SPIRITUAL WARFARE WEEK 1

Spiritual Warfare Week 1
Scripture: Revelation 12:7–17

We live in a day when so many things are happening around us—politically, financially, educationally, and even religiously. The world seems to be operating on a different level than it did 20, 30, or even 50 years ago.
The devil has always been on the attack, but Revelation 12 reminds us that his time is short. It seems that more and more, the enemy is attacking our families, our children, and our homes.
Every time we think things could not get any more wicked, we see something else that reminds us just how broken our world has become.
Now, I know it is October, and when you preach on spiritual warfare in October, some people immediately assume you are about to preach against Halloween. That is not my intention. I want to enjoy this season in a way that honors the Lord. I look forward to seeing my grandchildren in their little costumes, and I am even hoping we buy plenty of candy and nobody comes to the door so we can keep it all!
At the end of the day, we must consider where our hearts are and whether our choices honor the Lord.
However, October is not the only time we need to be on guard. We need to be spiritually alert 365 days a year.
We need to be on guard for our children. Everything they are involved in matters spiritually. What they do at church matters, but what they do when they leave church matters, too. The devil wants nothing more than to ruin their lives and destroy their future.
That is one reason we make such an effort to teach our children the Word of God. We understand that we are in a spiritual fight.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood. If this battle were merely physical, we could see our enemy and develop a strategy to defeat him. But Satan operates in spiritual realms we cannot see. He seeks to influence minds, families, leaders, and the world around us.
First Peter 5:8 warns us:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
The devil is not trying to make your life better. He is not trying to help you become a better Christian. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy.
My goal in this series is not to throw rocks or point fingers. My desire is to help us recognize when the enemy is at work, understand how he operates, and learn from the Word of God how we can experience victory through Jesus Christ.
In Revelation 12, the curtain is pulled back, and we get a glimpse of the spiritual battle taking place. Although the passage describes a future conflict, the enemy revealed in these verses is the same enemy we face today.
He is the same one who whispers in your ear that you are not good enough. He is the same one who seeks to discourage you, burden your heart, and hinder you from doing what God has called you to do.
So, let us consider our spiritual enemy and, more importantly, the victory we have in Jesus Christ.
1. Who Is Our Spiritual Enemy?
Revelation 12:9 identifies our enemy by several names:
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Notice the different descriptions given to Satan.
He is the dragon. This picture reminds us of his destructive nature. Jesus said in John 10:10 that the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. Satan's desire is to destroy what God has created and disrupt what God is doing.
He is the old serpent. This reminds us of his subtle and deceptive nature. We first encounter him in the Garden of Eden, where he deceived Eve. Satan does not always approach us with something that looks obviously evil. Sometimes he makes the wrong thing look appealing, harmless, or even beneficial.
He is the devil. The word describes a slanderer, one who brings accusations against others.
He is Satan. His name identifies him as an adversary, an opponent who stands against God's purposes.
Finally, the passage tells us that he deceiveth the whole world.
Satan is a deceiver of men, women, boys, and girls. He wants us to believe what is false, embrace what is wrong, and reject what is right.
Think about how things have changed in our homes. Many of us grew up with strict parents. If we wanted to go somewhere, we knew we had to ask permission. And usually, the first answer was no! We had to make our case and see if we could convince our parents otherwise.
Today, it sometimes seems that the situation has been reversed. Instead of parents making decisions for their children, children are making decisions for their parents.
I love children, and we have some wonderful, smart children in our church. But we must remember that children need guidance, direction, and godly boundaries. They are not equipped to make every decision for themselves.
Why does this matter? Because Satan is on the attack, and he wants to deceive them.
We must not be naive about the enemy. He deliberately deceives and destroys. Ephesians 6:12 makes it clear that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, the rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places.
Our enemy is real, his intentions are destructive, and we must be spiritually alert.
2. Why Is Satan So Angry?
Have you ever stopped to consider why Satan is so angry? He rebelled against God, lost his position, and was cast out of heaven. Why is he so determined to attack God's creation?
Revelation 12:12 gives us the answer:
“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
Satan knows his time is short.
His fate is sealed. He cannot undo his rebellion, and he cannot escape the judgment that awaits him. Revelation 20 describes his final destination in the lake of fire.
Even if Christ's return were another thousand years away, that would still be nothing compared with eternity.
Satan knows he cannot win. He knows that God will ultimately triumph, and he knows his judgment is coming.
So what does he do? He tries to wreak as much havoc as possible along the way.
He cannot defeat God, so he attacks God's creation. He cannot win, so he tries to make others lose. He cannot repent, so he does not want others to repent.
Satan wants you to follow him into destruction. He wants to ruin your testimony, damage your family, weaken your faith, and hinder your service to God.
But we must remember something: the fact that Satan is angry does not mean that he is victorious. His time is short, his judgment is certain, and God remains sovereign over all things.
3. Who Does Satan Hate?
The short answer is you and me.
Revelation 12:17 says:
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Satan is at war with those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
If you are striving to obey God's Word, build a Christian home, raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and live in a way that honors Christ, you should understand that you have a spiritual enemy.
If it is godly, he opposes it. If it brings honor to God, he hates it. If it causes people to praise Jesus Christ, he wants to hinder it.
Think about what we do when we gather for worship. We sing praises to the Lord, open His Word, pray together, and encourage one another in the faith. Satan hates anything that brings glory to Jesus Christ.
Have you ever noticed how difficult it can be to get to church on Sunday morning?
Monday through Friday, most of us have a routine. The alarm goes off, we get up, get ready, grab our coffee, and head to work. Somehow, we usually manage to get where we need to be.
Some men will get up at 3:30 in the morning to go hunting. They have their equipment ready, their clothes laid out, and everything planned. They get out the door without a problem.
But let Sunday morning come around, and suddenly somebody gets sick, somebody spills something on their clothes, or something that was supposed to fit no longer fits!
Why does it seem that so many things happen when we are trying to get to church?
We must not automatically attribute every inconvenience to Satan. Sometimes life simply happens. But we should recognize that spiritual opposition is real and that we must not allow every obstacle to keep us from doing what God has called us to do.
The same thing can happen when we try to read our Bibles or spend time in prayer. The phone rings, distractions appear, and suddenly everything else seems more urgent.
We must learn to protect our time with God and remain faithful to Him.
Satan hates the testimony of Jesus Christ because that testimony points people to the One who has already defeated him.
4. What Are Satan's Main Weapons?
If we could identify Satan's weapons, we might think we could simply develop a plan to defeat them. But Satan has many ways of attacking us. He can use people, circumstances, distractions, and even things that appear good on the surface.
Two of his most effective weapons are deception and accusation.
A. Deception
Revelation 12:9 tells us that Satan “deceiveth the whole world.”
Satan wants people to believe what is not true. He wants us to accept lies as truth and convince ourselves that sinful choices will not have consequences.
Think about the way temptation is presented to us. We rarely see the full story.
You will not see a beer commercial showing a car wrapped around a tree because of impaired driving. You will not see every broken home, every wounded child, or every life damaged by immorality presented alongside the temptation.
Why? Because temptation does not advertise its consequences.
Satan shows us what he wants us to see, but he does not show us the whole story. He presents the pleasure while hiding the pain, the opportunity while hiding the cost, and the temporary satisfaction while concealing the long-term damage.
That is how deception works.
We must be careful not to assume that something is right simply because it looks appealing or because everyone around us accepts it. God's Word must remain our standard for truth.
B. Accusation
Revelation 12:10 describes Satan as “the accuser of our brethren.”
Have you ever heard those accusing thoughts?
“You are not good enough to teach.”
“You should not be singing.”
“You have no business preaching.”
“You are not even saved.”
“Your family will never come to Christ.”
“Why do you keep going to church? You are wasting your time.”
Satan wants to discourage God's people and make them believe that their service is worthless.
He wants you to focus on your failures until you forget God's grace. He wants you to look at your weaknesses until you lose sight of God's strength.
There is a difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy. The Holy Spirit brings our sin to light so that we can repent and be restored. The enemy uses accusations to discourage us, defeat us, and make us want to give up.
When we sin, we must confess it and get it right with God. But we must not allow the enemy to convince us that our failures are greater than God's grace.
Satan is a deceiver and an accuser. He presents counterfeits, tells half-truths, and tries to lead us away from the truth of God's Word.
We must learn to recognize his tactics so that we will not fall into his traps.
5. How Can We Have Victory?
We have spent time looking at the enemy, but I want to turn our attention to the good news.
We have victory in Jesus Christ!
First, we must understand that we are no match for the devil in our own strength. Satan is not all-powerful or all-knowing, but he is a formidable spiritual enemy. We cannot overcome him simply through our determination, intelligence, or personal ability.
Our victory is not found in ourselves. It is found in Jesus Christ.
Colossians 2:15 tells us that Christ spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them openly, and triumphed over them through His work on the cross.
Jesus Christ has already won the victory. We are not trying to accomplish a victory that He has not yet secured. We stand in the victory He has already accomplished through His death and resurrection.
Revelation 12:11 declares:
“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.”
Notice two important truths.
A. We Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb
We do not overcome Satan because we are good people. We do not overcome him because we attend a Baptist church, know a few Bible verses, or have been involved in ministry for many years.
We overcome because of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus paid the price for our sin. Through His death and resurrection, He defeated the power of sin and death and secured our salvation.
Hebrews 10:19 reminds us that we can enter God's presence with boldness through the blood of Jesus.
Our confidence is not in our own righteousness. Our confidence is in the finished work of Christ.
B. We Overcome by the Word of Our Testimony
What is your testimony?
Is it that you have been in church for a long time? Is it that you know a few songs, have taught a class, or have served in ministry?
Those things may be part of your story, but they are not the foundation of your testimony.
Our testimony is that our faith and trust are in Jesus Christ. He paid it all. He saved us by His grace, and our hope is in Him.
That is the testimony Satan hates.
He hates for you to say, “I love Christ. I love the Lord. I love the church. I love God's people. I want to serve Him and remain faithful to Him.”
Why? Because a testimony that points people to Jesus Christ reminds us that Satan is not the victor.
First Corinthians 15:57 says:
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Thank God for Jesus!
Satan is strong, but he is not stronger than our Savior. First John 4:4 reminds us that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
Our victory is in Christ.
6. What Should We Do in the Battle?
If Christ has already won the victory, does that mean we simply ignore Satan and do nothing? Do we pretend he does not exist?
Absolutely not. We must remain spiritually alert and faithfully follow the Lord.
Here are several practical ways we can stand firm.
A. Lean on God's Strength, Not Your Own
Ephesians 6:10 says:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Notice where our strength comes from. It comes from the Lord and the power of His might.
We should never approach spiritual warfare with pride or the assumption that we can handle Satan on our own. We need God's strength every day.
We do not need to seek out the devil or make a spectacle of spiritual warfare. We need to walk closely with the Lord, trust His power, and remain faithful to His Word.
B. Answer Satan with God's Word
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He answered Satan by quoting Scripture.
When Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus answered, “It is written.”
When Satan tempted Him again, Jesus responded with the authority of God's Word.
Jesus showed us the importance of knowing and standing on Scripture.
When Satan tells you that you are not good enough, remember what God's Word says about your identity