How to Fight the Devil

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

I spoke yesterday about keeping your guard up and remembering that we are always in a spiritual battle. Today I want to give you some strategic plans for battling the Devil. These plans are tested and true and come straight from the Word of God–our lifeline in the spiritual realm.

1) Rely on God’s power through the Bible. Looking at Jesus as our example, we see that even He was tempted by the Devil. During His wilderness temptation, He countered the Devil’s temptations with Scripture. He studied the Bible and committed the verses to memory. When attacked by the Father of Lies, Jesus gained strength from God through His words recorded in the Scriptures. As the Psalmist said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Let this be the case for you especially when fighting the Devil. Know your Bible and let it light the path away from Satan and the darkness this world offers.

2) Recognize your weakest times and rejuvenate your soul through prayer. Another battle plan that Jesus employed was knowing His earthly limitations. Often after a great sermon (or series of sermons), Jesus would recognize His tired, weakened condition. Many times we see His example of going off by Himself to pray. In Matthew 11: 28, Jesus instructs His people to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” When you are exhausted and overwhelmed, you won’t make good choices, but if you allow the Author of Peace and comfort to restore you, the cares of this world will somehow slip away.

3) Rely on the Holy Spirit in the midst of battle. Shortly before Jesus’s crucifixion, He tried to prepare and comfort His disciples. He foreshadowed His death and resurrection, but then He promised that even though He would be in Heaven, the Holy Spirit would come and reside inside His followers. In
I Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul asks this question, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” This is a great reminder that when we are battling the Devil, we should listen to the guidance of the Lord– the guidance of the Holy Spirit living inside us.

Even though I realize that the battle is raging on around me, I find comfort in knowing that God has given me the strength of His Word, that He restores my soul and that the Holy Spirit will guide me from within. I rest in His promises. “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9

What’s your battle plan? How do you fight the Devil’s fiery darts?