Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance
Paul wrote "we wrestle not against flesh and blood" from a prison cell, and then he described the armor God gives. Spiritual warfare in Scripture is not panic about demons behind every door. It is standing firm in Christ, who has already won.
Read without fear: "God hath not given us the spirit of fear" (2 Timothy 1:7).
On this page 6 parts · 5 min
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, KJV
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The whole armor of God
Paul described the armor of God while he was "an ambassador in bonds" (Ephesians 6:20), very likely chained to a Roman soldier. He begins, "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:10-11).
Every piece is something God gives, not something we make: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet ready with "the gospel of peace", "the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked", the helmet of salvation, and "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:14-17). Then Paul adds how it is all worn: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18).
Notice the word he repeats: stand. "Having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13). The armor is for holding ground that Christ has already won, not for a battle still in doubt: "having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them" (Colossians 2:15).
Resist the devil, draw near to God
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:7-8). The order matters. Resistance begins with surrender to God, not with shouting at the enemy.
Peter adds watchfulness: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9). John adds confidence: "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
The battle is real, but Scripture places most of it close to home: in our thoughts, habits and relationships. Paul lists witchcraft among "the works of the flesh", beside hatred, strife, envy and drunkenness (Galatians 5:19-21). Manipulation and control are old sins, and the answer to them is the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptationMatthew 26:41
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Pulling down strongholds
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations… and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). A stronghold is a fortified way of thinking or living that has settled in: a habit, an addiction, a lie believed for years.
For many people today one of the strongest is pornography. It promises comfort and delivers shame, and it trains the eyes and the mind in a way that is hard to undo alone. Job said, "I made a covenant with mine eyes" (Job 31:1), and the psalmist, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes" (Psalm 101:3). Freedom usually comes the way any stronghold falls: honest confession, practical walls, and people who know and pray.
Paul promises that no temptation is beyond the way God makes through it: "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13). And Jesus promises the end of the story: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
The way of deliverance
Repent and believe
Deliverance begins where the gospel begins: "repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Be baptized
Peter told the first crowd, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38).
Hide the Word in your heart
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" (Psalm 119:11). Jesus answered every temptation in the wilderness with Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11), and the Spirit brings his words to remembrance (John 14:26).
Pray and fast
Of one stubborn case Jesus said, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). Fasting is not a technique but a way of telling God, and yourself, that he matters more than food.
Confess to one another
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16). Freedom is rarely found alone: a pastor, an elder or a trusted friend can carry the battle with you.
Put practical walls up
Filters on devices, phones out of the bedroom, a changed route home: wisdom builds walls around a weak place. "Make not provision for the flesh" (Romans 13:14).
Go deeper: the unseen world, how to test a spiritual sign, spiritual preparation, the Prayer Companion.
Common questions
What is spiritual warfare in the Bible?
It is the struggle Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-18: not against people, "flesh and blood", but against spiritual powers of evil. Believers fight it by standing in Christ's victory with the armor God gives: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God and prayer.
What are the pieces of the armor of God?
Ephesians 6:14-17 lists the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Verse 18 adds constant prayer.
Do I need a pastor to be delivered?
Christ is the deliverer, and repentance, faith and his Word are the heart of freedom (John 8:31-36). Scripture also tells believers to confess to one another and to call the elders of the church to pray (James 5:14-16), so a trusted pastor or mature believer is a gift in the fight, not a substitute for Christ.
How do I break free from pornography as a Christian?
Confess it to God and to a trusted believer (1 John 1:9; James 5:16), put practical barriers in place such as filters and phone-free bedrooms (Romans 13:14), fill your mind with Scripture (Psalm 119:11), and keep going after a fall. Many find a Christian counsellor or a recovery group a great help.
Is witchcraft real according to the Bible?
Scripture treats sorcery and witchcraft as real and forbidden practices (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) and lists witchcraft among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:20). It also teaches that believers need not live in fear of it: "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
Sources and editorial method
Research and editorial references used for this page include:
- BibleGateway: Ephesians 6:10-20 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Colossians 2:15 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: James 4:7-8 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: 1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: 1 John 4:4 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Galatians 5:19-23 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Job 31:1 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Psalm 101:3 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: John 8:31-36 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Mark 1:15 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: 1 John 1:9 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Acts 2:38 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Psalm 119:11 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Matthew 4:1-11 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: John 14:26 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Mark 9:29 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: James 5:14-16 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Romans 13:14 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
- BibleGateway: Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (KJV) - Quoted on this page in the King James Version.
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Scripture is quoted from the King James Version. The few present-day facts were checked in November 2026. These pages teach from Scripture: they set no date, name no living person as a sign, call no disaster a verdict on its victims, and blame no people for the world's troubles. The paintings are illustrations made for The Great Almanac with AI image tools, in the house's engraved style.
