All Authority

Spiritual warfare is resisting, overcoming and defeating the devil's lies (in the form of deception, temptations, and accusations) that he sends our way.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
-Ephesians 6:12

The three main ways the enemy threatens us are through deception, temptation, and accusation. To deceive means making someone believe a lie or something that is not true. The enemy wants you into believing something that is not true, so you will fall into error. A stronghold is an incorrect thinking pattern that stems from believing something that is not true. When deception takes hold on a person's mind, a stronghold is formed.

Temptation often follows deception. First satan tells us, "You won't surely die!", then he makes the fruit on the forbidden tree look good to us. Temptation is when we are lured in, seduced, or encouraged to sin. The enemy is showing you the worm... but behind that worm is a hook. We need the Word of God to see the hook behind the worm.

Accusation is when the devil fills a believer with guilt and shame over their sins. The devil likes to continue to rub past sin in our faces in order to beat us down, filling us with guilt and condemnation.


The devil is going to tempt us with these lies every day, but God tells us in His Word we don't need to be afraid.

Matthew 28:18-20 is titled "The Great Commission."

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Jesus is telling us to go out make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And He is telling us we have all authority. We have all the authority under Heaven because we are one with Christ.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."
-Ephesians 6:10-11

Our purpose is to defeat Satan and the devil's work and to set free those held captive. We have everything we need to defeat the lies. We have been given the full armor of God in order to fight!

As Christians, having all the authority of Jesus Christ, we should be excited at the thought of battle. All it takes is faith. Every encounter with the enemy can be another victory! Satan defeated.



We need to study and use His Word to guard against deception and tear down the strongholds of the enemy. To realize with Christ we are made perfect in His sight. He sees us as Perfect. Righteous. Beautiful. Loved.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you..."
-James 4:7-8

Dealing with temptation requires two things: resisting the devil and drawing near to God. The closer you get to God and the more you become aware of His love, the less power temptation will have over you.

When the enemy throws accusations at us, we must remember we are made righteous in Christ. We need to have faith in the cross, know that we are forgiven, and not listen to the enemy's lies.

"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—He did it to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."
-Romans 3:22-26

We are righteous. Loved. Holy. Perfect in His sight. We have all the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

Now we just need to have faith. Fight. And defeat Satan.