THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By Pastor Alan Mayton
The primary purpose in praying for the lost is NOT to convince God to save them for He is "not willing that any should perish" (II Peter 3:9), having sent Christ to die for the sins of the whole word (I John 2:2). But rather, it has to do with spiritual warfare -- freeing them of demonic influence so they can be saved.
A brief review of the Biblical description of their desperate situation will help us understand this critical truth. The lost are prisoners which Satan refuses to release (Isaiah 14:17), slaves under Satan's authority and jurisdiction (Acts 26:18), children of the devil (John 8:44), blinded to the gospel (II Corinthians 4:3-4), "energized" by Satan (Ephesians 2:2), helplessly held in Satan's grasp (I John 5:19), and a strong man's house (Mark 3:27).
Just a little elaboration on some of these scriptures will give us a clearer picture. For example, Ephesians 2:2 says, "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." The Greek word for worketh is energeo -- "to energize." This means that the lost are literally "energized" by the spirit of the devil. Of course, a lost person doesn't know that, and certainly would not admit it if he did. He thinks he is free (that's part of his lostness), but in truth his course of action is dictated by the prince of the power of the air.
Let's look at I John 5:19, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." This means the whole world (including its inhabitants) lies utterly prostrate under the influence of the wicked one. Webster's dictionary defines prostrate "to lie with the face downward in abject submission; to be completely subjugated." Concerning this verse, the word, is in the evil one, in his grip and under his dominion. Moreover, it lies there. It is not represented as struggling actively to be free but as quietly lying, perhaps even unconsciously asleep, in the arms of Satan. The evil one does not "touch" the Christian, but the world is helplessly in his grasp.
And then, Mark 3:27 is what I consider to be the most important verse in the Bible concerning winning the lost to Christ. In this verse Jesus Himself says, "No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house" if this verse means anything, it means that no lost person will ever be saved unless someone frees him from the demonic influences that control him. This is absolutely the first thing that must be done. And this freeing process is accomplished through prayer!
In order to win the war for souls, there are some basic things we need to do. The first of these is to use our God-appointed weapons. When a person goes into the military they are given training with the weapons they are expected to use in war.
God has provided powerful weapons for us to use in this spiritual war. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (II Corinthians 10:4). Our problem is that we are neither familiar with our weapons nor indeed the war itself.
But before I acquaint you with your weapons and how to use them, let me remind you that the actual combat is prayer - we fight by praying. So when we aren't praying, Satan is winning by default, but when we are praying, he is losing because he has absolutely no defense for prayer. Could this be why God wants us to "Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17) and why the apostles gave themselves "continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4)?
Just as all physical weapons of war, whether bombers, tanks, missiles, grenades, rifles, etc., are used for one purpose -- to defeat the enemy -- so all spiritual weapons are used to do the same! So, let's get familiar with our mighty weapons and use them when we pray.
The blood of Christ is one of our most powerful weapons. Revelation 12:11 says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb..." Hebrews 2:14 tells us why pleading the blood of Christ in prayer is so powerful: "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Strong's dictionary defines destroy "to render entirely useless; to make void."
When Satan thought he slew the innocent Son of God, he destroyed himself...not annihilated, but destroyed. All of the legal claims which he secured upon the earth and man through Adam's fall are now completely cancelled; since the cross, he has absolutely no right at all upon any one or any thing. It means that all the power which he now exercises he exercises solely by deception and bluff.
When we plead the blood of Christ, we are reminding Satan and all his demons that they are already defeated. This especially significant in the battle for souls, since the shedding of Christ's blood on Calvary paid the sin-debt for all mankind (I John 2:2) and now Satan holds souls captive only by default -- because we have not insisted that he turn them loose!!
Another very powerful weapon is the name of Jesus! The Lord's disciples, returning from their witnessing mission, joyfully exclaimed, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through your name" (Luke 10:17). And they are subject to us also!
There are three Biblical reasons why the name of our Lord Jesus is so powerful in the spiritual realm. Firstly, because He is Lord over all by creation: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Colossians 1:16).
And secondly, He is Lord through crucifixion: "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15).
And thirdly, He is Lord through coronation: "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him" (I Peter 3:22).
Since we are acting in direct obedience to the command of the Lord Jesus in interceding for the lost and demanding that they be set free, their controlling demons must obey because they are subject to His name.
The word of God is another mighty weapon we can use in prayer. As we have already seen, pleading scriptures is really effective. The word of God is even called "the sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17).
Since Satan was totally stripped of his power and authority at Calvary (Colossians 2:15) (Hebrews 2:14), all he has to work with is a lie. However, he is pretty good with it seeing as how he is able to "deceive the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). But, the word of God is "truth" and truth beats a lie EVERYTIME. Therefore, if we continually use the word of God in warfare prayer, we will win every time and souls will be set free!!!
Praise is another powerful weapon we can use, for when we begin to praise God, He comes into the situation (Psalm 22:3) and how wonderful it is to have the "commander-in-chief" on the scene of battle!! A wonderful testimony to the power of praise is the story found in II Chronicles 20. Judah was being attacked by a combined army from several enemy nations. The situation was so desperate that King Jehoshaphat called for all Judah to "fast and pray." But, it was "WHEN they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten" (verse 22).
Most of us have no concept of how powerful praise is in the battle for souls -- could it be that we haven't used it enough to understand its mighty power?
Fasting is another powerful but little-used weapon in our arsenal. It has been called the "most potent power" we have at our disposal. My personal opinion is that fasting enhances the power of prayer by at least tenfold!
The purpose of our warfare is to defeat the enemy and fasting is designed to do that effectively. Listen to Isaiah 58:6, "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?" On one occasion when the disciples were unable to cast a demon out of a little boy, Jesus told them that "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29).
One other weapon that exerts much force in the spiritual realm is love. The one who loves the Lord with all of his being and loves lost souls as himself cannot be stopped!! Revelation 12:11 says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."
When you love someone enough, you will do whatever it takes to keep them out of hell. As a matter of fact, love cannot fail. Love "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things...NEVER faileth" (I Corinthians 13:7-8).
So what happens when we pray, using the weapons God has given us? II Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
The weapons wielded in prayer are designed to pull down strongholds, cast down imaginations and capture thoughts. Strongholds are mind-sets that are against the word and will of God. So we can quickly see that the battle-field is a person's mind, because we are dealing with mind-sets, imaginations, and thoughts.
It is crucial that we understand this because whoever controls the mind controls the person. If Satan can continue to control the mind of an unsaved individual, he will be able to keep him from being saved. The only way for him to do this is to keep the person blinded to the gospel, for anyone in his "right" mind will choose Jesus over Satan and heaven over hell EVERY single time! When the legion of demons was cast out of the Gadarene, and he could think and choose for himself - he not only chose Jesus but also became a flaming evangelist for Him (Mark 5:15-20).
Man is a free agent, to use the old phrase, so far as God is concerned; utterly, wholly free. And he is the most enslaved agent on the earth, so far as sin and selfishness and prejudice are concerned. The purpose of our praying is not to force or coerce his will; never that. It is to free his will of the warping influences that now twist it awry. it is to get the dust out of his eyes so his sight shall be clear. And once he is free, able to see aright, to balance things without prejudice, the whole probability is in favor of his using his will to choose the only right...Our prayer is "rescue him from the evil one," and because Jesus is Victor over the captor, the rescue will take place. Without any doubt we may assure the conversion of these laid upon our hearts by such praying. The prayer in Jesus' name drives the enemy off the battle-field of the man's will, and leaves him free too choose aright.
Now that we understand that God uses our prayers to pull down Satan's strongholds, let's see how Satan uses strongholds in the lives of people to keep them from being saved. The strongest of all strongholds is UNBELIEF. It is the major stronghold in every person - saved or lost!! In a Christian it is designed to keep him from really believing certain truths in God's word that will make him powerful and effective in God's kingdom. But in the unsaved it is designed to keep him from believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Since unbelief is the only sin that condemns one to hell, Satan regards it as priceless, guarding it with other strongholds. Any mind-set that is against God's will and word will do. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus asking how he could inherit eternal life, Jesus NEVER told him how to be saved. Rather, he told him to distribute the proceeds of his wealth to the poor. But the young man was unwilling to do this and went away just as he came- lost. Jesus knew that greed controlled his mind and heart, preventing him from being saved, and until that was broken, the gospel would be ineffective (Mark 10).
The stronghold of the Samaritan woman of Sychar was lust. She conversed with the Lord on social and historical subjects, avoiding the main issue of her life. But when Jesus plainly told her that she had been married five times and was presently living with a man - He had her attention. In this case the stronghold was shattered and she was gloriously saved (John 4).
Satan often uses bitterness to block out the truth of God's love and prevent it from being received. For example, a little girl is sexually molested and now, years later someone shares the gospel with her - it will never get past the bitterness in her heart. That stronghold must be torn down by prayer before she will be able to receive the good news of God's love.
It's difficult to win homosexuals to Christ - not because God doesn't love them or because the gospel is not powerful enough or because you don't care enough. But this is such a powerful stronghold that much prayer, fasting, persistence, faith, etc. is needed to break it. And we usually get discouraged and quit before the victory is won.
One day as I was praying for one particular person, I asked the Lord to reveal to me why he continued to reject the gospel. He impressed the word "control" upon my mind. I really didn't understand what that meant. But as I got to know him better, I discovered that he controls everything within the sphere of his influence with an iron hand. Now I understand why control is the stronghold that keeps him from Christ -- for in order to be saved, one must submit to Him!
I want to speak briefly to those who may be praying for someone with a major addiction problem such as drugs or alcohol. These addictions only mask the real issue. The real problem is usually a damaged ego where the self-esteem and self-image has been shattered in some way -- either through rejection, abuse, or some major disappointment in life. The addiction itself only covers and compounds the problem in order that you can get the victory.
I suppose there are hundreds of strongholds Satan uses to guard unbelief, but the fundamental truth we must understand is that there is always one key stronghold in the life of each unsaved individual that hinders that person from receiving the gospel. The battle is NEVER fought over a multitude of sins (though the individual may have many) but rather over only one!! That particular stronghold is the armor on which the strong man depends, but when his armor (stronghold) is destroyed, he is defeated and the person is ready for salvation (Luke 11:21-22).
Another absolutely essential element in the spiritual warfare aspect of winning souls is that of exercising our authority in Christ. He has given unto us His incredible authority (Matthew 16:19) but we must use it. Just as the policeman on the street corner can direct the flow of traffic because of his authority, so can a believer pray for the souls of men bound and blinded by Satan and cause them to be delivered. The powers of darkness find their strength is broken through the blood of Jesus Christ; and when we exercise our authority in Him, they can no longer withstand us. God has called us to be instruments through which He can exercise His authority. Let us by faith accept this position and stand firm regardless of the opposition. He will then be able to do things through us that we never dreamed of.
Legally, all souls belong to Christ because He paid for their sins on Calvary (I John 2:2). But Satan, illegally and forcefully, continues to hold them captive, resolutely refusing to let them go. And he will continue to hold them bound in spiritual darkness until we take our rightful place and exercise our throne-rights by demanding their immediate release on the basis of Christ's shed blood and our delegated authority from Him.
There is absolutely no reason for even one single soul to die and go to hell because Christ has already paid their redemption price. And the only reason why anyone will go to hell is that we have not taken our place of authority and bound the strong man, insisting on their salvation. The devil will not release them until we make him.
The last but incredibly important element in praying for souls is to continually RESIST the devil. We are instructed to put on God's armor (Ephesians 6:10-18), so that we can "Stand against the wiles (methods) of the devil...able to withstand (resist) in the evil day." When we really get serious about the salvation of souls, Satan uses difficult circumstances either in our lives or in those for whom we are praying in an effort to make us back off and quit. This is why a husband or teenager for whom a wife or mother is praying will often tend to get worse instead of better -- Satan wants them to quit praying, for he is losing his grip on those souls!!
So, to resist the devil means that you do not let the negative reactions, circumstances, etc. stop your continued fervent effort of prayer. When something, such as asbestos, is fire resistant that means it is unaffected by fire. Something that is water resistant, means that it is unaffected by water. To be Satan resistant means that, no matter what he does, it does not affect you, you just keep on praying for your lost loved one's salvation.
There are only two reasons why any prayer for the salvation of souls will remain unanswered: either there is sin or unbelief in the one doing the praying, or else Satan is hindering the answer. So, if you get your life right (John 15:7) and keep praying, the answer will come, for Satan cannot continue to hold out against bold, fervent warfare praying!!
Now in a war, plans must be made. The soldiers don't just go around everywhere shooting at anything. The same is true in prayer warfare for souls - we need a strategy. Let me give you several that are extremely effective.
The ultimate strategy is for the entire church to give itself continually to prayer. The early church did this: "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication" (Acts 1:14) with amazing results - "and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls (Acts 2:41) and "many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand" (Acts 4:4).
In another prayer meeting "the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31) with a continual harvest of many souls;" multitudes both of men and women" (Acts 5:14), "the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly (Acts 6:7), and "all that dwelt at Lydda and Sharon... turned to the Lord" (Acts 9:35). And there are many other passages in the book of Acts describing similar accounts. If the church of today would follow the prayer example of the early church, it would experience the same kind of evangelistic results.
Another very productive strategy is to form prayer groups. The ideal set-up in most churches would be Sunday school classes or home cell groups since they already meet on a regular basis. They could consistently and persistently pray for their combined list of lost persons until they saw them come to Christ.
Prayer partners is another productive strategy in praying for souls to be saved. It is much easier to get two together than it is a larger group. A husband/wife team is great because they are usually together every day, plus their burdens for relatives, friends, neighbor's, etc. will be similar. But any pairing of prayer partners will work. Jesus even guarantees that their prayers will be answered (Matthew 18:19).
I mention one last strategy that works well for the individual praying alone - a prayer list!! I have used a prayer list for a few years now and have seen souls come to Christ through this method.
It is my hope and prayer that these recent e-mails have been uplifting and beneficial. Please feel free to make any comments or thoughts. May God continue to richly bless each of you.
Brother Alan
