Overcoming in Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is not merely about defense—it is about overcoming. Too often we think of warfare as survival, but the New Testament calls us to victory. That victory, however, is not accidental. It is cultivated through a life that is aligned with God and resistant to the flesh.

The early church understood this deeply. The Desert Fathers, ancient monastics, and early saints saw spiritual warfare not just as resisting demons—but as becoming the kind of person demons have no power over.

Let’s walk through five key pathways to overcoming.

1.Prayer: Communion and Offensive Warfare

Prayer is first communion—being with God, abiding in Him, loving Him. But it is also offensive.

Jesus didn’t just pray to feel close to the Father—He prayed to push back darkness. He taught us to pray, “deliver us from evil.” We see in his life complete power over demons and demonic influence. 

Many believers stop at intimacy, but never move into authority. When the slave girl in Acts 16 was mocking Paul, he cast the demon out of her, and in one fell swoop, not through endless sessions of deliverance. (Mostly, when we need many sessions, it is first to change our wrong thinking and understanding of God, which allows demonic access.)

In true spiritual warfare:

• We receive from God 

• Then we release what we receive against the enemy 

Prayer becomes both altar and battlefield.

2. The Word of God: Life That Produces Life

The Word is not just information—it is formation.

Jesus said, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

When we saturate ourselves in Scripture, something happens:

• Our thinking changes 

• Our desires shift 

• Our inner life becomes alive 

The Desert Fathers understood this connection between the Word and inner transformation. One saying puts it simply: “A wandering mind is strengthened by reading and prayer.” 

When Jesus found himself under demonic assualt in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, he used one weapon—God’s word. Three times during his fast, the enemy challenged him, and three times he responded with the words, “It is written.” 

The Word stabilizes the soul. It anchors us in truth. And truth is what dismantles the lies of the enemy.

3. Dealing with Sinful Patterns

You cannot walk in victory while partnering with bondage.

Spiritual warfare is not just casting out demons—it is confronting the patterns in our own lives that give the enemy access:

• careless speech 

• addictions 

• manipulation 

• hidden compromise 

The early Church took this seriously. John Cassian, one of the great spiritual teachers of the 4th–5th century, said that before entering deeper spiritual battle: “We cannot enter the battle of the inner man unless we have been set free from the vice of gluttony.” 

In other words, even something like a lack of self-control in eating was seen as a spiritual hindrance. Why? Because unchecked appetites weaken spiritual authority.

The Desert tradition consistently taught:

• Small compromises weaken the soul 

• Discipline strengthens it 

If we want authority over darkness, we must first deal with darkness within.

Someone once said that sin is the landing strip for the enemy. When we live a pure life, or quickly repent when we fall (and we all have struggles), there is no place for the enemy to land. Think of the recent rescue of the soldier in Iran. The primary concern of the rescuers was how they could land the plane. We want to make it impossible for anything satanic to land in our life and the two things that we can do to prevent that is to live righteously, and quickly repent when we don’t. 

4. Practicing Humility Through Serving Others

Humility is not a feeling—it is a lifestyle. The Desert Fathers didn’t pursue greatness. They pursued lowliness. Jesus said the greatest among you will be the servant of all. True leaders intentionally chose:

• Hiddenness Matthew 4:1–2 – “Jesus goes into the wilderness, away from crowds, unseen, fasting and seeking the Father.”

• Service Mark 10:45 – “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

• Preferring others John 13:12–15 – “After washing their feet, He tells them to do the same—placing others above themselves.”

Paul’s understanding of power—as laid out in 2 Corinthians 4, 11, and 12—was rooted in his willingness to suffer for the sake of the gospel. For him, spiritual authority was not expressed through comfort or status, but through weakness, endurance, and sacrificial obedience. The more he suffered for others, the more power he had (2 Cor. 4:10-12). 

Recently, I watched an alleged “prophet”—carefully made up and speaking to his supporters—explain why he needed a private jet. The reasoning, in essence, was this: he is very important, and his calling requires him to move quickly from place to place without delay. Just as Jesus had a boat to travel across the Sea of Galilee (around 15 kilometers), he argued, so he needs a jet to travel across the country. Jesus did not travel on a yacht, but a very small fishing boat. How did he ever manage?

The contrast is striking. Paul measured power by how much he was willing to suffer. Today, some seem to measure it by how much they can avoid inconvenience.

What he doesn’t understand is that weather delays, exhaustion from travel, and arriving late to an event can actually become sources of spiritual power. Paul spoke about his own suffering producing life in those who heard him. If I’m honest, this hits close to home—one of my greatest annoyances is being stuck in an airport because of a weather delay.

But these moments are invitations. If we humble ourselves and remember that we are no better than anyone else, those very frustrations can become channels of grace. They won’t just produce life in those we minister to—they will produce life in us as well.

Humility was thought to be the greatest tool in casting out demons. Daniel was commended for his humility when his prayer and fasting strengthened Michael against the Prince of Persia (see Dan 10). The Desert Mother Theodora confirms the power of humility.

There was a hermit who was able to banish the demons. And he asked [the demons]: “What makes you go away? Is it fasting?” They replied: “We do not eat or drink.” “Is it vigils?” They said: “We do not sleep.” “Then what power sends you away?” They replied: “Nothing can overcome us except humility alone.”¹

Paul’s two-fold definition of humility is something I try and keep in mind all the time: 

• Consider others better than myself

• Look to the interest of others and not only my own.

We find this in Philippians 2:3-4, leading to Paul’s hymn about the humility of Jesus—leaving his royal status behind for earth, laying down his rights and becoming a servant. Losing his life on the cross. And all this led to not only his own resurrection, but the redemption of our souls.

Humility is not weakness—it is protection.

5. Crucifying the Flesh

There is no overcoming without death. Basil the Great said, “Fasting is a weapon against the armies of demons.” I don’t see that so much as fasting to cast out a demon, but living the crucified life that gives the devil no place. When the Bible talks about crucifying our flesh—it speaks of being ruthless against our appetites. We can’t live without food, but when we take a short season and abstain, we open up our spirit to God. 

Jesus said, “Take up your cross.” Paul said, “Those who belong to Messiah have crucified the flesh.” This is not symbolic language—it is practical.

The early Church consistently emphasized that victory over sin and demons comes through putting the flesh to death.

Spiritual growth requires:

• saying no to impulses 

• denying self-centered desires 

• choosing obedience over comfort 

We would do well to remember that every time we say no to temptation, we are gaining spiritual power. The desert monks saw overcoming temptation as one of the greatest paths to spiritual power. 

Even early Christian teachings recognized that the battle with the flesh is central to spiritual maturity.

The tradition of the Church consistently emphasized overcoming the flesh as essential to spiritual growth and victory. 

You don’t defeat the enemy while feeding the flesh.

You defeat him by starving what empowers him.

Conclusion: Becoming Dangerous to Darkness

Spiritual warfare is not about techniques—it’s about transformation.

A life that:

• prays deeply 

• feeds on the Word 

• confronts sin 

• walks in humility 

• crucifies the flesh 

…becomes a life that overcomes.

The goal is not just to fight the enemy occasionally.

The goal is to become the kind of person who lives in such alignment with God that darkness has no place to land.

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[1] Chryssavgis, In the Heart of the Desert, 74.