Spiritual Warfare: How to Stand Firm in the Faith

by Ray C. Stedman

The New Testament makes it clear that we can, with Christ's help, prevail in combat with the enemy. And yet every single day is a struggle to find steady footing in the midst of raging spiritual crosscurrents. So what's going on?

In Spiritual Warfare, Ray Stedman fixes his lens on biblical truth to teach you how to be conquerors and more.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Theology

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Raymond Charles Stedman was an evangelical Christian pastor and author. He was a long-time pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and author of several books.

Reviews

[Sue Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most practical book on spiritual warfare I have ever read. In fact, I've read it twice and am reading it through for the third time. Totally effective!

[Donita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over 20 years old, and we are still struggling with the same issues.

[John Hollinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally from the 70's but timeless truths based on God's Word.

My notes as I was reading:

Chapter 1 – The Forces We Face

Descriptions of the forces
The ruler of this world
Legion – A deadly pantheon of spiritual hosts of wickedness
Utterly dedicated to our destruction
Father of lies (John 8:44)
Prince of darkness
Murderer
Not holding to the truth - no truth in him

Ways in which Satan works
Subtle temptations
Festering worries and resentments
Gnawing fears
Bitter disappointments
Depression of spirit

Life is nothing more or less than a long struggle, a never ending wrestling match.

We tend to think of trials, pressures, and problems of life as an annoying and unfair intrusion into our rightful, neat and orderly existence. The apostle Paul says that they are life itself.

The reason we are not always under pressure is because of the grace of God. Are we thankful for that grace or do we feel entitled to it? Do we feel entitled to the “good times?”

The wars, the genocides, the persecutions, the famines, the hatred, the racial unrest are all outward symptoms of spiritual cancer.

Our weapons are not flesh and blood – physical, political.
Our weapons are mighty, through God. (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

Chapter 2 – Beginning the Battle

Luke 11:21-23

Beelzebub means “lord of the garbage.”
Hell is a dumping ground for wasted lives.

The strongest chains are not those that can be placed around the body, but those that are wrapped around the mind and heart. (2 Cor. 4:4, Rom. 1:22-28) There is no neutrality. You either stand with Christ or against Him.

The whole armor of God is Christ Himself.
True victory demands that we acknowledge our helplessness and weaknesses.

Chapter 3 – The Strategy of Satan

The difference between direct & indirect attacks
Ephesians 6:12 – Heavenly refers to “spiritual realm’ or “the realm of the invisibilities”

Luke 10:18 – Jesus talks about Satan’s fall from Heaven

Warnings of Mediums etc. – Lev. 19:31, Lev. 20:6, Isaiah 8:19

Distinction between mental illness & demon possession – Luke 4:40,41; Matthew 4:24

Pg. 61 – Good paragraph on having too much concern about demons

The “world” and “our flesh” is not our enemy. Our only enemy is the devil. The devil uses the “world” & “our flesh.”

If we as believers did not choose to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, then human life could not exist on this planet. The forces of evil would run rampant and life on earth would be a horrible, unendurable hell. (Even for unbelievers)

Chapter 4 – The Tactics of Terror

When you become a Christian, that’s when the battle begins. It is at times possible to be more miserable as a Christian than you were before.

Tactics of the devil:
Create Imbalance – Life is all about one thing
Life is all about intellect or reason. What do you think?
The Bible is a primitive book for a primitive age.
Belief in higher power but not Heavenly Father of Jesus Christ
Exaggerating a truth to an extreme (false teaching)
Focus all attention on defeating the devil
Focus attention on certain points of Theology – prophecy, predestination, instead of child like faith
Life is all about emotion or what feels good. How do you feel?
True worship is emotional – hand clapping, speaking in tongues
Happiness is sinful
Worry
Fear / Timid – Afraid to move out in faith
Life is all about doing or being practical What do you do?
Religious activity

Chapter 5 – Armed For Battle

Ephesians 6:14-17

Christ is our armor – Rom 13:14 – Clothe yourselves with Christ
General Statement – Jesus is the answer
But how? – That’s what the armor explains
1st three pieces of armor – ASV uses “having” – These 3 we already did
2nd three pieces of armor – We need to take up again & again, whenever we need them
The 6 pieces of armor are listed in how we should put them on

Belt of Truth
A Roman soldier “girded his loins” – tucked tunic under belt, legs free, able to move better
It was a symbol of being ready to fight
Putting on the “belt of truth” is believing the truth of Jesus
Who He is
What He has done
How He has changed your life – good paragraph top of page 102
Many belief systems have part truths
A half truth is no better than an outright lie, often even more deceptive
Court system – The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth

Breastplate of Righteousness
Righteous standing before God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross
Attacks of Satan where we need to hold to this truth
Lack of assurance
Feeling of unworthiness
Failures & shortcomings
Doubting God’s presence and love
Nagging sense of guilt
Example of Paul – 1 Cor. 15:9 – vs. 10 “By the grace of God”

Feet Fitted With the Gospel of Peace
Peace in the heart that makes you ready to fight
A peace that makes us ready for war?
Peace with your mission
Belief in a just cause for fighting
Trust in Commander
Knowing you are well equipped
Knowing that victory is assured

Chapter 6 – Resisting the Devil

Ephesians 6:16

The importance of not complaining and realizing that we will have struggle.

The importance of the order of the first 3 pieces of armor.
Starting with trying to find peace is a mistake.

The flaming arrows of the evil one: (These come from Satan and are not sin in and of themselves)
Evil thoughts and imaginations
Ugly or lewd thoughts
Doubts
Blasphemous thoughts
Surges of anger or hate
Sudden fears or anxieties

The Shield of Faith
Acting on what you already know
Not allowing the arrows (fleeting thoughts) to penetrate
Refusing to believe the lies
The fact that you have doubts indicate that you have faith
Faith is all you need to resist the devil
The next 2 pieces of armor are to make you more than conquerors

Chapter 7 – Hope for Clear Heads

Review
First 3 pieces of armor – I am in Christ
Second 3 pieces of armor – Christ in Me

Helmet of Salvation
Romans 13:11 – Salvation is nearer
Not looking back to personal salvation but forward to salvation from this world
1 Thess. 5:8 – Hope of Salvation
Romans 8:22-25
The return of Christ
Having our mind in Heavenly thinking
Having peace in that assurance but also caring about the problems in this world

God forgive us, for we have too often appeared uncaring or uninvolved in the pain and upheaval of the world. We have given the appearance of being so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly good! We have been all too willing to let the world go to hell, saying, “What do I care? I’m going to Heaven!” It is time we ask God to restore within each of us a Godly balance in which we care about the fate of the world without being paralyzed by fear. It is time we roll up our sleeves and do all we can to rescue the worldlings from the horrors of the future. It is time we make clear to the people around us that while Utopia is a fraud and a fantasy, Heaven is real and within their reach.

Are you frightened by world events? Then let me “reassure” you: It’s going to get much worse.

Chapter 8 – Spiritual Swordsmanship

The authority of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Scripture is one and the same.

The center of my life is Jesus Christ. I have found Him to be the key to everything I desire in life. And yet I could know nothing about Christ if I did not learn it from the Bible. The Bible presents Christ and Christ defines the Bible. How can I make a distinction between the two?

The “Sword of the Spirit” is the only offensive weapon we have.
The “Sword of the Spirit” is also a defensive weapon.

Hebrews 4:12 (It cuts through the hardened armor of human arrogance, intellectual rationalization, agnosticism and atheism, sin and pride, and it homes in on the heart. The sword of the Spirit needs no defense, because it is its own defense, as well as its own offense. It is its own power supply, because it is the living and active word of Christ.

Chapter 9 – Facing the Onslaught

Step 1 – Put on the armor
When we first do it, it takes time, thought and attention
We improve with practice until it is 2nd nature
That is why soldiers train – so they act on instinct, without hesitation
Step 2 – Pray
Step 3 – Stand Firm

Prayer comes after putting on the armor.
Prayer is family talk – a conversation with our Father
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not worry or be anxious
I’m so loaded down with worries that if one more thing goes wrong this week, it’ll be two more weeks before I get around to worrying about it.
I joined the new “Don’t worry” club
And now I hold my breath
I’m so scarred I’m going to worry
That I’m worried half to death
Pray about everything – even the little things
When we pray, we recognize the existence of an invisible kingdom
God answers prayer according to His promises – We need to pray in the Spirit

Chapter 10 – The Infallible Posture

Ephesians 6:11-14 mentions “stand” four times:
Take your stand
Stand your ground
After you have done everything, to stand
Stand firm

Three aspects of “standing.”
No matter what – we know evil will rise as we get closer to the end times.
I Timothy 4:1 – The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow “deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Our stance is primarily defensive – we win as long as we do not give in.
Standing is all we need to do because the victory is already won through Jesus on the cross.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good & simple book to read. Stedman does not embellish but he speaks to the point succinctly. Stedman brings insight & wisdom about spiritual warfare. We learn how to combat it by exchanging defeat & discouragement of worldly things for the very real spiritual triumph. Stedman walks us through dawning the armor of God, praying & standing! You learn how to deflect the slings and arrows from the enemy. I think all believers should read this book.

[Ken Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demonstrates that battling the spiritual forces of the enemy requires daily rejection of lies and choosing to stand on truth. Gives ample practical advice on how to win those daily confrontations so necessary to stand in faith. Slight argument against the theory that the Christian life is only defensive. There is ample testimony that we are to gain territory from the enemy by stepping out in faith. All in all, well written and worthy of a read.

[elvina adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great practical application for the armor of God

I have studied the armor of God over and over but never once thought of exactly how to apply these steps or where to begin. This book does exactly that. It lays out exactly how to use His armor and who the true power comes from. Must read for Christians to really understand the battle and that we have already won, so let us stand !

[Jeanne Modisett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely anything by Ray Stedman is worth reading. His scriptural insights will last you a lifetime.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great encouragement! This books really dissects and explains the different uses of the Armor of God, and how to apply Scripture to your heart, thoughts, and life. But it goes further and exposes the lies of the Devil and how we fool ourselves into accepting less than God's full blessing and power in our lives. This was exactly the message that I needed at this point in my life when I am battling so hard in this spiritual war against the wickedness of the world. God is good!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the originally-published edition. Solid look at foundations of spiritual warfare: what is it, what do you need, and why, based on Ephesians 6.

I would have preferred more Scripture cited when Stedman makes bold statements about God's character or the realities of Satan. While reading these, I had a vague sense that he was right, but would prefer knowing where he had found that in Scripture.

[Mark Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spurred on by the Spirit, I picked this one up a few days ago and read it. Stedman does an excellent job of presenting the topic of spiritual warfare in a level-headed manner. He goes into great detail about the armor of God. Though I have tried to memorize the concept in the past, it has never really stuck with me as well as it does now. He does an excellent job of explaining the purpose and practicality of each piece. Highly recommend it to others.

[Patti Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. As someone who lives part-time in Africa, I felt like the book was more geared to the spiritual warfare someone in the U.S. might encounter rather than other parts of the world. Biblically, the book was right on. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly to believers. It is information all should be aware of and understand. Ray Stedman's writing is written in an easy-to-read format.

[Brandon Current · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read and Pass. This is a basic book on Spiritual Warfare. It would be a good book for a new Christian. It is simply written with many illustrations. The purpose of the book is to show that spiritual warfare happens in the believer's mind and walks through the Spiritual armor to show how we can have victory.

[K Noelani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book! An essential read for the Christian wanting to understand what spiritual battle is and how we are already equipped to defeat the enemy.

This book is not written for skeptics or the casual Christian.

[rita trojan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Powerful inights into the war that raged behind the scenes of life

Great book. Powerful insights into the truth behind the enemies lies and schemes. A must read to help us fight the good fight of faith.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the original published in 1975 by Word Books.

[donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

highly reccommend! I love Ray Steadman . very prolific writer, and easily understood. he is a wealth of information, of biblical knowledge.

[Tahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some things were a little hard to understand

[Mary Thoresen]

Great delving into the armor of God.