Have you ever had times when it seems as though the enemy is coming at you from every side?

During a spiritual attack, there is an unusual amount of pressure coming against you, especially against God’s plan for your life and the lives of others around you.

• There may be challenges in the area of your health, or provision
• The enemy may be using people or circumstances to oppress you, or to hinder the work of God in your life
• There may be trials of temptation, fear, or a battle coming against your mind

Why does God allow us to experience spiritual warfare? As Graham Cooke says, God allows in His wisdom what He could easily prevent by His power.

God’s plan is that you will overcome. He always has your best interests at heart—for He is a good Father.

If you perceive signs of a spiritual battle at work in your life, family or ministry, these 18 Scriptural benefits will encourage you to keep going.

18 Biblical Benefits of Spiritual Warfare

1. You receive a fresh anointing
‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.’ (Psalm 23:5)

2. You experience the nearness of God’s Presence
‘Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers,and under his wings you will find refuge’ (Psalm 91:3-4)
(See also Psalm 23:4)

3. You have a greater awareness and experience of spiritual authority
4. You experience supernatural joy
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
[Jesus] replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20)
(See also 1 Peter 1:6-9)

5. You experience God’s protection
‘But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.’ (2 Thess 3:3)

6. God allows times of sifting to purify your character
7. You can help and lead others through similar difficulties
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)

8. You emerge with a greater empowering of the Holy Spirit
‘When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.’ (Luke 4:13-14)
(See also 2 Cor 12:7-9)

9. Your perspective is sharpened – of your weakness and God’s strength
10. You gain an increased understanding of God’s grace
‘Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’ (2 Cor 12:7b-9)

11. You grow in perseverance
‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.’ (James 1:2)

12. God gets the credit and glory when you overcome
‘But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’ (2 Tim 4:17-18)
(See also Acts 28:1-10, 1 Peter 1:6-9)

13. You become stronger in faith
‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.’ (1 Peter 5:8-10)

14. You have an opportunity to submit to God
‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ (James 4:7)

15. You grow in your skill of handling God’s Word
‘Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.’ (Psalm 119:98)
‘Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph 6:17)

16. You have an opportunity to use your prophecies to wage warfare (as you hold on to and declare Father’s intention)
 ‘Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well.’ (1 Tim 1:18)

17. You are already an overcomer by God’s Word—and now you experience it as a reality
‘The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.’ (Deut 28:7)
‘You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)

18. God uses what the enemy intends for evil and turns it for good
‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ (Gen 50:20)
‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ (Rom 8:28)
(See also Is 54:17)

If you are experiencing a spiritual battle right now, or know someone who is, I pray that the above Bible verses encourage you. Meditate on them and turn them into a personal declaration. God is coming through for you!

Notes:

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations in Enliven Blog are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Warfare Online Course:

The course, ‘Spiritual Warfare 101: How to Identify and Overcome Spiritual Attack’ includes around 30 mini lectures on video, and is full of Biblical wisdom and faith-filled strategies to help you overcome in time of battle. I give you clear guidelines and step by step points on how to recognize and combat spiritual attack. There is also a downloadable full transcript in PDF version.

Once you’re in the course, there is no expiry date, so you can continue to journey with me through upgrades and increased course content in the future.

Find out more about the course, ‘Spiritual Warfare 101: How to Identify and Overcome Spiritual Attack’ here.

© 2016 Helen Calder – Enliven Ministries

In the David McCracken Ministries family

Helen Calder

Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.