15 Verses for the Spiritual Battle

I begin this next article in our series about spiritual warfare with a few caveats. First, it’s clear that turning to the Word helps us stand against the enemy (Matt 4:1-11)—but simply quoting the Word is not sufficient if we’re not also following the Lord in all areas of our lives. Obedience is itself a stand against the evil one.

Second, simply reading an article is also insufficient. As I noted in last week’s article, reading the Word on a regular basis matters. The battle is ongoing, so our time with God must also be so. We must love the Word because it is the true God in communication with us.

Third, even reading the Word is only a start—and memorizing it can help us be even more prepared for the battle. If we decide to get right with the Lord only in the moment the enemy attacks, we’re already late in the battle. It is the Word buried in our heart that helps us walk faithfully even under the most intense attack.

With those thoughts in minds, let these texts give you strength today:

1.      Genesis 3:14-15  Then the Lord God said to the serpent:  . . . I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

God announced in the Garden of Eden that He would send someone—later identified in the Scriptures as Jesus—who would strike the serpent’s head. This text is actually a victory cry as much as it is a judgment.

2.      Exodus 15:3  The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is His name.

It’s really quite simple: God is our warrior. And He does not lose. Period.

3.      1 Samuel 17:47  . . . and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.

David got it right. The battle is God’s, and He delivers according to His own plans.

4.      2 Kings 6:16  Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” 

God’s forces may be unseen, but they are not unaware or unavailable. The size of the enemy’s forces need not worry us. 

5.      2 Chronicles 20:15  This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Jahaziel spoke truth. If the battle is the Lord’s, we do not need to be afraid or discouraged. 

6.      Job 1:9  Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven’t You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns?”

Even when God gives the enemy permission to attack us, Satan knows he cannot go beyond God’s protection. The enemy knows about God’s hedges.

7.      Matthew 4:10-11  Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” Then the Devil left Him.

That’s the way it works: Jesus says, “Get away,” and the devil flees. He has to. 

8.      Mark 1:23  Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, “What do You have to do with us, Jesus—Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

The demons know who Jesus is. He’s the Holy One who has come to destroy them.   

9.      Luke 22:31-32  “Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”

Not only must Satan get permission to sift us, but the same Jesus who gives him permission to attack us is the One who prays us through the conflict. He never leaves us alone.  

10.  Romans 16:20   The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The God who gives us peace is also the God who defeats the enemy in the battle. God will keep His Word of Genesis 3:15 — Satan will not win. 

11.  2 Corinthians 12:7-10  Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me . . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The enemy’s attacks may weaken us, but in God’s plan we defeat him by our weakness – not by our strength. “God, make me weak” is, in God’s economy, a prayer for victory.  

12.  Ephesians 6:10-11  Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God.

As I noted in last week’s article, the strength we do have is God’s strength. The armor we wear is God’s armor. Victory in warfare is never about us — and that’s a good thing. 

13.  1 John 4:4  . . . the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

God lives in us. That’s amazing. That’s also our guarantee of victory.

14.  Revelation 12:11  They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.

Even if we die in the battle, we still win. 

15.  Revelation 20:10  The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur . . .

God has promised us the end of the story—so we must faithfully follow Him and reject the arrows of the enemy in the meantime.

Amen.