Dr Paul Allen

Modern Christianity has turned spiritual warfare into motivational talk. We tell people to “stay positive,” “protect their peace,” and “set boundaries,” while Scripture tells a very different story. The Bible does not frame life as a self-care exercise. It frames it as a battlefield. And the reason many believers keep losing is simple: they are swinging flesh when God calls for faith. Scripture never says the battle belongs to the strongest, the loudest, or the most disciplined. It says, “The battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). David didn’t defeat Goliath because he had superior skill. He won because he understood authority. He showed up with prayer-anchored faith, while everyone else showed up with fear and armour they trusted more than God. Prayer is not passive. Faith is not weakness. These are not symbolic gestures for emotional comfort. Prayer is how heaven is invoked in earthly conflict. Faith is how invisible authority overrides visible opposition. Paul is explicit: “We do n...

What is Spiritual Warfare? 2 Thessalonians 1:4 –  Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and the afflictions you are enduring. I heard a person who was in the military once share a harrowing war story with me. He and his men were deployed in Iraq and on patrol when they walked into an ambush. Enemies had set a trap for them that they unfortunately could not escape. They were surrounded on all sides, taking heavy enemy fire, low on supplies and ammunition, and had to settle in for an extended firefight. Thankfully, their communications still worked, and they could call for support. Exhausted, beat up, stressed out, and on alert, the soldiers needed to keep fighting to hold their position until reinforcements showed up, put down the enemy, and got them safely home. The Bible talks a lot about spiritual warfare, which has a lot in common with actual combat. For the Church, we are surrounded by the Enemy ...