Warfare

Pastor Alex Hall | November 30, 2025

Waging Good Warfare: Standing Strong in Spiritual Battle

The holiday season brings many things—family gatherings, celebration, nostalgia—but it also brings something less talked about: spiritual warfare. As we navigate reunions with old friends and family members, we may find ourselves feeling emotions we thought we'd conquered. Self-doubt creeps in. Old insecurities resurface. We look in the mirror and suddenly question our identity in Christ.

What's happening? We're in a spiritual battle, whether we recognize it or not.

The Invisible War

Paul's words to Timothy ring with urgency: "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience" (1 Timothy 1:18-19). This isn't metaphorical language—it's a call to active spiritual combat.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that "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." Our real enemy isn't the difficult family member, the challenging coworker, or the friend who betrayed us. Our battle is against unseen forces that operate in the spiritual realm.

The problem is we've become too comfortable. We've put our faith on cruise control, forgetting that an enemy prowls around seeking whom he may devour. We see only what's visible—people, circumstances, physical challenges—and miss the spiritual warfare happening all around us.

The Enemy's Strategy

Satan is a legalist with schemes and strategies. John 10:10 tells us plainly: "The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy." He has a playbook, and one of his most effective plays is convincing us he doesn't exist or isn't relevant to our daily lives.

When we're ignorant of his devices, we become easy targets. It's like entering a football game without watching any film on your opponent—you're completely unprepared for their tactics. The enemy wants you unaware so he can gain a foothold in your life. That foothold, if left unchecked, becomes a stronghold.

During the holidays, these attacks intensify. You're walking in the light, growing in your faith, and then suddenly you're around old influences. Spirits attached to certain people and places try to drag you back into darkness. You start feeling guilt, condemnation, and self-hatred you haven't experienced in months.

This is spiritual warfare. And it's time to fight back.

The Weapons of Our Warfare

Second Corinthians 10:3-5 provides our battle plan: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

The battlefield is your mind. Your thoughts determine your direction, and the enemy knows it. He whispers lies: "You're not good enough. You'll never change. Look at all your failures. God couldn't possibly love you."

But here's the truth: those thoughts don't originate with you or with God. They're demonic lies designed to keep you bound.

How do you fight? With the Word of God. Scripture tells us that the power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Your words have authority. When you declare God's Word over your life, you're not just reciting verses—you're engaging in spiritual warfare.

Breaking Unhealthy Soul Ties

One often-overlooked aspect of spiritual warfare involves soul ties. Malachi 2:15 speaks of the holy union in marriage: "Didn't the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit, you are his." This is a healthy, God-ordained soul tie where two become one.

But we can also form unhealthy soul ties—with past sexual partners, with family members, even with friends—that give the enemy legal access to our minds and emotions. These ties keep us bound to the past and prevent us from experiencing the fullness of what God has for us.

If you find yourself constantly thinking about a past relationship, if you're putting your parents' approval above your spouse's needs, if you're sacrificing your marriage for your children's wants, you may have an unhealthy soul tie that needs to be broken.

The good news? You have authority in Christ to break these ties. Through repentance and declaration, you can evict the enemy from areas where he's held ground. Simply confess the sin, renounce the unhealthy tie, and declare your freedom in Jesus' name.

The Order That Brings Victory

God has established a divine order for our lives: God first, then spouse, then children, then extended family. When we rearrange this order—putting kids before spouse, or parents before our marriage—we create disunity and dysfunction.

Many marriages struggle because this order has been violated. If God hates divorce, then the enemy loves it. He works tirelessly to divide what God has united. But when we honor God's design, our families become fortresses instead of battlegrounds.

## Overcoming by the Blood and the Testimony

Revelation 12 gives us the ultimate picture of spiritual warfare. The dragon—Satan—is cast down to earth, furious because he knows his time is short. He comes to "steal, kill, and destroy," trying to drown God's people with a flood of lies and accusations.

But here's the victory formula: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11).

We overcome through two things: the blood of Jesus and our testimony. The blood has already won the victory. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross. Now we enforce that victory by declaring what He's done—in good times and bad, when we feel it and when we don't.

Moving Forward in Victory

You weren't called to simply survive until heaven. You were called to walk in victory, to pull others out of darkness into light, to demonstrate the Kingdom of God on earth.

This requires active engagement. It means declaring truth when lies assault your mind. It means breaking off unhealthy ties that keep you bound. It means putting God first and honoring His design for relationships. It means understanding that worship isn't just singing—it's warfare.

The enemy has little time, and he's angry. But greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. You are seated in heavenly places, and Satan is beneath your feet.

So wage good warfare. Declare God's Word. Break off what needs to be broken. Step into everything God has called you to be. The devil may have plans for your destruction, but God has plans for your prosperity and hope.

The battle is real, but the victory is already won. Now walk in it.