Spiritual warfare is the battle between God and His followers versus Satan and his followers. The conflict spans the Bible. It is first mentioned in Genesis 3 and last in Revelation 20. Here are the main reasons why it is one of the most misunderstood topics in the Bible.

Four Reasons Spiritual Warfare Is Difficult To Understand

1. It is a spiritual war. Ephesians 6:12 says this battle isn't against flesh and blood but spirit beings in heavenly places. A war with an unclear enemy is hard to fight.
2. A key weapon of the enemy is deception. The enemy has been effective in tricking his foes beginning with Eve 2 Corinthians 11:3. Learning to recognize deception takes training.
3. There is no one place in the Bible that tells us everything we need to know about spiritual warfare. Instead we have to carefully study the topic which few of us do.
4. There are many conflicting voices speaking out on this topic. The points above explain why. We need to base our beliefs on what the Bible says, examine every teaching and reject what isn't clearly biblical.

Many people don’t accept that spiritual warfare is an issue they face on a regular basis. To give perspective as to the seriousness and scope of this battle here is a list to consider.

12 times when Satan attacked, who and why

1. God’s perfect creatures: Adam and Eve to introduce sin and death Genesis 3:1-7
2. A godly man: Job, to discredit God’s reputation Job 1-2
3. A godly king: King David, to corrupt him 1 Chronicles 21:1
4. The Son of God: Jesus, to thwart God’s plan Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13
5. Various individuals: to disrupt Jesus’ ministry Matthew 17:15, Mark 5:1-12
6. Unbelievers: to take the Gospel from their hearts Luke 8:12; 2Corinthians 4:4
7. Jewish leaders: to kill Jesus John 8:39-44
8. Judas: to betray Jesus Luke 22:3
9. The disciples: to deny and flee from Jesus Luke 22:31
10. The Church: Ananias and Sapphira to corrupt the Church Acts 5:3
11. Paul: to prevent him from strengthening the churches 1 Thessalonians 2:18
12. Religious teachers: to teach demonic truths 1 Timothy 4:1

There are other attacks that could be included. Do you think you are immune from Satan’s attacks? Notice that Satan is indiscriminate in his attacks. He attacks believers and nonbelievers. He attacks a boy, a married couple, a godly man, a political leader, religious leaders and common people. Here is an important warning and promise 1 Peter 5:8-10: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” Peter says we can resist attacks by standing firm in our faith. Then, “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” It’s hard, but God is with us and will help us. Stand firm, my friends. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you below.