Monday, September 14, 2026
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens - far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he subjected everything under his feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. Ephesians 1:18-23 CSB
The Context of Spiritual Warfare
As Christians every day we are on the battleground of a war - a war that wages all around us unseen – a spiritual battle. Though we cannot see this battle, we can feel this battle and its effects. Paul reminds us in the verses above how powerful God is. He is over and above everything and there is no power or authority greater than him. Because we know this, we know our key truth for this series, We can fight this battle from victory, not for victory, because the battle belongs to the Lord. As we walk through this series we will learn about nature of spiritual warfare and the weapons God has given us to fight this battle. We will learn how to fight spiritual battles in a way that honors God while being a witness for him to the world.
To start the series off, Pastor Jim gave us some context of spiritual warfare – the location of the battle, the authority in the battle, and our place in the battle.
The location - When we are in a relationship with Jesus, being transformed by him and growing in the Spirit, we will be able to read the map – the Bible – and know where the battle is raging around us. Being in a relationship with Jesus is the only way we can know the location of the battle and it comes as a result of salvation.
His good news of salvation is:
· The Kingdom of God has come. (Because Jesus has come)
· Jesus Christ is the King.
· Jesus died for our sins.
· Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.
· Repent of sin.
· Believe the gospel.
· Follow Jesus.
The authority in battle - The power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavens - far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come is available to us as believers. That power is more powerful than any powers or principalities and has all authority. He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens - far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given… God exercised his power in Christ and has all authority in every battle. That changes how we approach spiritual warfare.
Our place in battle - We do not fight for victory, but from victory because we are not victims. We stand in the victory that Jesus has already claimed. He is above every spiritual power, every authority, every scheme, and every name that can be named. He holds all authority. Our victory is already secure in him.
Satan does not care about those who do not have salvation through Jesus. They don’t bother him because they are not standing before him in the armor of God and in the power that raised Jesus from the dead. But Christians are different. He knows the power we stand in and that we are the real threat. He wants us weak and afraid. He wants us intimidated by his spiritual opposition, but God wants us to understand and remember his great power over everything – including spiritual opposition - working toward those who believe.
Ask yourself today – Are you a threat to the battle? Remember that through salvation your identity lies with the one who has already claimed the victory. Who can fear running into a battle you know you have already won? We can find confidence and strength in knowing that we fight our spiritual battles through Jesus who is already the victor.
