Boot Camp 101 – Spiritual Warfare

I am glad you have decided to join us for Revival Boot Camp. We are learning how to share our faith the way the revival preachers and missionaries have done it in the past. I have spent many years reading books on revival and interviewing people who had been impacted by missionaries during the Shantung Revival. These missionaries have gone on to be with the Lord, so I had to interview people who had met them. My main person of interest was Bertha Smith, who was a Southern Baptist Missionary to China.

Before we begin learning how to share our faith the way these missionaries did, we must first learn about spiritual warfare. When you begin to tread on Satan’s territory through witnessing and teaching, he will let you know who he is.

Armor of God
The apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 6:10-13 that we are in a spiritual battle. The only way to stand against Satan and his adversaries is through putting on your armor, prayer and standing firm. Take a look at my Bible study on the Armor of God to learn how to do this.

Resist Satan
The best way to defeat Satan is by resisting him and submitting to God (James 4:7). In order to do this we must realize our authority in Christ and where to receive the power.

What is our power source for warfare?
There are three sources of power available to us. First is our authority, which was given to us by Jesus Christ. Jesus told the disciples, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” Luke 10:19 (NKJV). Jesus also told them that they could cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17). Just as Paul and the disciples cast out demons in the book of Acts, we can also cast out demons or resist Satan when he attacks our minds, bodies and ministries.

The next power source is the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus returned to heaven he commissioned the disciples to go into the world and teach the gospel. In Acts 1:8 Jesus told them they would receive power from the Holy Spirit. If we are walking in the flesh, we will not have this power operating in our lives. We must daily walk in the Spirit in order to be good witnesses for the Lord. You can learn more about walking in the Spirit from this post: 4 Steps to Being Filled With the Holy Spirit.

Last, but not least, we have power in the Word of God. We must realize that even though we tell others about Christ, we have no power to convict of sin. We are the messenger. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict of sin (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit convicts a sinner when he/she hears the Word of God.

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV).

So the power to fight warfare comes from the authority given to us by Jesus Christ (remember the power is in His name), the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. When witnessing or battling warfare, we must always remember where the authority comes from.

How do we resist the devil?
The best way to resist the devil is the same way the disciples and Jesus did. They commanded, with authority, in the name of Jesus that Satan flee. Here are some examples:

“These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons” Mark 16:17 (NKJV). (We have to use Jesus’ name when casting out demons.)

“Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Mark 5:8 (NKJV).  (Jesus said this so He didn’t have to use His name. Notice that He spoke with authority.)

“When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!’” Mark 9:25 (NKJV). (Jesus spoke directly to this specific type of spirit).

“And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour” Acts 16:18 (NKJV). (Paul specifically uses Jesus Christ when casting out this demon. I have heard that some demons call themselves Jesus, so many people doing spiritual warfare will specifically use the name Jesus Christ).

You must fast to be effective in some warfare. Some warfare is so strong, you must fast in order to be successful. We learn this from Daniel 9, with Daniel’s encounter with the angel Gabriel. Jesus also told the disciples that some demons only come out with much prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:21).

Remember that you can be successful with defeating Satan today, but he is good at changing his tactics. Tomorrow, he might send those fiery darts in a different direction to try to catch you off guard. Jesus warned the disciples to be on the alert.

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” Matthew 26:41 (NKJV).

Even when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, we learn in Luke 4:13 that the devil departed from Jesus until an opportune time. He watches and waits like a lion, who will go after the weak prey. Sin will give Satan a foothold, so be a good soldier and be on the alert at all times.