Waging War in the Heavenlies
Jim Croft
Battle strategy for overpowering our unseen enemies
During the summer of 1970, a sister in the Lord brought me a letter she had just received from a childhood friend who was now a Christian and the wife of a U.S Army Major stationed in Formosa. The letter was a desperate plea from that member of the Body of Christ halfway around the world to intercede for her 13-year-old son who was creating havoc in their home by his rebellion and drug addiction. According to the letter, the boy was so violent at times that he had to be physically restrained. As a result, the father's supervisors had finally been forced to issue him an ultimatum:
"Control your son or be shipped back to the states."
As I knelt and prayed with the letter placed in front of me I felt impressed to bind the
evil spiritual powers over Formosa that were controlling the demons within the young man.
At that time in my life this seemed a rather unusual impression to receive but as I prayed
in obedience I immediately received a vision of the island. In the vision I could detect
the faces of several distinct evil angels. They appeared to be wearing masks-with
expressions similar to those on images used in some forms of Oriental worship.
I can recall praying specifically against one angel that caused the boy to be hysterically
violent and then, after about ten more minutes of prayer I arose with the thought,
"Well, now I've prayed; I'll wait and see what God has done." In all honesty I
had no subjective assurance that anything specific had happened; yet I did know;
that I had wrestled. with intelligent spiritual forces who were very much aware that I had
apprehended the authority to resist them.
Aside from that short time of prayer, I never really thought about the incident again
until one evening almost a year later. Ally wife and I were at a party given in our honor
at the home of the lady who had originally brought me the letter from Formosa and
all through that evening I found myself observing a well-behaved redheaded,
fourteen-year-old boy As the boy sat at the feet of his father, listening attentively to
the conversation among the adults, he somehow reminded me of the Gadarene
demoniac in Luke's gospel, who, after his deliverance, was found sitting
clothed and in his right mind at the feet of Jesus. It was as if the Lord was saying to
me, "There sits the fruit of your prayers."
Immediately, I asked our hostess if that was the boy I had prayed for, and she joyfully
affirmed that indeed it was. Then she added that not only had his mother reported a
tremendous change in the boy right after she had mailed the prayer request, but also,
around that same time, her husband and two daughters had come into a much stronger
relationship with the Lord.
That day I realized-and subsequent experience has repeatedly confirmed-that for me,
praying over that letter marked my enrollment in a unique section of God's schooling, one
that would prepare me for the very purpose for which God had originally apprehended me.
For, like a host of other Christians, I was born to do spiritual warfare, utilizing
every tactic and weapon given by the Holy Spirit. And the primary lesson for anyone,
called to spiritual warfare is the indespensibility of prayer.
PRAYER, THE KEY
Religious life becomes a treadmill unless the lives of God's people in any fellowship
center around systematic prayer. Everything can be accomplished by prayer and nothing of
eternal value is accomplished without it. It is significant that Jesus never taught His
disciples to preach, nor did John the Baptist teach his ' disciples how to
prophesy; yet both of them taught their men how to pray (Luke 11:1-2). The corporate
prayer life of the Church is of utmost importance because prayer is the means by which we,
as God's people, can wrestle back from Satan everything that was lost in Adam's
fall-whether health, creativity, dominion over the elements, fruitfulness from the earth,
or the privilege of walking with God in the cool of the day. This is God's desire for us,
and this can only be accomplished by prayer. Through prayer we win all battles and through
prayer we gather the spoils.
Just as the fullness of the godhead dwelt in Jesus individually, the Lord desires
to manifest each one of His redemptive attributes corporately through His Church. Because
Jesus was and is Jehovah Sabbaoth-the Lord, the Captain of God's Army-then if we, His
People, are faithful to pray, we will join our Captain as His warrior bride, His
battle-ax, His mighty war horse by which He will trample down sin and the kingdom of Satan
(Heb. 2:10; Song Sol. 6:10; Jer. 51:20)-21; Zech. 10:3-5; 2 Cor. 2:14: Rom. 16:20).
Some may think such language is presumptuous-that it takes away from the victory already
accomplished by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. But let me use a
simple analogy to show that this is not so. Two thousand years ago, when
Jesus rose from the dead, He conquered sin, death. disease, Satan and all his host. Jesus'
death and resurrection, the most decisive blows God ever struck in His battle against
Satan, may be compared in their effect On the kingdom of darkness to the two atomic bombs
that ended World War II. Now, when an atom bomb is dropped, everything within a fifty-mile
radius will inevitably be destroyed. But that destruction is not made manifest until the
waves of power push out from the point of explosion, utilizing the energy released by the
initial blast to obliterate everything in their path. To apply this to the spiritual
realm, the most potent of all bombs was dropped in Jerusalem two thousand years ago, and
each successive generation of believers has been an extension of its waves of power. As.
the Gospel gains an ever-extending mushroom of authority, each generation of Christians
must call afresh upon the power of the initial blast as they level the walls of opposing
satanic fortresses into rubble.
My intention in this article Is to outline a battle strategy by which we can methodically
combat Satan, employing that initial, dynamic work of the cross effectually in our given
sphere of influence.
THE SIX-POINT PLAN
The Scripture says that before any man goes to war, he should first sit down and make
sure he has a battle plan that will bring defeat to his opponent (Luke 14:31-33). With
this in mind, our battle plan to be effective, should provide the answer to all of
the following six questions: ( 1 ) Is it our responsibility to fight this war? (2) Who and
where is our enemy? (3) What is our first battle objective? (4i What are our weapons and
how do we use them (5) Who are our allies? (6) On what basis is our challenge to the enemy
issued?
As the basis for answering the first two questions, we shall use Luke 11:20-23
But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon
you When a strongman armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger
than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he
trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me and he that
gathereth not with me scattereth.
1. Is it our responsibility to fight this war?
There is no neutral ground in the warfare against Satan. Each of us is either for the
Lord and against Satan, or against the Lord and working with Satan, either
gathering spoils on behalf of the Kingdom of Christ, or helping Satan by scattering all
the resources God has made available to us. Attempting to be neutral is like a
professional athlete who agrees with the opposing team to throw the game. Even thought he
still plays in the game, he sides with the opposition by neither- attempting to prevent
them from winning nor trying his best to help his own team win.
I firmly believe that the Lord's plan is to enlist every child of His in spiritual
warfare. Even in the garden He vowed to Satan that the woman's seed would bruise the
serpent's head. God has called us as the Body of Christ to bruise the head of Satan.
Although the Lord will do it by His power, He will use our feet, because He has chosen to
work on the earth through the efforts of His Body (Rom 16.20; I Cor. 12:21). And until we
actively wage the war through prayers the victory over Satan will not be fully realized
2. Who and where is our enemy?
The enemy is the strong man, Satan, that old serpent the devil. To identify him
completely, we must recognize the make-up of his army, the type of armour he uses, and the
goods he covets. As Lucifer, the prince of the power of the air, he has command over
thousands of rebellious angels Eph, 2:2 & 6:10} and as Beelzebub, the prince of demons
(Matt. 12:24), he marshals untold millions of earthbound evil spirits {Lk. 11:24).
In essence he is the god of this present world system (2 Cor. 4:4).
His armour is the force of sin, rebellion, and disease manifested in such different forms
as sickness, drunkenness, broken homes, poverty, fear, mental torment and despair- The
goods he seeks to hold for himself include the lives of unredeemed people, as well as
every living thing and every material resource of the earth. Because the whole creation
was made subject to Satan's influence when Adam fell (Rom. 8:20-23), the devil has already
robbed us of much that God intended us to enjoy, and through his deception the true
potential of all creation was corrupted. But through aggressive prayer divine life can be
restored in the creation around us.
We must see the location of the enemy on two levels If we hope to smite him
effectively. Satan's Palatial headquarters, the upper level, is in the heavenlies. From:
there he rules over all the rebellious angels that occupy the first and second
heavens. The following composite of Ephesians 6:12, taken from several versions of the
Bible helps to identify these two levels:
For ours is no struggle against enemies of flesh and blood but against the master-spirits
and cosmic powers that control and govern this dark world. Against the host of wicked
spirits from the very headquarters of evil that are arrayed against us in heavenly
warfare.
On the higher level, our warfare is not with forces operating from hell, but rather
with wicked angels located in the first and second heavens who seek to exercise cosmic
power against the purposes of Christ's kingdom. Scripture teaches that there are actually
three heavens, When Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:2 that he was taken up into the third
heaven where God dwells this presupposes a first and second heaven, especially when
compared with the statement in Ephesians 4:10 that Christ ascended far above all
heavens. Since Jesus saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven (Lk. 10 18), yet
he is still the prince of the power of the air (Eph, 2:2), the conclusion we draw from the
Scriptures is that Satan presently occupies the first and second heavens while God
occupies the third.
Satan actually roles from the second heaven through a well-organized army consisting of
angelic princes, governors, and generals. These powerful beings war against us by
hindering our prayer life, by trying to block the moving of the Holy Spirit in a
given locale by cooperating in battle plans with the demons who are confined to the
earth.
()n the lower level or earth, Satan, in his role as Beelzebub, commands an army of demonic
foot soldiers whose purpose it is to possess and harass people and to bring complications
and disruption into any given situation. They accomplish this task by causing such
difficulties as fear, cancer, insanity, religious error and confusion.
Here is an illustration of the way Satan can use his army on these two levels to rule in a
given locale. There is a fallen angel who is the Chief Prince, under Satan, assigned the
duty of thwarting the purposes of God in America. Under him is a lesser prince assigned to
the West Coast, and under his authority is the general over Nevada. Finally, under- him is
the main power over the city of Reno, whose express function would be to cause divorces
and to break up homes. From his position in the heavenlies, he does this by allying with
and supervising the demons of Beelzebub's army assigned to that same purpose These demons
then operate in and around the individuals and families in that city, inciting people to
bicker, get depressed and commit adultery.
In order to oppose these evil forces and win the battle for Reno, the Christians there
must direct their prayers and efforts toward binding all the spirits, both angelic and
demonic, that are arrayed against them.
3. What is our first battle objective?
In this matter we have a precedent set by Daniel. At the beginning of Daniel 10, the
prophet had come to understand from the writings of Jeremiah that Israel's captivity in
Babylon was to last seventy years (Jer. 29:10). Having access to the historical records,
Daniel knew the seventy years had run their course. However, rather than passively
awaiting God's intervention, he began to fast and pray that God would show him exactly how
the restoration of His people was to be accomplished. After twenty-one days of
intercession, an angel of the Lord came to Daniel to tell him that from the very first
day, God had heard his prayer and had sent him immediately to bring Daniel the revelation
he was seeking. However, for twenty-one days a satanic angel called "The Prince of
the Kingdom of Persia" had resisted the passage of God's angel through the heavenly
regions. Eventually the Archangel Michael had come to the help of the first angel,
enabling him to break through the satanic opposition and reach Daniel with his message.
!n the same way our first objective should be to win the battle in the heavenlies, then we
can expect great results on earth. It was the continued prayer and fasting of Daniel that
gave the good angel and the Archangel Michael the power to overcome "The Prince of
Persia." Had Daniel not endured in his intercession, the angel would likely
not have made it through with the answer. To win the battle on earth, we must first win
the war in the heavenlies. This is our first battle objective-conquering Satan in the
heavenlies.
We can further illustrate this truth with the following example from natural warfare. The
essential offensive thrust in any modern army is made up of an infantry combined with air
support squadrons. Thc function of the air squadrons is to win the major part of the
victory, via strategically placed bombs; and missiles, prior to sending in any of
the ground forces. A wise leader should first attempt to knock out his enemy's command
headquarters and air support If these elements can be disabled, then enemy ground troops
can be crippled and scattered at will. If not, then enemy air squadrons will be left to
strike again, even after a ground victory has been won.
How many times have we seen our efforts at deliverance and healing give only short range
results? The main reason often proves to be that the major power in the heavens was left
untouched to bomb and recapture the hard-won spoils and newly gained ground. But when the
primary objectives, the forces in the heavens, are bound, we are free to gather the spoils
of redeemed lives with little opposition from the rest of the enemy. To win the battle in
the heavenly theatre is to have the entire battle won
4. Choosing and using our weapons
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal or natural; they are spiritual. If we are
going to war against spirits, we must use spiritual weapons since we cannot harm spirit
beings with fleshly or material weapons. It is said that Martin Luther once threw an
inkwell at the devil. Though his zeal is commendable, his missile had no effect on
the devil. Had Luther chosen to use one of the following spiritual weapons, he
would have given Satan a bruise not soon to be forgotten.
Five of the weapons in our arsenal the blood, the Word, our testimony, praise, and
the name Of Jesus. We overcome the forces of evil when we testify to what the Word of God
says the blood of Jesus does for us Praise is a mighty weapon by which we bind the
nobles of Satan's kingdom with chains and his princes with fetters of iron (Ps. 149 5-9)
The name of Jesus is our coup de grace by which we completely humiliate our
enemies, forcing them to bow and confess that Jesus is Lord and Conqueror.
When we use our weapons in prayer, it is helpful for us to visualize their effects
on the enemy. For example. picture the blood as boiling oil that wilts the power of the enemy as you confess it Envision the Word as a hammer by which you bruise the
devil's stony head [Jer. 23:29) and your testimony crushing an evil angel as-recall
the Lord's mighty acts on behalf of His people. Project in
your spirit that as you praise God, the legs of oppressing spirits are shackled and
they are yanked to earth where you put your foot on their necks as they confess
that Jesus is Lord (Ps. 18;37-42; Phil. 2:10).
5. Who are our allies
Before anyone can confidently engage in warfare, he must both know and trust his
allies. The first allies we should recognize are listed in Hebrews 12:22-24)
But we are come unto mount Sion and unto the city of the Living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. to the general assembly and church of
the firstborn, which are written In heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the
spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to
the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Among our first-line allies are the holy angels of God. Just as twelve legions of them
were ready to come to Jesus' aid on the night of His betrayal, at least that many are
prepared to fight on our behalf. (In the time of Caesar Augustus, a legion was 6,100 men
and 726 horsemen, so this means that at least 81,912 angels are available to assist us.)
We also have our brothers and sisters in Christ, with whom we should seek to develop
dependable relationships. Then they will unite with us, regarding our battle as their
battle.
The third category of allies consists of the saints who have passed on before us and are
now with the Lord. These saints, now living in heaven, will acknowledge our victory
over satanic forces in the heavens. With each portion of territory we take, they
will shout, "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the
power of his Christ" (Rev. 12:10). They sound out the victory because they know that
once Christ's kingdom and authority has been established in the heavenlies, it will soon
be instituted in the earth.
Just as Moses and Elijah maintained a vital interest in Jesus' earthly ministry long after
they had passed from earth, even so are the saints of old cheering us on and waiting to
war on our behalf in the future (Lk. 9:30-31; Rev 12:10; Heb. 12:1; 1 Cor. 13;9-13).
The fourth line of our allies is so vast that it almost exceeds human comprehension. To
see it in part, let's take a fresh look at Romans 8.28. Where the King James Bible says,
"all things," the Greek means "every spoken word from God." An
expanded translation of the entire verse could read:
We know that all the things that God has ever spoken into place by His Word whether stars,
earth, animals or stones-in fact the entire cosmos-is interested in and cooperating for
the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose .
Such a translation amplifies the meaning of "all things" from merely adverse
circumstances to an innumerable company of allies that have heretofore been hidden in
verses that seemed obscure and only symbolic. For instance, the stars fighting on behalf
of Israel against Sisera (Judg 5:20), and Balaam's ass warning Balaam of impending
spiritual danger (Num. 22.26-33} are two examples of created "things" assisting
God's people. (For other examples, see Job 20:26-29; Josh. 10:12,13 and Rev. 12:16).
How can anyone refrain from joining the battle through prayer when such mighty weapons and
trustworthy allies await us? For even the stones of the field are in league with us and
the beasts of the field shall be at peace with us (Job 5 23).
6. On what basis is our challenge issued?
Our God is a wise commander, carefully counting the cost before going into battle. He
makes very sure that the troops He sends forth are strong enough and sufficiently
well-trained to resist the enemy's attempts to destroy their confidence (1 Cor 10:13; Heb.
10:35). God's selection of Job exemplifies this wisdom. Job was strong in character, a man
whose righteousness surpassed that of his peers. God Himself chose the life of Job as His
battlefield with Satan because, after counting the cost He knew that Job could win. Satan
accepted the challenge, eager to prove that a human soul would quickly reject God and
spiritual things once material blessings were stripped away. Therefore, the devil used
war, bandits, death, disease, the break-up of the family, the weather, and strange signs
from heaven in his attempts to destroy Job's trust in God. But as we all know, Job emerged
victorious, with twice as much in spoils as he possessed when he went into battle (Job
1:6-2:1O; 42;10-17).
Now what can we learn from Job about qualifying to be a major battlefield?
A thorough reading of Job 29 shows that God's anointing rested on Job's life and that he
was greatly respected because of his spirituality and willingness to minister to the
oppressed. It was his knowledge of spiritual things, the blessings of God on his life and
the anointing of the Holy Spirit that marked Job as one responsible to battle. If we apply
these guidelines, then the more light, teaching, gifts and respect we have, the more
likely it is that God will call us into battle.
Interestingly, the weapons by which Satan assaulted Job are also referred to in the
Gospels as signs that the second corning is near. War, strained relationships, strange
weather and signs in the heavens will be on the increase in the midst of prosperity and
world-wide evangelism ( Matt 24: 7-14,:29-30). By reference, as the age comes closer to
its end, more and more saints will qualify spiritually to make war upon the devil!.
In Job's day he was the one man who met God's standards for a spiritual challenge.
However, as the age closes there will be millions of Spirit-anointed saints qualified for
battle, and there will be both global and heavenly warfare. But in the end the victorious
shout will go up, "Now is come salvation and strength, the Kingdom of our God and the
power of His Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down from the heavens;') (Rev
12:10)
THE REWARDS OF VICTORY
Why must we do battle? Because it's God's "on-the job training" for
the Church to prepare us to be Christ's eternal companion. Through our warfare, we are
learning skills now that will enable us to please the Lord in eternity. We must learn now
in order to conquer and rule in the ages to come when we serve as His
co-sovereign over all created things.
For this reason, each of us, both individually and in our fellowships, should establish a
battle plan to pull down the powers of darkness that control the city where God has placed
us. Only as we win the battle in the heavenlies can we truly occupy the territory until
the Lord comes. As we gain victory in our present setting, we produce enduring fruit and
we gather valuable spoils to present to our Master when He returns. For those who have
been faithful to assault the headquarters of Satan, binding his princes through prayer,
and gathering the spoils of the battle through our service, there will be great reward in
the ages to come.
May everyone that has read this article qualify to hear these words from the Lord.
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant Thou hast been faithful over a few things.
I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt.
25:21).
A BATTLE PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE
"Satan, we come against you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are armed
with the blood and the Word of God, our sword. Right now we pierce you with the truth that
Jesus Christ came in the flesh to destroy your works.
Even now, as we lift our praises to the Lord, the chief prince assigned to rule over this
city has been bound with fetters of iron, just as you are also bound with chains of iron.
Everything we bind on earth is bound in heaven, and with that authority, we cast you down.
By faith, we scatter every heavenly force arrayed against us, as holy angels smite them in
our behalf. Greater is He that lives in us and more powerful are those with us, than those
with you. Jesus Christ Himself sends His Word to deliver us from your devices. We put
to flight every demonic power in this city that would hinder us. Satan, we have bound
your chiefs; therefore, all your demons grope in darkness, staggering as we smite them by
the resurrection power of Jesus.
Satan, you and every one of your angels and demons are now bound. We laugh and God laughs
as we see you brought to derision as you recognize that you must bow at the name of Jesus.
Now by faith we loose the peace and grace of Christ. Come Holy Spirit and work among us -
saving and healing as we see Your Kingdom established to the glory of the Father.
Amen."
