Winning the Battle for Souls Through Prayer

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 

The battle for souls takes place in the spiritual realm. Many a time a person is amid that conflict, with their very soul in the balance—as God’s Spirit is tugging, and Satan is holding on—in this tremendous spiritual battle. 

What can we do? One mighty weapon that God has placed in our spiritual arsenal is prayer. I believe there are more battles won through prayer than any other means. Yet I find it strange that so often people only pray as a last resort. Here God has given us this powerful weapon of prayer, and we’re not using it. 

The Deciding Factor 

Prayer is the deciding factor in a spiritual battle. For that reason, Satan fights against prayer harder than anything else. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to pray? Suddenly these urgent things come flashing to mind, or the phone rings. The enemy will use any distraction to take you away from prayer—because Satan knows this is the determining factor in this warfare.

Imagine you are in a dark alley, and someone jumps you with a knife. As you wrestle with them, suddenly the whole battle is focused on that one thing—who controls the knife. Your first priority is to disarm the attacker. So when we enter into this warfare with the enemy, he knows prayer is the deciding factor in this battle, and he will do anything he can to keep you from prayer. Because he knows that spells his defeat. Through prayer we pull down the strongholds of the enemy. 

Blinded by the Enemy 

In praying for our unsaved friends, we must realize two things. First, one reason they are not saved is that the god of this world, Satan, has blinded their eyes so that they cannot see the truth. We may think it’s their stubbornness or their refusal to see the truth, but in reality, Satan has blinded them.

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 

Now, why doesn’t our unsaved loved one believe in Jesus Christ? Because his mind has been blinded by Satan to the truth of this glorious salvation that God is offering. Satan has prejudiced and poisoned his mind against God. Satan is holding him in a spell. Now, though God respects our choices and our free will, Satan does not. If he has the opportunity, he will hold you captive and blind you to the truth. He will fill your mind with prejudice against God so that it is impossible for you to think rationally about your relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Captives of the Devil 

The second thing to remember is that Satan is holding them captive against their wills. Paul sought to correct the wayward that  they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). 

So my prayer for my lost loved one should not simply be, “God, save them,” because God respects our power of choice and will not force them. Rather, my prayer must be to bind the stronghold that Satan has in their lives. I must ask God to open their eyes so that they can rationally view the truth—to free them from the power of the enemy who is holding them against their wills. My prayers are directed in setting them free from this hold and power that Satan is exerting over them.

Defeating the Enemy 

With these spiritual weapons that God has given us—the Word, faith, prayer—we come against the enemy’s attacks and defeat him. None of you as a child of God need to go on being harassed by Satan. You have the authority and the power through Jesus Christ to put the enemy to flight. 

We can set others free through prayer. Jesus said, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19b). Each prayer becomes a fresh blow against the hold that Satan has against their lives. 

May God help us to engage in the fight with His spiritual weapons, not our own devices.

Let us storm the strongholds of darkness, that we might bring to light the glorious truth of the Gospel. God will bind that power of Satan. God will take away the blinders over their minds [to allow them] to see rationally and clearly the offer that God has made to us through Jesus Christ. Then the Holy Spirit will do that work of conviction and drawing their hearts to Jesus Christ. 

This teaching was originally published in print Issue 95 of Calvary Chapel Magazine.

Follow this series on The Spiritual War condensed from Pastor Chuck’s teachings on 2 Corinthians 10:

The Hope of Salvation
Pastor Chuck explores two of Satan's strategies in the battlefield of the mind and how we can protect ourselves with the helmet of salvation.

Victory Through Jesus
Pastor Chuck sheds “light” on how the power of the cross saves those who follow Jesus out of the darkness.

What Are the Weapons of Our Spiritual Warfare?
Pastor Chuck describes three weapons that will give us victory in our spiritual battles.

Pastor Chuck was the founder of the Calvary Chapel movement and the longtime pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CA

Sponsor Message: Calvary Bible Institute is a one-year program designed to equip those who are called to serve the Lord in full-time ministry. Visit CBI's website to learn more about their programs at calvarybi.com

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