Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
1. We Are at War
“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” — Prayer is spiritual warfare because we are at war. Each day we live on this planet, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. There is a raging war going on between God and the powers of evil which oppose his kingdom rule. “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” (Eph 6:12).
This spiritual battle is not only happening in the world around us but also within us. We are the battleground where the living God fights the evil one. Just by acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord, in bowing and submitting to a ruler other than the world’s rulers, in praising and trusting God rather than worldly systems for our well-being, we threaten all that is against Christ. The forces of evil do not give up their territory without a fight. Every day we are tempted by the evil one as he tries to sabotage God’s plans in our lives. As long as we live, our old sinful self battles against our new self in Christ and his rule in our lives. Paul describes this well in Romans 7:7-25: “… For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. … it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. … I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. … when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” Prayer is our tool and weapon in this war, and that’s why we pray this prayer daily.
2. The Evil One Is Real BUT Vanquished
Prayer is spiritual warfare because the evil one, Satan, is real. Evil is large, cosmic, organized, subtle, pervasive, and real. It is behind the forces and powers that enslave human beings and destroy the world. He is “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph 2:2). “We know … that the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 Jn 5:19). His agents are everywhere — in Washington, in Moscow, in governments, in businesses, in schools, in seminaries, in churches.
Helmut Thielicke, a German theologian, said after WW2: “There is a dark, mysterious, spellbinding figure at work. Behind the temptations stand the tempter, behind the lie stands the liar, behind all the dead and bloodshed stands the ‘murderer from the beginning’.” During the Rwandan civil war in the early 1990s, a terrible genocide happened when nearly a million Tutsis were killed within a mere hundred days. When Canadian general Roméo Dallaire arrived as commander of the UN Assistance Mission to try to achieve a ceasefire, he witnessed first-hand the bloody hundred days: “In Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him.”
The evil one is real. He is extremely dangerous precisely because he does not have horns, hooves, or a tail, and does not smell of sulfur. “… Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor 11:14-15). He lies and deceives. “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). He is our real enemy, the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart” (Mt 13:19). Satan is a masterful strategist who seeks our downfall by his various schemes. Some schemes of Satan are failures, disappointments, hurts, depression, worry, fear, grief, anger, conflicts, and broken relationships designed to defeat God’s people. He is doing all he can to bring us down, trip us up, and defeat us, and he will do it by any means possible.
But here is the very good news. Yes, the evil one is real, but he is vanquished. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ dealt him a mortal blow. Jesus conquered him and his days are numbered. Yes, he is still active, but these are his last death throes, his last desperate attempts to bring God’s people down. So, we are in this war where God battles the powers of evil. We know for sure how this war will end. The cross and the resurrection made clear that God’s purposes for his creation and his kingdom will not be defeated. Our Lord will return, the final battle will be fought, and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire with all his agents and followers.
Until that day, there are still battles to be fought. And that is why God’s Word tells us to be alert and of sober mind, to resist the devil, standing firm in the faith (1 Pet 5:8-9). That is why we must put on the armor of God. “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. … put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground …” (Eph 6:10-11,13).
3. Prayer Is Our Weapon
The kingdom life is not a secure haven where we escape the storms and struggles of this world. We are engaged in a spiritual warfare. Are you feeling spiritually exhausted? Defeated? Overwhelmed? Unprepared? Are you ready to retreat? Circle the wagons? Wave the white flag of surrender to the world around you? Is the enemy too great and your own strength too small? Are you tempted to give in to the enemy’s schemes? We will not give up. We must keep fighting to honor Christ’s sacrifice and remember that He gives us victory over sin in our lives. How do we fight this battle? We fight with weapons that have divine power. They demolish the strong grip of the enemy. Prayer is our most important and very powerful weapon. Prayer is spiritual warfare.
It is through prayer that we put on the armor of God. It is through prayer that we study God’s Word. In prayer, we yield the Word, the sword of the Spirit, against the attacks and temptations of the evil one. In prayer, we focus our eyes on Christ. In prayer, we worship him as Lord, remember his sacrifice, praise him for his victory, and thank him for our freedom and new life. In prayer, we abide in Christ every moment. In prayer, we walk in step with the Spirit. In prayer, we worship God, declare his praises, put our trust in him, and take refuge in him. In prayer, we ask our Father in heaven, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
4. God Tests Not Tempts Us
Lead us not into temptation. God does not tempt us to do evil or sin. “When tempted, no one should say,’ God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (Jam. 1:13). Temptation to sin comes from the evil one and our own sinful, selfish desires, pride, and ego.
God does not tempt us, but he allows temptations and trials to test and strengthen our faith, discipline us, grow our character, and train us in our faith and in kingdom living. James 1:2-5, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
When we experience suffering and trials, we are tempted to sin. Suffering brings about a test of our faith and trust in the Lord. What will we do? How will we respond to trials and suffering? Will we trust ourselves, our own abilities, and our strength? Will we trust in worldly securities and powers? No, we pray this prayer and trust God to equip us to face our enemy. He has already won the victory. He has given us his authority and his power. He is with us in Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we overcome the evil one. In prayer with the shield of faith, we extinguish whatever fiery arrows he throws at us. We know that God will not allow us to be tempted more than we can withstand. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).
This prayer reminds us also that not one of us is above failing and falling. Temptations attack our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Therefore, in prayer, we must be aware of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We pray to be spared from temptations in these areas but when they come we pray that our Father gives us mercy and grace to overcome them, learn, and grow from them. Alone and on our own, we cannot stand up to the pressure of temptations, suffering, and trials. But we know that we can do it in the power of the Holy Spirit. This prayer is a vote of no confidence in our own abilities, and a vote of confidence and trust in the all-powerful living God. This prayer is saying no to “my will” and yes to God’s will.
All Christian men and women throughout history have faced continual temptation. Temptation shaped the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. How much more then does temptation shape, mold, develop and test our character and faith? So, this prayer is not to avoid trials and temptation, to avoid pain and suffering, or to avoid things we don’t like. We should “not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you” (1 Pet 4:12-13). This prayer is asking that God will enable us to overcome temptations and go through the trials triumphantly. As our Father provides us our daily food, He will provide what we need in our trials and temptations. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3).
5. God Delivers Us
God delivers us from the evil one. We are sinners whose evil and sin have been forgiven. We have experienced God’s love, grace, and the new life in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we don’t want to experience again the rule of the evil one and sin in our lives. And so we pray, deliver us from the evil one. With this prayer, we acknowledge that God is all-powerful and greater than any other power. He can defeat any enemy. He has already defeated the evil one in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has already saved us. He has already disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col 2:15). With this prayer we receive his victory. We acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves. We do not have the power or resources to resist the evil one. What wretched beings we are? Who will deliver us from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom 7:24-35). Jesus Christ alone delivers. “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (Rom 8:31-32).
Therefore, we will fear no evil because the Lord is our Shepherd. Even though we walk through the darkest valleys, we will fear no evil, for He is with us; his rod and staff comfort us (Ps 23:4). When we pray, “Deliver us from evil,” we are asking that the victory of Jesus be made real and visible in our lives. And in Christ, we will then find ourselves victorious as we live in Him and follow Him. Because “greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). That’s the good news.
Questions — In what areas of your life is the enemy wearing you down so that you are less than victorious? In what areas of your life do you feel most vulnerable to the enemy’s attack?
Make it a point daily to spend time with Him in prayer. Confess your dependence on Him. Don’t stop praying until you are encircled by His peace. Meditate on Scripture. Consider His truth, love, grace, and righteousness. His armor brings the victory today and every day. Put on God’s armor every morning and keep it on the whole day.
Keep on praying at all times in the Spirit. In prayer, we develop intimacy with the Father, and as we draw closer to the heart of the Father, standing firm and rooted in his Word, the more effective we are against the powers of this world. The love of the Father gives us the same strength to say like Jesus in Matthew 4, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”