Battle of Souls

article by site founder, Connie Rice

How likely is it that a war or even a battle would be won if those in said war or battle were unprepared and/or unaware? Soldiers endure a time of intense training and learn the enemy’s tactics before being sent into battle. God has told us through His Word that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle between good and evil and He shows us how to be prepared. God is the source of all that is good. Satan rebelled against God and is the prince of this world. He is the antithesis of God, so is the source of all that is evil. His tactics haven’t changed that much since he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden because they are quite effective. God teaches us the enemy’s tactics so we can have victory in this life. Satan has a number of names in Scripture – “destroyer, evil one, deceiver, father of lies, wicked one, tempter, ruler of this world, god of this age, murderer, serpent, devil, (accuser) of God’s people), “, etc., but he can masquerade as an “angel of light” and promote counterfeits to God’s truths to confuse people and draw them away from their Creator.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

James 1:12-18

“2 Corinthians 10:4-5 discusses the warfare of spirit, saying ‘The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’. The most important battle we will fight is not physical or mental. It is the spiritual warfare we undergo as devoted followers of God when the strength and conviction of our faith are continuously tested. In this battle, we face not only external forces but the thoughts and passions within ourselves that may stray from the path of righteousness. ”

quote from article, “Spiritual Warfare Scriptures” , from “Bible Study Tools”

Of course, if we do not surrender our lives to the Lordship of Christ, read the Bible, humbly seek the Lord, have a healthy fear of the Lord, choose to obey His commands, and seek help from the Holy Spirit, we will still be both unprepared and unaware. If we trust in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit so we can have access to supernatural power to live the life He has set before us. Therefore, we cannot be demon-possessed. Our souls are secure for eternity – that is the hope of heaven. However, we can still make ourselves vulnerable to the lies and deceptions of this world (even allowing our own sinful tendencies to deceive us). “Got Questions” addresses self-deception in their article, “What does the Bible Say About Self-Deception?” Satan and his minions observe our weaknesses and capitalize on them so he can put us in bondage to sin (defined by God) in order to prevent us from experiencing and serving God.

“When we allow others’ perceptions of us, or even our perceptions of their perceptions, to control how we live, we are enslaved, we become entrenched in the ways of this world and do not live as citizens of heaven, which is another kind of Kingdom altogether.”

Francis Chan

Because of God’s love for us, He made a way for us to be free from the control of sin – through trusting in Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection, overcoming both sin and death. His Word is the foundation of all that is true, so knowing our Bible provides us with much needed discernment and perspective in living a life of victory and purpose. The dark forces of this world attempt to keep people from knowing their Creator by bringing doubts about His existence and doubts about the truth of the Bible. These attempts and others are also used on believers to cause them to disregard their faith or walk away from it. We see this clearly in the Creation vs. Evolution debate, the intentional destruction of the family on many fronts, and now with causing people to question their own identity. Our identity is found in Jesus – we are His beloved and He has made each of us unique with individual gifts, personalities, and characteristics – He doesn’t make mistakes, but has made each of us for a purpose. The “Crosswalk” article, “Your Identity in Christ – 14 Things God Says of You List” by Whitney Hopler explains this.

“Therefore He [Jesus as our high priest] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Hebrews 7:25

Some people are intimidated by reading their Bible or have started and gotten stuck in some of the “begats” listings of generations. “The Bible Project” offers a 7-min video overview of each Bible book that can provide helpful context. My suggestion is to begin reading in the book of Psalms to gain insight into God’s glory, majesty, and sovereignty. Then read the book of Proverbs (book of wisdom written by Solomon). Then read the book of John to understand the gospel (good news of salvation through Jesus). From there, read the whole New Testament, but stop before reading the book of Revelation. Knowing the Old Testament is critical to making any sense of Revelation so read the whole Old Testament chronologically (in the order things happened). History is His Story and stories tend to be best followed in the order they occur. There are chronological Bibles, but there are also free reading plans online that can be accessed or printed. After reading all of the New Testament again (also chronologically), then read the book of Revelation. A resource that may prove helpful for older kids, teens, and adults is “Revelation for Kids” (the 3-lesson overview is free). “The Prophecy Pros Podcast” (30-min) can help align current events with Bible prophecy, using all of the Bible for interpretation and avoiding speculation.

“There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me.”

J. I. Packer

In addition to reading our Bible every day (reading it over and over again until Jesus takes us home), we should also put on the whole Armor of God each day to help us be victorious in the midst of spiritual warfare. This is explained in Scripture:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 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. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints – and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:10-20

© Constance Rice 2023