsite. I say that because the text is written to believers who are already in the battlefield.

As a result, some had fallen to false doctrine, complacency, and the sin of indifference. It is ironic that in Ephesians 1:15, Paul commended the Ephesians for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love toward all the saints, but about 30 years later in Revelation 2:4, the resurrected Jesus spoke against the Ephesians and said, “I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

This is why standing strong is the first basic training that we need to stand against the power of the darkness. We cannot do that without being regularly plugged into the source of power.

It is like trying to charge your phone without plugging it in. Even though it may be perfectly designed and full of potential, without power, it’s useless. The same is true of our spiritual lives— when disconnected from God’s power, we become helpless before the forces of darkness.

Application

Don’t fight in your own strength— draw from God’s power and stay “plugged in” to His strength because you will run out, but God’s never does.

Suit Up for the Battle as We Get Technique to Fight (Ephesians 6:11)

In warfare, training for strength still needs proper technique to fight the enemy. In spiritual warfare, we need technique too. So, Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

This is not a call to fear, but to readiness. So, what is the armor of God? Based on what we have studied and what we will study later in Ephesians 6:14 onward, the armor can be the armor that God Himself wears, God Himself, or God’s provision for believers so that they may stand against the schemes of the devil.

Nevertheless, the purpose of the armor is to prepare, protect, and provide for us. However, for that we need to take intentional steps.

First, notice the language, “put on.” That means it is something we must do intentionally to prepare ourselves deliberately for the battle.

Second, notice the word “whole armor.” It indicates you cannot wear a particular weapon. It is full body armor that you need 24/7 and it is empowered by God’s strength.

Third, notice the word “schemes,” in Greek methodiea. This is where we get the English word, methods. It implies calculated deception.

First Peter 5:8 says our enemy “… the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” However, he doesn’t always come roaring like a lion— sometimes he comes in subtle temptations, distractions, and doubts. He has one objective— to kill and destroy.

The word, “schemes,” in verse 11 indicates the devil is strategic. His attacks are well calculated and tactical. Therefore, we need to be trained in spiritual warfare with tactical weapons. In Ephesians 6:14, onward we will learn how each weapon in the armor of God is designed to shoot down the fiery darts of the devil.

For now, the important truth to remember is that Satan doesn’t just throw random attacks. He watches us carefully and waits for the perfect moment to attack and destroy.

The illustration that I can give you is of a guard who sits alert, fully armed. Imagine if he was not alert and had no weapon to fight. Many Christians try to fight spiritual warfare with the unseen enemy with worldly weapons— willpower, positivity, or self-help. That will not work.

Be aware of the schemes of the devil by understanding his nature. Satan is deceitful. If he was able to deceive Adam and Eve, he is able to deceive us too. He is a tempter. If he tempted Jesus in the wilderness and in the garden of Gethsemane to throw Him off his divine calling and mission, he will tempt us to falter us from our divine calling and mission.

Stand Firm in the Battle as We Get Tactical to Push Back the Forces of Darkness (Ephesians 6:12-13)

When you are dealing with a more powerful, more experienced, and more advanced enemy, you need to be more tactical. David was less powerful and less experienced, but he had a tactical advantage against Goliath. He was able to see that no one was able to see.

In 1 Samuel 17:47, he said, “and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.” The enemy didn’t know the young boy had been fighting more ferocious beasts than him. So, a mere stone brought the giant down.

In Ephesians 6:12-13, Paul wants us to get the tactical advantage over our enemy too. He writes, “12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 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 firm.

To stand firm, believers must stop relying on their own strength and competency. Instead, they are to fully embrace the armor God provides because without it, defeat is not just possible, it is inevitable.

Are you truly prepared for the battle you're already in? Your battle isn’t against people who annoy you, betray you, and hurt you; it is against unseen spiritual forces. If we connect this with Ephesians 6:1-9, then the enemy isn’t your spouse, your boss, or your neighbor. It’s the devil working behind the scenes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

That being said, the cosmic powers waging war against us are real demonic forces. They have been active ever since the war in heaven when Satan and his demons were cast down. So, these demons, the Bible teaches us, are real beings working for Satan. Some of them are so powerful that they have been locked away until the end times. Some of them are so powerful that they hold dominion over nations and regions.

We see an example of that in the book of Daniel 10:12-13. It reads, “12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia.”

I have no doubt that this area where we live is more of a hotbed of demonic activities than other areas of the United States because people are moving into this area from nations where millions of demons are worshiped as gods and they are bringing them with them, putting their shrines in their houses, business, and even their cars. We are not targeted by religious extremists— we are targeted by their demon gods who hate what God is doing in this church. They are fighting God's angels so that we may not receive the answers to our prayers. They are attacking God’s people. They need small cracks to get into our lives, families, marriages and our church.

Application

We are dealing with real cosmic powers, real demons and angels, so we must pray without ceasing, because when we pray God dispatches His armies to fight for us and with us.

As I close, let me share my personal encounter with demons to help you understand that demons are real and active in some places more than others. When I was about 15, one night, my brother and I were sleeping in my dad’s church building in Lahore, Pakistan. I felt this huge pressure on my chest that I could not lift. Someone was choking me, but I could not see. I tried to scream for help, but I couldn’t. I tried to reach my brother, but I couldn’t move. When I felt I was about to die, I decided to let go of my fear of death and the demon choking me and called on Jesus. I told Satan that he had no control over me, and in the name of Jesus, to depart from me.

Immediately the weight was lifted, I began to breathe and move. The point is that even though our unseen enemy is powerful, the name of Jesus is more powerful because He is the source of power. We are all in spiritual warfare, and in this cosmic battle, we need to stand strong, suited up with the armor of God, to stand against the schemes of the devil so that we may stand firm. Next time, we will talk about the strength, scale, and scope of the armor of God.

Action Step

Pray for your families, our church, and this area. God commands readiness, not passivity.

Appeal

Don’t underestimate or overestimate the unseen enemy. Remember if you are a true believer, demons cannot possess you, but that does not mean demons cannot use other means to distract and destroy you. So, stay plugged in to the source of your strength to stand firm against the power of darkness.

Study Questions

Why does Paul say, “finally” in Ephesians 6:10? What command is given in Ephesians 6:10?
What is the significance of “be strong in the Lord?” Is there a difference between the use of strong, strength, and might?
What does Ephesians 6:11 teach about spiritual warfare?
What does it mean that our struggle is not against flesh and blood in Ephesians 6:12?

Deeper Study Questions

In the Sunday message, we learned that we ought to draw strength from the Lord. In what ways are you drawing strength from the Lord— or are you trying to stand in your own strength?
In what ways are you fighting people— or are you seeing the real enemy?
In what way are you grounded in truth— or are you letting lies define your life?