Remember that old newsreel that shows President Franklin Roosevelt addressing Congress the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941? Calling it “a date that will live in infamy,” the president declared that, in reality, America was already at war. Roosevelt just needed a declaration of Congress to make it official.
I am not the president, but I have a declaration to make. You and I are at war! In fact, we are engaged in the mother of all battles. The war I am talking about is the spiritual warfare that you became a part of the day you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
Because this warfare is first and foremost spiritual and not physical, the degree to which you and I will be successful is the degree to which we are prepared to fight this battle on a spiritual level. Spiritual warfare is that conflict being waged in the invisible, spiritual realm that is being manifest in the visible, physical realm and affects you and me. The cause of the war is something you and I can’t see. But the effects are very visible in the problems and day-to-day challenges you and I face all the time.
It’s hard enough to fight an enemy you can see—it’s much harder to fight someone you can’t see. In his classic statement on spiritual warfare, Paul wrote: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). This verse identifies the enemy: Satan and his demons.
We make a grand mistake if we think people are the real enemy. What we need to understand is that what happens through people, including you and me, has its roots in something much larger. This fact does not excuse the wrong things people do. They are still responsible. But it helps us focus on the real enemy.
It is a foundational principle for spiritual warfare: everything we see in the visible, physical realm is caused, provoked, or at least influenced by something in the invisible, spiritual realm. Your five senses are not the limit of reality. Daniel 4:26–32 states that heaven rules over all the affairs of earth. So until we address the spiritual causes of a problem, we will never fix the physical effects of that problem. Not only are your physical senses very limited, but they are often of little help in spiritual warfare. This means that if you are going to wage successful spiritual battle, you need a “sixth sense”—a keen awareness of the spiritual realm.
This is one of the goals of our study on angels: to open our eyes and our perspective to the power of the unseen beings around us. It also should give you greater insight into how we can access that power in your own life and decisions. But what I want to look at more deeply in this final chapter is how to defeat Satan in the spiritual realm. Understanding and working with angels in our lives is an important part of the spiritual life, but understanding and overcoming Satan’s schemes is critical.
For starters, let’s look at the end of the story. Satan has already been defeated so when you or I fight in spiritual war, we need to always fight with the end in mind. We need to always fight from victory rather than for victory.
I see at least four ways in which God the Father and God the Son have defeated Satan.
First, when Satan rebelled he was strategically defeated. He was defeated the moment he sinned because he was a creature rebelling against the very Creator on whom he depended for his creaturely existence. As we would say today, what in the world was Satan thinking when he thought he could overthrow God?
I used to have two dogs at my house. I fed and watered these dogs, and it was by my good graces that they were allowed to live at my house with food to eat and a place to come inside when it rained. My dogs would have been foolish to rebel against me. The best thing they could have done is to obey the commands I gave them. Otherwise, they would rebel themselves right out of the house. (Which, truth be told, they did!)
Now you may be saying, “When I look around, it sure doesn’t seem as if Satan is defeated. In fact, evil seems to be thriving as never before. Isn’t God ready to put an end to him once and for all?”
Satan does have a kingdom, to be sure. He is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and we must never underestimate him. But God basically said to Satan, “So you want a kingdom? I will allow you to operate in My world for a short time, and I will give My creatures the choice of following you or following Me. But never forget, you are beaten before you start!”
Satan made the dumbest move in all of history and eternity when he reared up against God and said, “I am going to unseat You.”
Second, Satan was also prophetically defeated. Do you know how early God announced Satan’s ultimate defeat? How about in the third chapter of the Bible! God said to Satan in judgment for deceiving Adam and Eve, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Now Satan immediately set out to destroy this seed, which we know was Jesus Christ who crushed Satan at the cross. But give the Devil his due: he’s going to go down fighting. He led Cain to kill righteous Abel, seemingly ending the godly line.
But surprise! God gave Seth to Adam and Eve “in place of Abel” (Genesis 4:25), so the godly line was preserved. Then Satan pulled off corrupting the whole race by sending demons to inhabit men and produce a demonic race, his own seed (Genesis 6). He only missed it by one, though, because God had righteous Noah to carry on the godly seed.
We don’t know how “old” Satan and the demons are, but they have known about their doom for ages because God prophesied it at the beginning of time.
Third, Satan has also been spiritually defeated. This is sweet. Jesus said, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:31–32).
Jesus was speaking of His death on the cross. The cross was not only a judgment on our sin; it was also a judgment against Satan. It was a big surprise to him because when Satan led evil men to crucify Jesus, he thought he had won. You see, Satan knows from personal experience that all who sin are under a curse. He figured that if he destroyed Jesus, the curse would never be broken.
But guess what? The sacrifice on the cross removed the curse of sin from us—and it placed the curse on Christ! As soon as you finish reading this booklet, turn to Galatians 3:10–14 and spend some time praising God that you are no longer under the curse of sin if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Fourth and finally, Satan will be eternally defeated. We have to speak of Satan’s final defeat as a future event since it hasn’t yet happened, but as far as God is concerned, it’s a done deal.
In Revelation 12:7 we read, “And there was war in heaven.” Satan and his angels were expelled from heaven to earth. This was the first part of his defeat. And then in Revelation 20:1–3, we read that Satan will be bound with a chain during the millennial reign of Christ. When that is completed, he will be loosed for a while and have the last of his rebellion (vv. 7–9), but then he and all of his hosts will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever (v. 10). Defeat and eternal punishment are the Devil’s certain doom. It’s true—we really do win!
Now, if he is defeated, that must mean we are supposed to be victorious. How can you defeat Satan in your own life and in the lives of those people you are called to love and serve?
We have a wonderful formula for spiritual victory in Revelation 12:11. The Bible says of the tribulation saints, “They overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
Notice the order here. First is the authority of Christ over Satan by virtue of His blood that was shed on the cross. You need to understand the absolute authority Jesus has over all creation. Peter says of Jesus, “Who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (1 Peter 3:22). Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is in charge!
And because this is true, you as a believer have authority too. The word of your testimony is not just your witness to lost people, but the entire statement of your life as you live victoriously by following Jesus Christ. And your authority includes victory over the demonic world. Jesus gave His disciples “authority over unclean spirits” (Matthew 10:1). We also have the “keys of the kingdom” (Matthew 16:19), which speaks of authority.
You have all the authority you need to defeat Satan day in and day out, but you also have some responsibilities to fulfill. The first is your commitment to no spiritual compromise. You can’t play with a serpent like the Devil and not expect to get a snakebite. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t love the world and love God.
I don’t mean that you don’t sin. We all sin. But I’m talking about your direction. You must realize one way or another that all sin is against God, and you need to confess and turn from it. There cannot be any compromise with evil.
To defeat Satan, you must also be committed to the Word of God and prayer. These are two of the greatest spiritual weapons in our arsenal. If your sword of God’s Word is dull or rusty, get it out and sharpen your mind and heart on it. If prayer is not a way of life for you, like breathing, start to make it a habit.
My friend, there is no reason you cannot defeat Satan. How do I know that? Because “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Corinthians 10:4). You are fully equipped for spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10–18).
The apostle Paul introduces us to the six pieces of armor that we are to wear while doing battle in the heavenlies in spiritual warfare. They are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, along with the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit.
Much study has been done on the pieces of the armor of God, but not as much focus has been put on the verse that follows the listing of the equipment:
Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints (Ephesians 6:14–18 HCSB, italics added).
Why is it critical that we not miss this clarion call toward prayer? Because prayer is how you and I get dressed for battle. It is how we carry out the strategies of war. It is how the armor is used most effectively.
I define prayer as relational communication with God and earthly permission for heavenly interference. The reason prayer often seems difficult to us is because Satan seeks to distract us from it or to tempt us into thinking that we can handle what is going on ourselves. He knows how critical prayer is in the life of believers so he will do anything to get us away from it. He will use every possible avenue to keep you from seriously communicating with God, because he knows what prayer does—it activates heaven’s response on your behalf in accordance with God’s will. Of course, prayer never forces God to do anything outside of His will, but it does release Him to do what He had intended.
The book of Daniel includes one of the best illustrations of prayer, especially with regard to the angelic realm. That’s why I have saved it for last. We start by seeing Daniel studying God’s Word and then responding to God in prayer based on what he has read in His Word. It says,
In the first year of [King Darius’s] reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:2, 3).
First, Daniel heard the truth of what God said. Then, he talked to God about it. Anytime you take God’s Word and talk to Him about it, you are praying. That doesn’t have to be done on your knees. It can be done while you are working, walking, or washing dishes. Prayer is always critical, no matter when or where. Next, we read,
Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.” (vv. 20–22).
Even as Daniel was praying, God was responding. He sent an angel to help him better understand his situation. Notice that God did not send the angel to give Daniel understanding until Daniel prayed in response to what God had already said. We read, “At the beginning of your supplications an answer was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed,” (v. 23). The directive to the angel Gabriel did not come until Daniel began to pray. The next few verses give us even greater insight into what happened:
Suddenly, a hand touched me and raised me to my hands and knees. He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” After he said this to me, I stood trembling.
“Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days.” (Daniel 10:10–14 HCSB).
God sent a messenger to Daniel when Daniel chose to pray His Word back to Him. Twice we read in these two chapters that God sent the angel on the day that Daniel prayed to God with regard to God’s already revealed Word. Friend, the greatest way to call on angelic intervention into your life and what you do is through prayer. When you face a challenge in work, pray. When you face a challenge in your home, pray. When your health has caused you problems, pray. It is in those times when you have sought the Word of God and His truth on the matter and when you take that Word back to Him in prayer that God Himself calls on His angels to support you. Delays may occur, but they are not the decision. The delay in Daniel receiving God’s response came through spiritual warfare in the heavenly realm.
That’s why you must be patient. You must fight your battle in the spiritual realm. You must not fail to understand how critical prayer is. If you do, you will not fight for the win. As we have seen with Daniel, God not only heard Daniel’s prayer when he first offered it, but He also responded immediately to Daniel’s prayer by dispatching Gabriel with a message of understanding. Yet because there is a battle taking place in the invisible, spiritual realm, there was a delay in God’s response reaching its intended destination—the Prince of Persia, a demon, blocked Gabriel from reaching Daniel for three weeks. It took another angel, Michael, to eventually remove the demon from acting as an obstacle for Gabriel. Ultimately, the prince of Persia got double-teamed in order for God to deliver His message to Daniel.
Rarely is a battle won in a minute. So be encouraged to continue on in prayer, accessing the angelic realm on your behalf as you pray God’s truth back to Him. The angels are at your disposal when what you seek aligns with God’s will.
Seek. Pray. And win!