How can every believer participate in practical spiritual warfare?

I know. Just saying the words “spiritual warfare” conjures up images of strange rituals, exorcisms, and chain messages about demonic activity. This is due to the concept of spiritual warfare being hijacked by sensationalist denominations that teach that there is a demon around every corner and an unfortunate reliance by American culture on anti-biblical sources such as horror films or supernatural-themed television shows to inform their thoughts on the matter. On the other hand, there are those who would deny that there is any such thing as spiritual warfare, much less the concept of demons. Many Christians recognize that there is much more and less to spiritual warfare than what the popular culture and media tell them but never fully understand a Biblically sound perspective on the topic.
The fact is, the Bible frequently speaks on the issue of Spiritual Warfare. And as much as we like to think of spiritual warfare as esoteric and mystical, the Bible calls us to practice practical warfare. One of the most referenced passages of Scripture concerning Spiritual Warfare is 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. The verses say, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (ESV) In this passage, we see that we are called to spiritual warfare with a practical application. In fact, this warfare is something that all Christians are equipped to do daily. In this passage, we can understand the practical form of warfare prescribed by understanding the setting in which spiritual warfare occurs, the strongholds we are called to tear down, and the arsenal of weapons available to us.

The Setting of Spiritual Warfare

It is important to note the setting of spiritual warfare as described in Scripture. In 2 Corinthians 10:3, Paul says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.” The plain reading of the text emphasizes that our waging of war is not according to the flesh. Thus, we often focus on that truth. However, the first part of the verse provides valuable insight as well. We walk in the flesh. Thus, at least some of the battles in spiritual warfare are fought as we are walking in the flesh while we are embodied. We do not see the spirits around us with which we war, but we recognize that the warfare has consequences for our flesh and this physical world. Spiritual warfare has spiritual and physical consequences. The demon-inhabited of the New Testament demonstrate this. Though their war was a spiritual one, fought with spiritual weapons, the recognizable effects of this war were seen in the physical world through convulsions, self-harm, and isolation.
As finite human beings with limited sensory capacity, we cannot see the spirits around us. But we can clearly see the impacts of spiritual warfare and weapons around us. Though our weapons are not fleshly, and we are not of this world, we are in this world and walk in the flesh of our bodies. Thus, we must recognize that spiritual warfare is here and has real-world consequences. We must not think too much or too little of demons. This world is not all there is, and this world is not insignificant. We must prepare for battle appropriately. Peter tells us that we should always be ready to give a defense for the hope within us. Equally so, we should be prepared to see spiritual warfare impact our lives in the physical world.

The Strongholds we Destroy

Secondly, the text is abundantly clear that the weapons of spiritual warfare are empowered to destroy strongholds. In the original language, the word for “strongholds” can refer to physical castles and fortresses. Still, it can also refer to anything a person relies on or holds fast. Strong’s concordance even plainly states that the word can refer to arguments. In the case of the 2 Corinthians passage, the latter is undoubtedly true. In context, the passage clearly defines strongholds as those arguments, opinions, and thoughts that go against the knowledge of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 makes this clear by using parallel language when it says that “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of Christ.” The verb is the same; the objects of that verb are the same. Strongholds are arguments, thoughts, and opinions that falsely represent Christ.
Examples of Stronghold would include heresies, untrue statements, and false teachings about Christ. They may occur as social media posts, passing comments, or even in sermons from false teachers. For the Christian, we are called to destroy these arguments and must be aware of them in whatever fashion they appear. Anything that hinders the knowledge of Christ, especially arguments that directly attack the Lordship and Deity of Christ as it is revealed in Scripture, must be destroyed. However, there is an important distinction that must be made. We are called to destroy arguments, not people. Frequently, we see videos going viral on social media that claim someone “destroys” someone else. Our ultimate goal as believers is to destroy arguments that misrepresent Christ in the hope that the people behind such faulty arguments would be reconciled to Christ by His Grace. This distinction makes the weapons of our warfare that much more critical.

The Weapons of our Warfare

Again, pop culture has influenced many people to think of crucifixes, “holy” water, and Latin phrases as the weapons of spiritual warfare. However, these are fleshly weapons. They are physical weapons of the variety that Paul clearly says believers cannot use. The weapons of the believer are “not flesh” and “have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Apparently, to Paul, the weapon was clear. What is powerful to destroy false arguments? What can break through the walls of depravity and pierce hardened hearts of stone? There is only one such weapon. The Word of God. The Gospel.
The Bible frequently attests to the power of the Gospel. God’s Word is referred to as “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 ESV) Furthermore, God’s Word is “the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16), breathed out by God, and profitable for reproof. (2 Tim. 3:16) Finally, God’s Word is the means by which the Holy Spirit creates faith in us. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17)
The Word of God is the divinely empowered weapon with which we wage war and destroy the strongholds. Further evidence of this fact is seen in Ephesians 6:17, where Paul speaks of the Armor of God. In this chapter, Paul references only one offensive weapon in the armor, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God….” Our weapon is the Word. We destroy strongholds by countering the false arguments and opinions of the world with the perfectly true, divinely inspired, and empowered Word of God. We should do this with boldness and grace. For it is only by God’s grace that we, ourselves, are not deceived by the world’s arguments. Just as we did not convince ourselves, we alone cannot persuade others. However, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s Word can and will.
The famed Puritan expert on Spiritual Warfare, William Gurnall, once said, “God is wiser in His creatures’ weak sermons that Satan is in his deep plots.” We must remember that we wage war most effectively when God fights through us. We are most effective when we serve as a conduit through which the Word of God flows. We wage war by sharing God’s truth with those deceived. We destroy arguments that people might be saved.
Paul concludes by telling us to take our thoughts captive. The emphasis on the captivity of our thoughts and the overwhelming desire for obedience shows that Paul was focused on not giving falsehood a foothold. We are to cede no ground to the enemy in this area. We take our thoughts captive by binding them with the truth of the Gospel. By God’s grace, we submit ourselves to the Word of God and are no longer conformed to the World but allow the Word to transform us by the renewing of our minds. (Rom. 12:2)

Conclusion

Spiritual warfare may seem like a mystical practice. The thing is, we need not learn any special languages or rituals. We need not buy crucifixes and “holy” water. Any believer can wage war against the enemy and destroy strongholds by sharing the truth of the Gospel with those around them. If we are saved, we know the power of the Gospel because we have seen the Grace of God work in our own lives. May we unleash the power of God for salvation by unsheathing our swords and destroying strongholds by sharing the Gospel today.