The Surprising Truth About Spiritual Warfare

For years, I read Ephesians 6 as a call to arms as a checklist of weapons to grab before stepping into a spiritual fight. The belt, the breastplate, the shield, the sword… I pictured myself strapping on gear to face down an enemy who was still coming for me. I thought that was how to be ready for battle.

But the more I have sat with Jesus, the more I have realised that is not what Paul was saying at all. The armour of God is not battle gear to help you win a war. It is a picture of how to remain clothed in Christ so you do not step out of a victory that has already been secured. If we misunderstand the armour, we misunderstand spiritual warfare. And when we get it wrong, we end up striving in battles we were never meant to fight instead of holding the one position that truly matters: seated with Christ, hidden in God (Col 3:3).

Paul’s main instruction in Ephesians 6 is not fight harder or push forward. It is stand. He repeats it over and over. In the Greek, it is the image of holding your position like a soldier guarding already won ground. This is not about storming enemy territory. It is about refusing to be moved from the territory Jesus claimed through the cross. Colossians 2:15 tells us that Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them. The war for your soul was finished there. The only battle that remains is the one fought in your agreement. Will you stay in truth or will you yield to the schemes of the enemy? Standing is an active, intentional choice to remain where Jesus has placed you even when everything around you says to move.

Before Paul ever mentions armour, he has already told us where we are. Raised with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph 2:6). Hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). This is our starting point, not something we work toward, but the place from which we live. You do not have to climb your way into victory. You begin in victory. That is why warfare looks different for a son or daughter. It is not about earning safety or proving authority. It is simply refusing to live like someone who does not already have it. The enemy cannot take away where you are seated, but he can try to convince you it is not true. If you believe him, you will live as though it is not.

Paul says our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12). That word struggle does not mean we are in an equal fight with an enemy who still has power over us. The cross stripped him of authority (Col 2:15). But he still works through influence. Lies, accusations, temptations, distortions of truth. The battleground is perception. If the enemy cannot change your position in Christ, he will work to cloud your awareness of it. That is why Paul calls them schemes. Strategies aimed at getting you to shift your agreement. Spiritual warfare is far less about confronting the devil face to face and far more about refusing to give weight to his voice.

If lies are the weapon, distraction is the delivery system. The enemy’s goal is to turn your gaze anywhere but Jesus. If he can get you locked in on yourself, your performance, your flaws, your efforts, you will end up in striving. If he can get you focused on him and your problems, fear will overtake you. Either way, you have stepped out of rest and into reaction. Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). Peter walked on water when his eyes were on Jesus, but the moment he looked at the wind and waves, he began to sink (Matt 14:30). It was not the storm that sank him, it was the shift of focus. Staying seated in heavenly places is about maintaining that steady gaze, no matter the conditions.

The armour of God is not a toolbelt for waging war. It is a description of Christ Himself clothing you. The belt of truth is Jesus, who holds everything together (Jn 14:6). The breastplate of righteousness is His righteousness guarding your heart from condemnation (2 Cor 5:21). The gospel of peace on your feet is His peace steadying every step you take (Eph 2:14). The shield of faith is your trust in who He is and what He has done, extinguishing the flaming lies of the enemy (1 Jn 5:4). The helmet of salvation protects your mind with the reality of your rescue and union with Him (Rom 12:2). And the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is the truth you speak and stand on, just like Jesus did when He countered lies in the wilderness (Matt 4:4). Putting on the armour is not about gearing up for a fresh fight every morning. It is about consciously clothing yourself in the reality of who Jesus is and who you are in Him so nothing can pull you out of that reality.

After listing the armour, Paul says, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions (Eph 6:18). That is not a throwaway line. It is the key. Warfare is not a mechanical formula. It is a relational posture. James says in chapter 4, Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. The battle is not won by ticking off a list of religious actions. It is won by staying in step with the Spirit. When you are near to God, fully submitted to Him, the devil has nothing to work with.

Paul told Timothy to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12). The only fight we are called to is the fight to keep believing God’s truth over the enemy’s lies. Hebrews puts it in an even stranger way, make every effort to enter that rest (Heb 4:11). That is the paradox of Kingdom warfare. It is a fight to rest. Everything in life will try to pull you out of that place: fear, distraction, condemnation, impatience. The armour holds you in, but faith is what keeps you there. And what about the fight against sin? The truth is, sin was conquered at the cross. We do not defeat it by staring at it or wrestling with it. We overcome by fixing our eyes on Jesus. Stay in Him and He enables you to walk free from what once held you.

The most powerful move you can make in warfare is surrender. Not to the enemy, but to Jesus. Surrender your understanding of what is happening. Surrender your timeline and the way you think the victory should look. Proverbs tells us to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Prov 3:5-6). James links surrender and resistance, Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee (Jas 4:7). Yielding to God’s leadership automatically positions you against the enemy’s schemes. In surrender, you are fully clothed, fully seated, and fully protected.

Romans says we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Rom 8:37). Corinthians says God always leads us in triumph in Christ (2 Cor 2:14). John says our faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 Jn 5:4). We do not fight toward victory. We fight from it. The outcome is already settled. The only battle left is the battle for your agreement. Will you choose to step into what is already true, even when you cannot see it or feel it, learning each day to surrender more fully to the love of the Father and the finished work of Jesus?

If we get Ephesians 6 wrong, we end up with a version of spiritual warfare that keeps us fighting battles we were never meant to fight. The armour is not about arming yourself for a desperate war. It is about staying clothed in Christ, protected from the lies that try to pull you out of your seat. The enemy has no authority over you, only the influence you give him. The real fight is to keep your eyes on Jesus, stay surrendered, and refuse to be moved from your position as a beloved son or daughter. The surprising truth about spiritual warfare is this: it is not about winning. It is about staying. And when your gaze is locked on Him, your feet are steady in peace, and your heart is guarded by righteousness, you realise you were never in danger of losing anyway.