Spiritual Warfare: How to Win and How to Lose

 

Spiritual warfare can be intimidating, but an 85-year-old warrior can show us the key to overcoming in the battle. Faith is the secret to facing your giants.

Eighty-five is not generally a good age to begin fighting giants. Most people would consider it reckless, foolish and ill-advised.

Caleb, however, was not most people.

At 85, Caleb was spry and determined and ready to do the impossible. He had wandered through the wilderness for 40 years, motivated by a promise from God—and now, as Caleb stood at the border of the Promised Land, the time had come to claim it.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The giants of spiritual warfare

You have to face giants too. Not physical ones like those Caleb was prepared to fight, but spiritual giants—huge, lumbering, intimidating obstacles that stand between you and the future God has planned for you.

To defeat these giants, there’s only one option—you’ll have to engage in spiritual warfare.

It’s something every Christian has to do. We all have giants standing in our way, and they can come in so many different shapes and guises:

Addictions. Flaws. Shortcomings. Temptations. Blind spots. Trials. Anything bigger than us, stronger than us, faster than us—anything more powerful than us, anything we don’t have the skill to face on our own, anything with the potential to knock us down and beat us senseless—these, too, are giants, often marshaled and commanded by Satan the devil, the eternal enemy of God’s people (Revelation 12:9-10).

Giants remind us of how small and helpless we are. On our own, we can’t beat them. They outclass us in every conceivable way. The safer bet is to run, to hide, to surrender before the battle even starts. Why bother trying? It’s easier to give up and give in before we get hurt, because winning is impossible.

That’s where Caleb’s story comes in. The 85-year-old man who wasn’t afraid to stand up to the giants in his own life can teach us a lot about engaging in spiritual warfare with ours.

(Read more about the goal of our spiritual warfare in “What Is Salvation?”)

Running from the giants of the Promised Land

Caleb had been at the border of the Promised Land once before. In fact, he’d even set foot inside it. Forty-five years earlier, Caleb was one of 12 spies sent to scout out Canaan—the Promised Land, a new home that God had promised to the nation of Israel, one that was “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8).

After 40 days of scouting, all 12 men returned and agreed that the land “truly flows with milk and honey” (Numbers 13:27), but not all of them were excited about it. The spies had discovered more than milk and honey in Canaan—they had found a land filled with strong people, fortified cities and, worst of all, “the descendants of Anak” (Numbers 13:28).

Giants.

The Anakim were giants.

Israel flew into hysterics. They had seen God perform countless miracles—water springing from rocks, bread falling from heaven, the mighty nation of Egypt brought to its knees by divine plagues—but none of those lessons stuck.

They accused God of dragging them out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness only to kill them all with giants.

Only two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, made a case for entering the land. After quieting the people, Caleb insisted, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30).

Israel didn’t want to hear it. The other 10 spies insisted it would be suicidal. The people started talking about returning to a life of slavery in Egypt (Numbers 14:3-4).

Caleb and Joshua pleaded with their fellow countrymen. Their recorded words are a rallying cry for anyone involved in spiritual warfare today: “Do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them” (verse 9).

Rather than listen to reason, Israel cried out for Joshua and Caleb to be executed on the spot.

The Promised Land would have to wait

What happened was the exact opposite: God stepped in and sentenced an entire generation to death. Israel would wander the wilderness for 40 years, waiting until all those who had rejected the Promised Land were dead. The next generation would have its chance to claim God’s promises—and with them would be Joshua and Caleb.

Joshua would go on to lead the next generation into the Promised Land, while Caleb received a special promise from God: “My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it” (Numbers 14:24).

And so the Israelites wandered. And wandered. And wandered. Days turned into weeks; weeks, into months; months, into years; and years, into decades. One by one, all of the generation that refused the Promised Land died off, while the next generation came into its own.

Under the leadership of Joshua, no one was able to stand before the armies of Israel. Territory by territory, God drove out the wicked inhabitants of Canaan, and the time soon came to divide up the land.

A key to waging (and winning) spiritual warfare

For Caleb, now 85, it was finally time to claim the promise God had made 45 years earlier.

He told Joshua: “I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said” (Joshua 14:11-12).

In that statement is a key to winning spiritual warfare:

Faith.

After almost half a century of waiting, Caleb’s faith was still strong. When it came time to seize what God had promised him, Caleb didn’t hesitate for a second. There were still giants roaming on Caleb’s mountain, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t far from 90 years old now, but that didn’t matter either.

In Caleb’s mind, if God had promised it, that was enough. The other factors were irrelevant. He, like many of the Bible’s heroes, “judged Him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).

Modern-day spiritual warfare

The giants we face today are strong. It can be tempting to follow in Israel’s footsteps—to panic, to accuse God of setting us up to fail, to run away and hide.

But when we surrender to our giants, we give up more than just a fight. We give up control over our own lives, and we give Satan the upper hand.

When we decide beforehand that we can’t win this spiritual warfare, we forfeit any hope of growth—any hope of overcoming and of breaking free of our enemy’s influence. Choosing not to fight means embracing stagnancy and accepting defeat as a lifestyle.

Can you afford to live that way? Can anyone?

Israel’s 12 spies all walked the same land, all saw the same giants, but only two of them saw a battle they could win.

Why?

The role of faith in spiritual warfare

All the spies looked at the giants and saw wicked men standing in the way of God’s plan. The key difference isn’t what these men saw; it’s how they saw it.

Most of the spies saw the giants and told themselves there was no way they could win. Caleb and Joshua looked at the giants and told themselves there was no way God couldn’t win.

The giants in your life are standing in the way of God’s plan for you, and how you look at them is going to change how you deal with them. They’re bigger than you, yes. They’re stronger than you, absolutely. They could grind you under their feet like dust and not think twice.

But are they bigger than God? Are they stronger than God? Could they last even a moment in an arena with the Almighty?

Spiritual warfare isn’t about how strong you are—it’s about how strong your God is.Spiritual warfare isn’t about how strong you are—it’s about how strong your God is.

Caleb and Joshua knew the answer. They could both look back at the miracles God had performed in their lives—in the lives of all of Israel—and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God was able to give them every victory, no matter how improbable, unlikely or, yes, even impossible.

Faith is why Caleb could tell his brethren to go up and seize the land, “for we are well able to overcome it.” Faith is why he could wander for 40 years, trusting God to make good on His promise. Faith is why, at 85 years old, he was ready and willing to work with God and toss some giants out of his mountain.

Faith for facing your giants

I don’t know what miracles God has performed in your life. I don’t know what seas He’s parted for you or how often He’s rained down bread from heaven to give you exactly what you needed, exactly when you needed it—but I do know this:

God cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). He’s not some impartial observer with no vested interest in the battles you fight. He wants you to win the spiritual warfare.

He wants you to grow and overcome; and what’s more, He gives you the equipment and the strength to make it happen (2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Philippians 4:13). You are a potential son or daughter of God Most High (2 Corinthians 6:18), and He wants you to succeed.

You’re going to face giants. You’re going to have to take a stand against enemies far too powerful for you to handle on your own, but you’re not alone. That’s what Caleb understood and what Israel continually failed to grasp. By relying on God, you can win this spiritual warfare.

In your toughest battles, in the middle of fights where you find yourself out of your depth and over your head, you can be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it” (Philippians 1:6, emphasis added).

You are a good work in progress. That is God’s plan. That has always been God’s plan; and no opponent, no enemy, no impossible giant is strong enough to stand in the way. Every giant is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

But the core, underlying principle never changes: If God led you to this fight, He can lead you to victory. If you’re willing in faith to put in the time and the effort and look to Him for guidance, God will get you where you need to be.

Right now, giants—temptations, trials and the like—are standing between you and the future God has in store for you. They’re intimidating, but when you go to God for help, they’re far from invincible. Can you see them? Do you understand what’s at stake?

Then what are you waiting for?

Go drive them out.

How to Grow in Faith

 

God wants us to have faith and to increase our faith. But how? It’s not something we can just wish for or work up on our own. How can we grow in faith?

How to grow in faith

1. Ask God for more faith.
2. Focus on obeying God.
3. Put God’s Word into your mind.

This article shows how to grow in faith and why it is essential for Christians.

Jesus emphasized the importance of having faith

Regarding His second coming, Jesus asked this question: “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8, emphasis added throughout).

Why was Jesus concerned about people having faith?

Hebrews 11:6 tells us why faith is so important to God: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

God expects us to have faith and to grow in faith! And if we really believe God and live according to that faith, then God will be pleased. And we’re going to be blessed! But lacking faith and failing to live by faith displeases God.

Why? Because God’s honor is at stake!

First, what is faith?

Faith is an unshakable belief in God and the promises of God. Faith also involves God’s commands. We’re expected to put such confidence in everything God tells us to do that we actually do it!

So how do we dishonor God by a lack of faith? When we disbelieve God, we are in essence saying to God, “I don’t really believe You’ll do exactly what You say you will do. And I don’t really believe that You are what You say You are.”

And God’s response to that is, “I am a promise-keeping God!”

God has never failed once—He’s always kept the promises He’s made to human beings. And He always will! (Provided, of course, that we meet the conditions He outlines.)

Faith is one of the key qualities God is looking for in us, so it only makes sense that we learn how to grow in faith.

Degrees of faith: from little faith to great faith

When it comes to the subject of faith, is it only a matter of having it or not having it? No, the Bible makes it clear that there are degrees of faith. Jesus described some people of His day as having little faith and others as having great faith.

So it’s good to ask ourselves: How much faith do we currently have? And how dedicated are we to increasing our faith? We need to have growing faith. None of us has enough of it.

Faith is belief in God’s promises

Sometimes religious people will try to encourage faith in areas where there are no promises from God. Someone might say, “Our big outdoor picnic is coming up next week. It would ruin things if it rained. If we just have enough faith, it won’t rain! So, have faith!”

How much faith do we currently have? And how dedicated are we to increasing our faith? Our faith needs to be growing. None of us has enough of it.But is there a promise in the Bible that it won’t rain on days when a special picnic is planned? There is no such promise.

Or someone might say, “I’ve applied for a job I really want, and two other people are being considered in addition to me. I’m going to have faith that I’ll get this exact job that I want. If I have faith, I’m sure I’ll get that job.”

But there’s no promise in the Bible that God will—every time—give us the exact job we’d like to have.

When people take this approach to faith, what do they conclude if things don’t work out the way they’d like? They might say, “It’s because I didn’t have enough faith.”

Does God provide a blank check to those who have faith in Him?

But what about Mark 11:22-24? Jesus said, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Do these verses give us a promise with no qualifications? Can we rightly have confidence that God will always give us everything we ask for?

Do we have a blank check, so to speak?

First, let’s apply some logic to these verses. If there were no qualifications on what we ask, it would mean we would never have to suffer.

None of us likes to suffer, do we? We could ask that we’d never have a health problem, never be in an accident, never have a family problem, never have a financial problem. We’d be confident that our lives could be stress-free and problem-free.

It would never rain on our special picnic. We’d get that job at the XYZ Widget Company.

But how can that be? The Bible tells us that it is through “many tribulations” or trials that we “enter the kingdom of God” and that “many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Acts 14:22; Psalm 34:19).

And let’s consider the life of Jesus. When He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before His crucifixion, did He get anything and everything He wanted?

No, He did not.

Growing faith means growing belief that God knows best

In fact, Jesus’ prayer gives us a perfect example to follow. His example qualifies the words that we read in Mark 11. In Jesus’ prayer, He said, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus made His request, then He left it in God the Father’s hands to do what His Father knew was best. In a similar way, Christians are free to ask anything of God. At the same time, we understand that in order to receive that request, it must be a part of God’s wise, loving and perfect will for our lives.

And if it’s not according to God’s will, we shouldn’t want our request anyway. Consider this helpful thought: “God does not just give us what we want. He gives us everything we would want if we knew everything He knows” (Stacey Padrick, “Living With Unfulfilled Longings,” Discipleship Journal).

Faith involves believing that God knows best. That’s essential.

Growing faith is based on what God promises

Faith must be based on God’s specific promises in the Bible. And we have to be sure that we understand the promises correctly.

We have to be sure we’re not assuming that God promises something He doesn’t promise. We have to understand His promises in the context He gives them, which is the context of His plan and purpose for us.

There are lots of clear, easy-to-understand promises in the Bible. Here are a few examples of His promises to His people:

• God will provide us with all our physical and spiritual needs (Matthew 6:31-33; Psalm 23:1; Philippians 4:19).
• He’ll finish the spiritual work that He’s begun in us (Philippians 1:6).
• He’ll give us the wisdom we ask for as we go through life (James 1:5). He’ll never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
• He’ll never allow our trials to be more than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• He’ll give us peace of mind (Philippians 4:7).
• He’ll forgive any and every sin, once we’ve repented of it (1 John 1:9).
• He’ll make it possible for us to grow and become like Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:15).
• He’ll cause everything that happens in our lives to eventually work out for good (Romans 8:28).

These are only a few of God’s very clear and specific promises. (For more, see our article “God’s Promises: Rock-Solid Hope and Assurance.”)

How to grow in faith: three things God tells us to do

It’s comforting to know that if we just do the things God tells us to do, our faith will grow. We don’t have to figure this out for ourselves; we just need to do what God tells us to do!

Let’s look at three basic but profound biblical ways to grow in faith:

1. Ask God for more faith.

We very much need for God to give us Jesus Christ’s own faith, through the power of God’s Spirit.

We should regularly be asking for that faith. We shouldn’t just assume that He’ll automatically give us more faith if we’re not asking for it.

God is watching to see just how much we want to increase our faith. He wants to see how important it is to us. So we need to ask for faith.

2. Focus on obeying God.

James 2:14 tells us, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”

It’s comforting to know that if we just do the things God tells us to do, our faith will grow. We don’t have to figure this out for ourselves; we just need to do what God tells us to do!This is not saying that we earn our salvation. Eternal life is a gift, not something that we can earn. But God does expect to see “works” in our lives. What are “works”? They involve obeying and living by every word of God.

In verses 15-16, James supports his statement with a practical example. “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

What good is that?

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (verse 17).

Faith without obedience is a counterfeit. In God’s eyes, it’s a mockery of true, living faith. (Study more about living faith in our article “What Is Living Faith?”)

So God tells us that it’s not possible to have faith, unless we’re keeping His law and living His way of life.

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (verse 18).

In other words, James is saying, “You can’t show me real faith without works because there is no such thing!”

Our faith is tested in countless ways every day. That’s how we grow in faith.

For example, the Bible tells us that complaining is a sin. That’s an area where our faith is tested. And when we obey the command to not complain, our obedience proves our faith. It proves that we believe that God’s way works.

The same thing could be said about many other commands, such as the need to forgive others, to not let the sun go down on our anger, to give thanks in every situation, to be kind in our dealings with others, etc.

Then James puts belief in perspective: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (verse 19).

No one would say that the demons are pleasing God just because they believe! The same is true of human beings who claim to believe but don’t obey.

James then gives the example of Abraham, showing that his obedience made his faith “perfect” (verses 22-23). When we obey God, our faith grows and becomes more complete.

It’s clear that God was pleased that Abraham was willing to obey Him no matter the request. (Study more about this in our article “The Faith of Abraham.”)

Why don’t people obey God? Because they don’t believe God. They don’t believe it pays. They don’t believe God will do what He says. And underneath it all, they really want to do something else.

If we’re not diligently applying ourselves to the things God tells us to do, we’re not going to have much faith or grow in faith.

So what does this mean for us? We need to analyze our lives. We need to ask ourselves, “Where is it that I’m out of step with what God tells me to do in His Word?” We need to think about these things and then make the needed changes in our lives.

When we do—God responds! And we find we are growing in faith. No one’s faith will grow unless he or she really focuses on obeying God.

3. Put God’s Word into your mind.

A key verse is found in Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

If we’re not constantly putting the Bible into our minds, we’re not going to have much faith or grow in faith! It’s as simple as that.

We read more about Abraham in Hebrews 11. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents” (verses 8-9).

What’s the point? Abraham obeyed God because he believed he would receive the promises God had made. That’s why people obey. They believe and act on what God says because they know that if they do, they will receive whatever God has promised.

“For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (verse 10). Abraham heard the truth from God—the truth about this future city—and believed God. This resulted in his obedience.

The more we look at physical circumstances, the less likely it is that we will have faith. The more we look into God’s Word, the more we will grow in faith.

When we do that, we’re not going to doubt. When we’re studying the Bible and thinking deeply about what we’ve read, then it becomes a very real part of our lives.

And because we’re filled with God’s Word, we will have growing faith. We’ll step out and do what God says, which will then increase our faith. (And it will increase our blessings as well!)

But if we get away from God’s Word—if we don’t study the Bible daily—then it fades from us. It becomes insignificant in our thinking. Now God is not as real to us as He should be. Now His promises are not as real to us as they should be. That’s just the way we humans are. We forget.

The more familiar we are with God’s Word—and the more familiar we are with what He has done and will do—the more faith we can have. That’s because we will know exactly what He says.

If we’re not familiar with what He’s done, how are we going to call on God for those particular promises? How are we going to believe that God will keep those promises?

Applying all three of these principles is essential in learning how to grow in faith.

Growing faith and moving mountains?

Let’s look at Mark 11:22-24 again. Was God specifically promising to move mountains, or was He making an even more important point?

There’s no record that God’s people have had the need to move real mountains. But Christ let us know that the Almighty God easily could do it if we had a real need.

Still, we all do face trials and challenges that can be overwhelming—seemingly impossible spiritual mountains that God can move for us if we ask in faith. For “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Faith believes that God watches over us, cares for us and hears our prayers. We may not know how God will work things out for us. But we believe Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”

God can answer our prayers of growing faith in many ways—even ways we can’t imagine! There is no limit to what God can do for us when we trust Him.

Learn more in the articles in this section on “Faith: Believing and Pleasing God.”