How To Respond To Spiritual Warfare

Individuals or events can start the battle. It has the potential to harm your reputation, income, health, or family.

However, because of your position in the Kingdom, you will always have a spiritual connection. Paul declares,

“We are fighting rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of wickedness in the upper realms, not flesh and blood” (Eph. 6:12).

If that's the case, a warfare prayer might be the greatest place to start in settling whatever is coming your way.

The Believer's Warfare Prayer

I felt spiritual pressure and a threat to the church's existence on a daily basis in the early days of New Song.

Someone handed me a printed prayer called “The Believer's Warfare Prayer” by seminary professor Victor Matthews. I've never met Dr. Matthews, but his prayers have made a major difference in my work.

That first day, I prayed his prayer aloud, verbatim, and the spiritual pressure I was experiencing dissipated. The next day, the pressure reappeared, so I prayed it out loud once more. Every time I uttered the prayer, I felt a sense of relief. It seemed as though the Lord and I were pushing Satan back, gaining victory and territory.

As New Song expanded and our members matured, more individuals began to pull me up in prayer, and I began to feel protected by their “prayer shield.” I was praying my Warfare Prayer less frequently. I didn't seem to require it as much as before.

New Song then made the list of Outreach's 100 Fastest Growing Churches a few years ago. That appeared to mark me as a target. Over the last two decades, the church and I have been subjected to spiritual attacks, but nothing like this.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, according to Proverbs 15:22, therefore I went to see a counselor one day. Do you recall what she said to me?

“It's important to recognize that the attacks you're having are spiritual in nature.”

That's a great idea! I pulled out my Believer's Warfare Prayer and recited it. It is beneficial. Quite a bit.

From time to time, every Christian leader I know feels attacked, discouraged, disparaged, or hopeless. We start by treating the symptom of our problem because leaders are proactive, but it makes sense to dig deeper and attack the root.

The Believer's Warfare prayer is a spiritually beneficial practice. Satan, on the other hand, is unable to hear our innermost thoughts. I've discovered that praying it aloud has two advantages: God hears it and responds, and demons hear it and run.

Every believer who is being attacked is encouraged to pray this prayer everyday until they are back in a peaceful place, and then weekly or monthly after that. It takes six to eight minutes to pray the prayer aloud, but it is well worth it.

I recite the prayer word for word. When I get stuck on a sentence, I reread it carefully. Victor Matthews is a genius when it comes to words. His prayer is beautifully composed, well-rounded, Biblically based, and theologically sound.

BELIEVER'S WARFARE PRAYER

Father in Heaven, In front of You, I bow in worship and praise. As protection, I wrap myself in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. In every area of my life, I entirely and unconditionally give myself to You. I take a stance against Satan's deceptions that would obstruct my prayer life. I only pray to the True and Living God, and I refuse to include Satan in my prayers.

(I command Satan and all of his demons to leave my presence in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.) Between Satan and myself, I bring the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.)

Father in Heaven, I praise You and worship You. I acknowledge that You are deserving of all glory, honor, and praise. I pledge my loyalty to You once more, and I ask that the Holy Spirit would guide me in this time of prayer. I am grateful to You, Heavenly Father, for loving me from the beginning and sending the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to die in my place. I am grateful that the Lord Jesus Christ came to represent me and that You have forgiven me totally through Him. You have adopted me into Your family; You have taken full responsibility for me; You have given me eternal life; and You have justified me by giving me the flawless righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful that You have made me full in Him, and that You have volunteered to be my daily support and strength through Him.

Open my eyes, Heavenly Father, to see how wonderful You are and how full Your provision is for today. I am grateful for the victory that the Lord Jesus Christ won for me on the Cross and in His Resurrection, and that I am now seated with Him in the heavenly realms. I take my seat in the heavenlies with Him, knowing that all evil spirits, even Satan himself, are under my feet. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I announce that Satan and his evil spirits are subordinate to me.

I'm grateful for the protection You've offered. I put on the Truth Girdle, the Righteousness Breastplate, the Peace Sandals, and the Salvation Helmet. I raise the Shield of Faith against all the enemy's fiery darts, and I take the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, in my hand. I've decided to utilize Your Word to combat all the evil forces in my life. Blessed Holy Spirit, I put on this Armor and live and pray in complete reliance on You.

I thank you, Heavenly Father, that the Lord Jesus Christ wrecked all principalities and powers by publicly displaying them and triumphing over them in Himself. Today, I claim all of that victory for my life. I reject everything of Satan's charges, insinuations, and temptations. I declare that God's Word is true, and I choose to live today in accordance with it. Heavenly Father, I choose to live in submission to You and in communion with You. Show me the parts of my life that do not please You by opening my eyes. Work in me to purify me of whatever that would allow Satan to acquire a foothold in my life. I embrace everything it means to be Your adopted child in every aspect, and I welcome all of the Holy Spirit's mission.

I cast off the old man by faith and in dependence on You, and I stand in the victory of the Crucifixion, where the Lord Jesus Christ offered cleansing from the old nature. I put on the new man and stand in the fullness of the Resurrection's victory and the provision He has prepared for me to live a life free of sin.

As a result, I'm putting off my old nature with its selfishness today and putting on my new nature with its love. I removed the old nature's fear and replaced it with the new nature's courage. I removed the old nature's flaws and replaced them with the new nature's strength. I took off my old nature with all of its deceptive lusts and put on my new nature with righteousness, purity, and honesty.

In every way, I stand in the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ's ascension and glorification, by which all principalities and powers were rendered subordinate to Him. I claim my place in Christ as a victorious co-victim with Him over all of my soul's foes. I ask that You, Holy Spirit, would fill me. Come into my life and demolish every idol and expel every opponent.

I am grateful, Heavenly Father, for the manifestation of Your will in my everyday life that You have revealed to me via Your Word. As a result, I claim all of God's will for today. I am grateful for all spiritual blessings in heavenly realms that You have bestowed upon me through Christ Jesus. I am grateful that by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, You have given me a live hope. I am grateful that You have provided a way for me to live today filled with the Spirit of God, filled with love, joy, and peace, longsuffering, gently, and goodness, meekness, faithfulness, and self-control. I understand that this is Your plan for me, and I reject and resist Satan's and his wicked spirits' attempts to deprive me of God's will. I refuse to believe my feelings today, and I defend myself with faith against all the charges, distortions, and insinuations that Satan would want to instill in my mind. Today, I claim the fullness of God's will for my life.

I entirely give myself to You, Heavenly Father, as a living sacrifice in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've made the decision not to adhere to this world's expectations. I choose to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, and I pray that You would reveal Your will to me today and allow me to walk in all of it.

I am grateful, Heavenly Father, that the weapons of our fight are not carnal, but mighty through God in destroying strongholds, throwing down imaginations, and every lofty thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, I am tearing down Satan's strongholds and smashing Satan's plots that have been constructed against me in my own life today. I break down Satan's mental fortifications and give my thoughts to You, Blessed Holy Spirit. I declare, Heavenly Father, that You have not given me a fearful spirit, but rather a spirit of strength, love, and sound mind. Today, I destroy and smash Satan's strongholds built against my emotions, and I surrender my emotions to You. Today, I demolish Satan's strongholds built against my will, I surrender my will to You, and I choose to make the proper faith decisions. Today, I break the strongholds that Satan has built around my body, and I give my body to You, acknowledging that I am Your temple. I rejoice in Your goodness and mercy.

Heavenly Father, I ask that You would empower and enlighten me today and throughout the day, showing me how Satan is impeding, tempting, deceiving, and distorting the truth in my life. Allow me to be the type of person that pleases You. Allow me to be bold in my prayer and trust. Allow me to be mentally combative, to think about and practice Your Word, and to give You the place in my life that You deserve.

I again cover myself in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and beg that You, Blessed Holy Spirit, would bring all of the Crucifixion's, Resurrection's, Glorification's, and Pentecost's work into my life today. I give myself over to You. I'm not going to give up. You are the all-hopeful God. You have demonstrated Your power by raising Jesus Christ from the grave, and I claim this triumph over all Satanic powers in my life in every way. With thankfulness, I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Victor Matthews, Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary's Emeritus Professor of Theology.

How do you pray against the enemy?

I command the storm of destruction to gather upon every satanic power that is against my health IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS! I decree and declare great casualty upon witches and wizards operating in my neighborhood, the judgment of God shall torment the powers of darkness working against me both at night and in the morning, the night shall carry terror and anger against all satanic powers that are standing against me, the night shall carry terror and anger against all satanic powers that

RIGHT NOW, IN THE NAME OF JESUS, my prayers have become earthquakes and storms in the devil's camp that is against my life; the Lord shall gather his armor against powers that are against my intellectual growth; all sickness in my life, known or unknown, receives heavenly storm; all conspiracy against any part of my body receives destruction now!

I order the deep wells inside me to be freed and broken forth in the name of JESUS!

How do you pray to God for protection from evil?

As I begin this day, I pray for Your protection. You are my safe haven, and I can always find sanctuary under Your wings. Keep me safe from harm wherever I go, and keep evil at bay. I shall look to You as my Protector, the one who battles for me every day, no matter where I am.

Your love and constancy, as well as Your goodness and mercy, surround me on a daily basis, so I will not be afraid of anything. God, I put my trust in You and thank You for Your kindness and protection.

What defines spiritual warfare?

Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of combating supernatural evil powers at work. It is founded on the biblical belief in evil spirits, often known as demons, who are thought to meddle in human affairs in a variety of ways. Although neo-charismatic churches emphasize spiritual warfare, other Christian denominations and groups have adopted behaviors based on spiritual warfare notions, with Christian demonology frequently playing a crucial role in these practices and beliefs.

Prayer is one of the most prevalent forms of “spiritual warfare” used by these Christians. Exorcism, the laying on of hands, fasting with prayer, praise and worship, and anointing with oil are examples of other practices.

What is Psalm 109 used for?

This psalm is one of the Imprecatory Psalms against deceitful enemy, according to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, and is titled “Prayer for rescue from enemies.” It begins with the psalmist's plea in verses 1–5, then moves on to a lengthy imprecation (verses 6–19, concluding or summarizing in verse 20). The resumed pleading in verse 21 includes appeals to Yahweh's steadfast love, specifics of the psalmist's own misery, and a prayer for revenge against the adversaries, but the lament concludes with the promise to praise (verses 30–31), which is so typical in this style of psalm. The psalmist's curse ‘extends through three generations' in verses 8–14: on the person (verse 8), the person's children (verses 9–13), and the person's parents (verse 14). Psalm 55 reflects the shift from many foes (verses 2–5) to a single individual (verses 6–19).

In verse 4, evil is provided ‘in exchange for my affection.' The curses in this chapter are in line with Proverbs 17.13, which states that “if evil is given for good, evil will not depart from their house.” Returning evil for good is also found in other Psalms, such as 41, 69, and here in 109, as portending Judas as a ‘anti-friend' character who returns evil for good or even friendship.

In contrast to the introduction of Psalm 110, when God calls a man to sit at his right hand, made eternally like the priest king Melchizedek, the end of Psalm 109 shows God at the right hand of the impoverished man.

Can you pray for something bad to happen to someone?

If you wish for something awful to happen to someone because they've wronged you, be aware that it could come back to haunt you in unexpected ways. When conspiring against someone, keep in mind that the Almighty is watching. Never pray for people with a bad intention or a terrible prayer!

What is the warrior spirit?

“I discovered that the warrior path has little in common with the pictures of warriors I've seen in movies and books,” Vanas stated. “I learned from tradition that being a warrior is a vocation to serve others, not for selfish gain, glory, or ego.”

Warriors in Native civilizations developed talents that enabled them to contribute to their tribe. Today, the warrior spirit entails using our God-given abilities and talents to benefit the “tribe” we serve. This tribe could be made up of relatives, neighbors, coworkers, or pals.