Discerning Spiritual Warfare: Three Tactics to Recognize

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.—James 4:7 

The Bible makes it clear that we are in a war (Eph. 6:10-12). The true battle of the church is not against humans but against the spiritual forces of evil these humans represent. The spoils? Your heart.

Therefore, it is imperative that we as believers treat this with the gravity it deserves. Unfortunately, as C. S. Lewis points out in the preface of his classic, The Screwtape Letters, we tend to fall into one of two camps. We either disbelieve in the spiritual world altogether, or we fear it too much. The healthy road lies in between.

Even here, we are not left alone. God has provided all we need: His Word of truth, a renewed mind, and spiritual armor that mirrors that of Christ Himself.

Though Satan is the prince (Eph 2:2) that rules this world at this moment, he is but a prince, a ruler with some authority at this time. And as such, he does wield some power.

For now.

But it also tells us that there is one greater—the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ Himself. He came the first time as a humble carpenter, but Revelation tells us He will come a second time as a fearsome warrior (e.g. Rev. 19:16).

And the most amazing thing? This King, who is greater than Satan who rules this world, lives in you (1 John 4:4).

While we often view spiritual warfare as “out there” in the form of persecutions and martyrdom or even difficult situations coming at us, we are oblivious to the daily and more subtle warfare within.

It is easy for us who live in a world of peace and plenty to completely miss the guerilla attacks on our heart. Little by little, Satan is slowly guiding our hearts away from the Savior we love. C. S. Lewis puts it this way, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”

Spiritual warfare, then, first begins with being aware of these more subtle forms of attack. Though Satan can exploit just about any situation, even good ones, his tactics generally seem to fall in several categories.

Tactic #1 Distraction

This might be the simplest. As humans, we are very visual people. We think that what is real is what we can see, hear, feel, taste, or touch.

But 2 Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we are to walk by faith, not sight. We are to live with an assurance in things unseen (Heb. 11:1)—that there is a God who reigns on the throne despite the evil that runs rampant. It is a faith that this great God loves us and has saved us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

When we meet with God daily, we reset our reality. When we go to church weekly, we reorient ourselves to the truth that we are not alone.

And when this world becomes our real world, when God becomes our true love and His people became our companions, we can see the pleasures of this world in its proper light.

Tactic #2 Blindness

Another strategy is simply to keep us in the dark. If he cannot distract us with what we do see, he can simply just hide it. This doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It simply keeps us unaware of the great treasures of truth we possess—and with it, the great power He provides.

Second Corinthians 4:4 tells us that he blinds the eyes of unbelievers. But when Jesus, who is the light of the world comes (John 8:12), He makes clear what has been hidden from us all along. We need no longer walk in darkness.

Unfortunately, even though this is true, believers still can live in darkness. We do this by choosing to persist in sin. If that is the case, the apostle Paul exhorts us to “wake up!” (Eph. 5:7-21) by letting the light of Christ shine on you to reveal the evil that Satan keeps hidden in you.

Tactic #3 Corruption

Another tactic is to take what is good and corrupt it. Every pleasure we enjoy—whether it is a good book, a warm bath, and even sex—are created by God. In His right hand are “pleasures forevermore.” (Ps. 16:11)

On the other hand, Satan is not able to produce any. The only thing he can do is to corrupt God’s pleasures by either elevating it or demonizing it so we feel guilty when we enjoy it.

This is a tricky tightrope to walk. For me, the best way to enjoy a pleasure rightly is to thank Him for it (1 Thess. 5:18), which acknowledges that it is a gift. And then when the opportunity comes, to enjoy it with Him instead of focusing on the pleasure itself.

What Next?

From here, Satan takes these basic tactics and spins them in a multitude of ways. He is a master of simply exploiting the natural state of things.

Because we are not fully sanctified, he uses all this fallen world that is currently at his disposal to trip us up. Why use a cannon when a pop gun will work?

Therefore, as James exhorts us, let us learn to resist the devil. He doesn’t tell us to fight him. We are to stand firm in the armor that God provides.

This begins as we set our minds on Him (Col. 3:2), when we resist being conformed to the world’s ways (Rom. 12:2).

But God is not only about running from the enemy. He calls us to pursue what is good (1 Tim. 6:11). We offer our bodies to Him as members of righteousness (Rom. 6:13), as a spiritual act of worship (Rom. 12:1).

Take Action

How do you see Satan’s tactics at work in your own life, particularly your thinking?

What would doing battle look like for you? What business do you need to do with God—confession and repentance? Investing more time in saturating yourself with truth?

Where does your thinking need correction? What situations, relationships, or thoughts do you need to abandon? What good do you need to pursue?

This is a reality of the Christian life that we cannot avoid. Nor are we to blame everything on the devil. God has given us what we need to not only survive this life, but to live victoriously in it. We are not victims (Rom. 8:37-39). May we submit ourselves to Him and draw on His strength to resist the devil in this spiritual battle for our souls.