Lesson 6 -Wepons of our Warfare

By Ruth Mahoney Swaim

Section 1

Knowing Your Spiritual Weapons

When we begin to talk about putting on the armor of God, we are talking about warfare. There is no need for armor unless you are going to war.

Any time you go into prayer, you must be ready to go to war. When you enter the presence of the Commander (your prayer closet) you come under the authority of the Supreme Commander.

By virtue of the fact you are reading this, it assumed you are going to do some serious praying, some wrestling and some hand to hand combat at which time you will need all the help, backup and strength you can get.

The minute you begin to war in the spirit you will come under enemy attack. This is why you need the armor of God.

I have not specifically addressed, in this teaching, demonic exorcism. But it is extremely important, if you are gong to be praying with and for someone who is under demonic attack or possession, that you don the weapons of your warfare.

You will need the weapons of offense and defense.

"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 (1) girded your waist with truth, having put on the (2) breastplate of righteousness, and having (3) shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the (4) shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the (5)helmet of salvation, and (6)the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God; (7)praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being (8)watchful to this end with all (9)perseverance and supplication for all the saints..." Ephesians 6:13-18

As you begin to pray you should verbally announce each piece of armor: "Lord, I put on this piece of armor. Then visualize doing just that.

There are NINE aspects of warfare armor, 6 pieces of armor or weapons and 3 positions.

There are NINE Fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).

There are NINE Gifts of the spirit (ICorinthians 12:7-11).

All must be intertwined in your life. You don't go into demon territory without being fully equipped with all the tools of the Holy Spirit.

Waging warfare against the enemy is not just praying a prayer. It is a life lived. The weapons of your warfare are the processes and works of God which have been worked in you by the Holy Spirit.

Remember the sons of Sceva. They tried to enter enemy territory in someone else's persona. They did not know the true and living God. They only knew about someone else who did. Read the account in Acts 19:11-16.

Billy Graham has said "God has no grandchildren,." It's YOU who must be a child of the Living God. It's YOU who must be born again. It's YOU who must be filled with the Holy Spirit. It's YOU who must know your God. And it's YOU who must learn to go into battle.

"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 thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." II Corinthians 10:3-6

The weapons as outlined in Ephesians 6:13-18 are as follows:

1. Truth: "Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth..." This means you bring your desires and appetites under the rule of the Holy Spirit and exercise the fruit of the Spirit - self-control. You not only know the truth of scripture, but you allow it to work in you.

2. Righteousness: "The Breastplate of Righteousness." The breast is the seat of the emotions (ie) love, affection, anger, etc. All must find righteous expression. Righteousness is holiness in action. Make sure you have surrendered your appetites and emotions to the Lord and are living for Him before you start going after demons and trying to cast them out.

3. Preparation of the Gospel of Peace: "And the readiness to announce the good news of peace as shoes for your feet." If you are not ready and willing to share the Gospel, you are not ready for warfare. Be prepared to "go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature" Mark 16:15

4. Faith: "The Shield of Faith". The purpose of the Shield of Faith is to stop the fiery darts of the enemy, potshots taken at you when you begin to step out in action. Faith always works with action. You must put faith to work otherwise it is dead. So when you begin to take action these darts may come at you from any source, including (and probably most often) through other Christians, many of whom mean well but try to put fear into you instead of faith. Remember, faith is the antidote to fear.

5. Salvation: "And take the Helmet of Salvation." Salvation comes from a root Greek word "soteria" from which translation can be "deliverance." This is appropriate when approaching a demonized person or praying in your closet for someone who is under demonic attack. The helmet of deliverance protects you and your mind from Satan's influence and the demon's lies.

Now consider what purchased your salvation. The Blood of the Lamb. Begin to plead the blood over your mind and thoughts. There is power in the blood.
Keep reminding principalities and powers (your testimony) that you are born again, washed in the blood and they have no place in your mind or thoughts.
They cannot influence you or control your mind. 

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony." Revelation 12:11

6. Word of God: "The Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
This is the only offensive weapon.
The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, means the word of command or word of authority. There is POWER in the Word of God. It is a weapon which always hits the target, never misses. This can mean more than just the written word. It can mean a specific word spoken to you from God for the situation. This Rhema word, of course, will never contradict the Logos (written word).

Strictly speaking there are six weapons. But I like to add the next three as both defensive and offensive. They are positions or 'stances' you will take as you go into warfare.

7. Praying: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.." Time spent in the presence of God, talking and communing with Him, hearing His heart, His voice and His thoughts. Then as you go to war, stay in a prayerful attitude.

8. Watchful: "Watchful to this end.." Become discerning and sensitive to the leading of the Lord and the realm of the Spirit, ever being alert to areas of territory which need to be captured for the Kingdom of God.

9. Perseverance: "All Perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."
Pressing through to victory.

Remember in Joshua 6 where God had the children of Israel march around the city 7 times before the walls fell down. It must have been hot and tedious, slogging around those walls. They must have wondered if it was really necessary to keep this up.  For six days they marched around the city once each day. It wasn't until the completion of the seventh day, in the seventh march that day, that the walls came tumbling down.

Section II

Use of Spiritual Weapons

Adaptation of Teaching by Ralph Mahoney

Our Adversary: 
"be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, AS a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Peter uses a key word here: "AS". Satan only goes about AS a lion. He is not a lion. Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). Satan is only an imitator, an impostor,roaring as a lion to try to frighten and intimidate. His warfare against us is purely psychological.

He has, in truth, been rendered powerless by Christ's victory over him at Calvary and when you are born again, washed in the Blood of the Lamb, he cannot do you any real harm.

"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." Hebrews 2:14

"And He said to them, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.'" Luke 10:18,19

The devil is to be resisted, not feared. 
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
James 4:7

Remember to first submit yourself to God, then resist the devil. As a Christian, you should never be afraid of anybody or anything putting a curse on you.If   you are a child of God through faith in Christ, you are blessed and protected.

"Behold, my people shall rise up as a great lion..." Numbers 23:23

We who are followers of Christ take on the nature of Him Who is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. When we do this, the Bible says: "...the devils..tremble"
James 2:19

Our weapons are:

1. Effective:
"The weapons of my warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." II Corinthians 10:3, 4.

2. Mighty:
Weapons are not mighty in themselves, but rather THROUGH GOD.
To illustrate: If I get very close to a microphone and whisper, my voice travels through the system and comes out very loud. Similarly, my weapons, though feeble and weak of themselves, pass through God and become mighty.

3.Powerful to Release Captives:
The prisoners we seek to release must have a change of mind. The word repentance (Greek = metanoia) means a change of mind; a reversal of

position. The weapons of our warfare can bring this about in the people for whom we are fighting - our warfare weapons can do it THROUGH GOD.

How do we use these weapons? We move in the Spirit. We must make proper use of the weapons of our warfare.

Paul gives us some keys: 

"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." II Corinthians 5:18,19

Example: Ralph Mahoney relates an experience he had years ago:

"I had some co-workers who had been praying for eight years for God to save an unsaved friend. They had no real understanding of spiritual weapons and doubted they would be effective. So after I gave them a short teaching, I asked them to begin praying as follows: 'Our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we move as warriors in battle against every barrier of sinful decay and corruption in this mind. Because these sinful thought patterns exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, we assault these barriers and demolish them. We do this so her mind is free to obey Christ. We do this on the authority of God's Word.'

"For about three weeks we did this kind of spiritual warfare on behalf of their friend. We fought the fight of faith and at the end of that period she bowed her knees in repentance and came back to God, was gloriously saved and delivered from alcoholism."

If you have been praying for someone for a long time that's OK and it's legal.

But may I make a suggestion?

STOP PRAYING and begin to wage warfare on their behalf. Use the weapons God has given you - the ministry and word of reconciliation. The devil has no authority to stop you.

Each day move in against the powers of darkness that have attached themselves to this person. Drive them back with Christ's authority a day at a time. It may take some time but keep at it, using your weapons.

Remember the Children of Israel didn't capture the promised land instantly. They had to take pieces of ground and cities one at a time.

Once you have captured this ground in the persons mind from the enemy, then occupy it by a declaration of faith...telling the enemy he must not come back. Jesus told us to "occupy until He comes" Luke 19:13. This will prevent reentry by enemy forces.

Your part in the battle: God gives certain things to us to do. He never fails to do His part. It's we who have to be careful to remember our part. We must look at the cross and see Satan's defeat. Then we must move out on that basis to do battle as the Lord directs.

Our task, after we have prayed, is to save those we are concerned about. Jesus has already shed His blood to save them. Now, He has given to US the WORD and MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION. Thus, we must use our weapons to save the lost.

We are not helpless. No ministry excels that of intercessory prayer. But let's start to refocus our thinking so that we realize God has given us weapons to employ in a battle.

We don't have to stand by helplessly when our friends and loved ones are threatened or taken captive by the enemy. We are equipped to tear down the gates of Hell and bring them out.

Jude tells us to: "Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of hell itself..." Jude 23.

Christ has shed His blood to save sinners. He intercedes on our behalf incessantly. Our partis to pick up our weapons and go out against the powers of darkness and drive them off the land.

I repeat - He has given US the Word and Ministry of Reconciliation. We must speak that word and reconcile men to God. II Corinthians 5:18, 19.

I challenge you to put these weapons of warfare to the test. There are those you love, whom you want to be saved. Begin to speak in faith against the influence Satan has in their minds. Challenge Hell's gates. Let's break them down in order to bring out the captives that they might serve Christ and know true freedom.

If God gives you a scripture, keep declaring that scripture over the situation. If He gives you a Word of declaration, keep declaring that word. If you feel prompted to march and war in prayer, then get up and march and war in the Spirit. Speak the Word of Reconciliation.

Take the ground you are fighting for.

Put God and His Word to the test for a month. You will begin to go from faith to faith andvictory to victory.

Prayer: Lord, in the Name of Jesus, I come against the strongholds Satan has erected in the mind of _____. I cast down those strongholds and every high thing in the mind which exalts itself against the knowledge of God. I release that mind to obedience to Christ. I loose it to be reconciled to God. Amen

Part II of this teaching is my adaptation of the teaching of Ralph Mahoney (my brother). You may copy and use this complete lesson (without charge) for free distribution.

Copyrighted by Ruth Swaim to protect it from commercial or other non-approved use.