Waging Spiritual Warfare

In 1944, during World War II, the Allied forces believed they were on the verge of victory. The enemy was retreating, and the war seemed almost won. Soldiers began to relax, thinking the worst was behind them. But then, in December of that year, the German army launched a surprise counterattack—the Battle of the Bulge. It was brutal, catching the Allies off guard, and for a moment, the tide of war seemed to shift. Victory had seemed certain, but they had underestimated the enemy.

Many Christians live as if the battle is over—that once they place their faith in Christ, the war is won and the enemy defeated. And while it’s true that victory is ultimately ours in Christ, the fight is far from over. Scripture warns us that we have a real enemy who is actively working against us, seeking to destroy our faith, our families, and our mission.

Peter’s audience was experiencing this firsthand. They were under persecution, suffering for their faith, and facing an enemy who wanted to see them fall. But Peter reminds them that following Christ isn’t just about receiving grace—it’s about enlisting in a spiritual battle.

This morning, we’re going to look at four ways we wage spiritual warfare, because the truth is, if you’re a believer, you’re already in the fight. The question is: Are you prepared for battle?

1 Peter 5:6–11 NASB95

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

It’s not easy to live as a Christian in a hostile world. Last week we talked about experiencing grace through humility. The church needs humble leadership on the part of the pastors and the pastors need humble followers. As we are humble and gracious toward one another we will also experience the grace of God.

We champion the truth that through the work of Christ on the cross a person’s sins are forgiven. Pardon is purchased and grace is extended. We are invited into the family of God where we experience fellowship with him as our father and fellowship with each other as brothers and sisters. But as brothers and sisters we are not merely called to exist in harmony with one another. We are enlisted into God’s armed forces and expected to do battle with the enemy.

Scripture teaches us that we are in a fight. We are at war against evil forces. When we chose to place our faith in Christ, we switched sides, and when we did, the enemy started coming for us. Romans 6 tells us we no longer live to give ourselves over to sin, but instead present ourselves to God. Ephesians 6:10-18 tell us to put on the full armor of God so we can stand against the devil’s schemes. If we were not at war, we would not need armor. In 2 Tim 2:3-4, Paul calls Timothy a soldier of Christ. He also tells Timothy in 1 Tim 1:18 to wage the good warfare. So today we are going to talk about how to wage spiritual warfare according to Peter.

Because an invitation to join the family of God is also enlistment into his armed forces, we are expected to wage spiritual warfare. We do so by doing the following:

Submit to God’s command.

The first thing Peter says to do in for his readers to humble themselves. Humility is a choice. You can humble yourself or God can humble you. It is a lot better if you choose to humble yourself before God does it. Jesus said whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. The word therefore connects us back to the previous verse where Peter quoted Prov. 3:34. God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. In light of this fact, the audience is invited to humble themselves as a means of experiencing the grace of God. If we will do so, then we will be exalted at the proper time.

Verse seven concludes the sentence calling the audience to cast all their anxiety on him. Why? Because he loves us. What do you think the original audience was anxious about? Physical persecution is never fun. Suffering is never easy. In the midst of it, our concern is often to everything we can to minimize it or eliminate it altogether. Our only concern is to make the pain stop, which is understandable. But simultaneously we should see that God also has a purpose in the pain. Sometimes he allows it for our own chastisement as we saw in 4:17. Sometimes he allows it to get the church where he wants them to go, which we see in the case of the early church and Saul. As persecution broke out in Jerusalem, the church spread into other territories. It may be that something similar drove these people to the provinces they are in. If the church is too comfortable, God might allow persecution to get the church finally ready to do what he has been wanting them to do all along.

Humbling ourselves means that we recognize God’s sovereign rule over all things including our own lives. He is the commander in chief. He is our commanding officer. No authority exists that is higher than his authority and we are called to submit ourselves daily to his authority. The life we live is no longer lived for ourselves. It is lived for Christ. Waging spiritual warfare insists that we continually recognize God’s authority and submit ourselves to his leadership.

Imagine a military that did not follow the commands of its officers. A military cannot function if its soldiers decide for themselves what the proper course of action is. It would be a disaster. In the same way, when we decide we can run our lives and churches how we want to, we are effectively telling God he is not in charge here. I know the temptation is to try to deal with our anxieties ourselves, but God knows far more about our circumstances than we do. We should be reminded and comforted by the fact that he loves us so much that he would send his son to die for us and redeem us that we can trust him with the things that matter to us the most. Are you worried about your life? Cast it on him. Are you worried about your kids’ lives? Cast it all on him. Are you worried about your grand kid's lives? Cast it all on him.

How are you consciously submitting yourself to God’s command every day?

Stand guard against the enemy.

We have seen the first command in verse eight before. To be sober-minded is more than just abstaining from drugs and alcohol. It is more than sobriety. It is about what sobriety offers: a clear head. When our minds are clear and focused, we have resolve. We become unwavering. The second command is to be on the alert. That is, watch out! The enemy is always moving. He’s like a lion seeking someone to devour.

We should expect the enemy to be active at all times. The trouble with spiritual warfare is the enemy never sleeps. He’s always busy and he never takes a day off. The good news is neither does God. You and I might need sleep, but God is always fighting on our behalf. But we must be watchful and prepared for the enemy to strike. The devil doesn’t play fair and he’s been at this a lot longer than we have. But that should not concern us. Why? Because God has already given us everything we need to take our stand. We just have to be brave enough to do it. Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us to put on the full armor of God so we can stand against the devil’s schemes. Then Paul proceeds to tell us about the armor.

In ancient times when cities had walls built around them, there would be watchmen stationed on the walls whose duty was to stand on the wall gazing intently out into the horizon. They were looking for signs of trouble. Their responsibility was to identify danger and warn the city before trouble could get to them. This was an important job. It was this watchman on the wall job that God gave to Ezekiel the prophet in Ezekiel 3:17-21. But we also need to realize that this is every Christian’s duty. We must all be on the alert and stand guard against the enemy. He us coming after us, our kids and our grandkids. A lion is an efficient killing machine. The devil is an effective destroyer.

What is the most effective tool the devil uses in America today? I contend that it is the art of distraction. Think about it. His mission is to thwart the advancement of the kingdom of God. Our is to advance it. In one of the richest countries in the world with access to so many goods and services, all he has to do is distract you. If the devil can get you binge watching Netflix, Disney plus, or Hulu instead of going out and building relationships with lost people, he is successful. If the devil can get you buying a bigger house, a better car, or the latest phone so it continues to siphon money from your paycheck so you have no margin for ministry, he is successful. If the devil can distract you with vacations and and experiences he is successful. Please understand that none of those things are inherently bad. But when they take over our priorities, they become such. If we are so busy with other things that we have no time for ministry, then there is no margin. Where there is no margin, there is no ministry. Where there is no ministry, the devil is successful.

So we can’t be surprised when the enemy comes after our families and our marriages. We can’t be surprised at the level of corruption in government. We can’t be surprised at the things our kids face. We can’t be surprised at the false ideologies being presented in kids shows anymore. We should expect it and stand guard against it. We must anticipate the devil’s attacks because they are already happening. Waging spiritual warfare is maintaining a watchful eye for the enemy’s strike.

If the devil’s greatest weapon is distraction, what in your life right now is pulling your attention away from God’s mission?

Hold the line in battle.

Because the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, our response must be to resist him! If you don’t want to get eaten, you gotta hold the line. A lion can run up to 50 miles per hour. The fastest human being, Usain Bolt, runs at atop speed of 27 miles per hour. You aren’t going to outrun a lion, and you aren’t going to outrun the devil or one of his minions if they set their sights on you. So if you cannot outrun the enemy, what do you do? You stand your ground. How do we do that?

Our resistance is an active engagement with the enemy. We have picked up our shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and we trade blows. As the enemy advances, we defend. We defend and attack not with physical weapons, but with the truth of God. We defend by knowing what we believe and why we believe it. We go on the offense when we make truth claims that dismantle the devil’s lies. We don’t give up and we don’t give in. We hold the line. We join with our fellow brothers and sisters in the fight all over the world knowing they are fighting too. We use that for inspiration to keep going no matter what.

The lion may be able to outrun you, but the lion has low stamina. He is a deadly predator, but he can’t maintain top speed for very long. The lion rests for up to 20 hours per day! Here’s what that means for us. The dark forces we fight are not limitless. The devil is not the evil version of God. He is not all powerful, all knowing, or ever present. He is in one location, has finite knowledge, and finite power. He is going to get tired. James 4:7 says,

James 4:7 NASB95

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

If you hold the line long enough, the attack will cease. You can’t give up. You can’t give in. Stand your ground, trusting in the Lord and you will be victorious.

What is one area in your life where you’ve been retreating instead of resisting—and what step will you take this week to stand your ground in faith?

Fix your eyes on victory.

After we have suffered for a little while, because our life is but a blip in the grand story God is telling, God himself, who is gracious and has called us to His eternal glory will do four things. It is best not to read these as four distinct actions but on four elaborations to convey one meaning. Just as we might use a series of synonyms to convey the true meaning of something, these words are effectively achieving the same purpose.

In verse ten, God is going to perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. What we want to see here is the assurance of victory. Christ has already secured ultimate victory. His side wins the war. But for now, we continue to do battle, trying to wrestle people out of their prisons and take territory from the enemy. This is not easy to do. It is difficult. But our striving against dark forces is the battle we fight. We win not when we stop the fighting, but when we stand against the devil’s army long enough that they retreat. Jesus was tempted by the devil himself in the wilderness. When the devil wasn’t making any progress, he fled until he could regroup and try again. For us, that’s winning. I only have to last long enough that the battle is over and God will strengthen and restore me until the day I go home or the day Christ returns.

The problem is this is not the way we fight the war most of the time. Most of the time we seek to merely survive where advancing God’s agenda is not a factor. We know that our future hope is secure, but we often lack trust in God to do something scary. If we rock the boat too much we will receive backlash. If we offend someone, maybe they will be turned off from the faith. But the reality is that they are already turned off from the faith. If they weren’t turned off, they would probably be Christian!

So why are we so afraid? Why do we hesitate to speak truth, to stand firm, to take risks for the kingdom of God? The victory is already secured! Our future is unshakable because God Himself will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. If we know this to be true, what’s holding us back from fighting boldly? What would it look like if we lived today with the confidence that the battle is already won?

What is one bold step of faith you’ve been avoiding because of fear—and how will you trust God enough to take it this week?