Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Victory Through God's Presence, Prayer, and SurrenderSample

The Fall of Mankind

The Garden of Eden was humanity’s first home. It was perfect, without death or fear or shame. Adam and Eve lived there in a deep, intimate relationship with their Creator in a world untainted by evil.

In the middle of that garden, God placed a tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which he told them never to eat from. The tree signified their choice. They could live in perfection, beauty, and obedience. Or they could rebel against his authority and try to define good and evil for themselves.

Satan, intent on destroying all God created, tempted Adam and Eve by casting doubt on God’s character and saying God was withholding good from them. After listening to his lies, they chose to eat the fruit. In doing so, they rejected God’s rule and set themselves on the throne of their lives. Like Satan, they tried to exalt themselves above their Creator.

Immediately, a new emotion entered the human experience, one we all know all too well: shame. Aware of their guilt and unable to make things right, they hid from God.

From that moment, sin became entwined with the core of human nature, and death entered our world. Sin and its effects have twisted everything and everyone since. We are all born with a sinful nature that resists God. Romans 8:7 says, “for the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will” (NLT).

This sin nature is why we struggle to do what is right, even when we desperately want to. It’s why we fall back into patterns we yearn to be free of. It’s why we can never fix ourselves.

But although Adam and Eve’s sin brought death, death was not the end. Through Jesus’ own death, burial, and resurrection, he defeated sin once and for all. He broke its power and gave us a new nature. When we receive Christ, we are made new from the inside out. God’s Spirit lives in us, giving us power to fight against temptation.

Victory in spiritual warfare begins with recognizing this saving power of Jesus in our lives. It wasn’t our righteousness, hard work, or intelligence that set us free from sin. It was Jesus! And it is Jesus who empowers us each day through his Spirit in us.

Today, take a minute just to pause and thank Jesus for what he did to reverse the effects of sin and to set you free. Thank him for his power in your life.

Then, commit to trusting him fully. He began a marvelous work in you, and he has promised to complete it (Philippians 1:6). No power on earth or in hell can stop his love for you!

Reflection Questions

1. Where have I seen the love and power of God transform my life from what it used to be?
2. Are there any old patterns of thinking or acting that God is working to change right now? How am I cooperating with him in that process?