Preparing to Overcome the Enemy
This book is intended for Bible study. I encourage you to refer to your Bible often as you read the lessons
in this book. Mark the passages, phrases, or words that have special meaning to you. Write your insights in the
margins of your Bible. In my opinion, a well-marked Bible is the genuine hallmark of a serious Bible student.
The Bible is God's foremost method of communication with us today. It is the main reference to which we must
return continually to check out messages that we believe are from God. In a study of spiritual warfare, it is easy
to get sidetracked into what people say about the devil or about the evil forces of darkness. We must remain in
the Bible in order to avoid error or unnecessary distractions.
Keys to Study
You will be asked at various points in the lessons to identify with the material by answering one or more of
these questions:
• What new insights have you gained?
• Have you had a similar experience?
• How do you feel about this?
• In what way are you challenged to act?
Insights
An insight is more than an idea or fact. It is seeing a truth from God's Word as if you are encountering it
for the very first time. You may have read a verse or passage many times in the past and think that you know it
well. And then, God surprises you! He reveals a new level of meaning to you in such a way that you say to yourself,
“Why didn't I see that before?” That is a spiritual insight.
Insights are usually very personal—something is relevant to us because of a particular experience or situation
in our lives, or something is especially meaningful in light of another passage in the Scriptures that we have
been reading or studying. Every part of the Word of God is linked to every other part of the Word of God, and often
these linkages are the points at which we gain spiritual insight.
Ask God to give you fresh insights every time you read His Word. I believe He'll answer that prayer.
When you have a spiritual insight, note it in your Bible. Your insight may be in the form of a question. Keep
that question in mind as you continue to read God's Word. When you come to a conclusive answer, also note that
in your Bible. The more we look and listen for insights, the more God gives them to us. The more we note them,
the greater our understanding grows about the truths of God that run from cover to cover in the Bible.
Experiences
Each of us comes to God's Word with a unique set of personal experiences, difficulties, and accomplishments.
Therefore, each person has a unique perspective on the Scripture reading. For example, the person who has been
raised in church from childhood and is very familiar with Bible stories may have a different understanding of a
passage from that of a person who is a new believer and is just starting to study the Bible. In a group, this difference
in familiarity with the Bible can sometimes create problems. As you begin your study together, recognize that you
are coming to the study with a unique background and that you can always learn something from others, even the
most naive novice.
What we do have in common are life experiences. All of us can point to times in our lives when the Bible confirmed,
encouraged, convicted, or comforted us in some way. We all have experiences about which we can say, “I know that
truth in the Bible is real because of what happened to me.”
Our experiences do not make the Bible true, of course. The Bible is absolute truth, period. Nevertheless, as
we share our experiences and how they relate to the Bible, we find that God's Word applies to the human experience
in more ways than we have ever thought of or personally experienced. We begin to see that the Bible speaks to each
person and it addresses each emotion and general situation that a man or woman will feel or encounter in life.
Sharing experiences in your faith journey is important for your spiritual growth. Even if you are doing this
study on your own, I encourage you to talk to others about your faith experiences and to be open to listening to
them tell how the Bible has affected their lives.
Emotional Response
Just as we have unique backgrounds, we have unique emotional responses to God's Word. No one set of emotions
is more valid than another. You may feel great relief or joy when reading a particular passage; another person
may be frightened or perplexed by the same chapter of Scripture.
Face your emotions honestly. Learn to share your emotions with others. Again, your emotions do not give validity
to the Scriptures. The Bible is true regardless of how you feel about it. Your faith must always be based on what
God says, not on what you feel. At the same time, you are wise to recognize that the Bible has an emotional impact
on you. You cannot read the Bible with an open heart and mind and not have an emotional response to it. At times
you may be moved to tears, at other times you may feel great elation, longing, surprise, or hope.
Especially in a study of spiritual warfare, we have a tendency to deny our emotions regarding the devil or to
adopt a stance of bravado. We can benefit greatly by identifying how we feel. This often is the starting point
for our growing in faith and in courage.
In my experience with Bible study groups, I have found that it is far more valuable to share feelings than to
share opinions. Scholarly commentaries have their place in teaching us the context and background of certain passages.
Some people do have special insights into God's Word that are of benefit to everyone in a group setting. But, generally
speaking, sharing opinions is not very productive in group study, and in some cases it can actually be counterproductive,
leading to anger, mistrust, or frustration. When we share our feelings with one another, however, we become vulnerable
with other people and give them the freedom to be vulnerable with us in return. This vulnerability often can open
us to hearing what is truly significant for us from God's Word.
Furthermore, God often speaks to us in the language of the heart—the unspoken language of intuition, desires,
and longings. When we share our feelings with one another, we grow closer to one another, and as a group, closer
to the heart of God.
Challenges
In reading God's Word, we nearly always come to a point where we feel a deep stirring in our spirits, often
a conviction that there is something we need to address or change in our attitudes, habits, or behavior. Sometimes
this is a conviction of sin. At other times it is a clear call from God to engage in a new discipline or area of
ministry.
God is never content with the status quo. He is always seeking our growth and our perfection in Christ Jesus.
He prompts us from time to time as we read His Word to move forward in our Christian walk, or to move to a deeper
level of faith and devotion.
When we feel God challenging us, stretching us, calling us, molding and shaping us, we are in a position to
say to God, “Show me clearly what You desire for me to do.” When He shows us the direction we are to take or the
decisions we are to make, we must obey.
Ultimately, God desires that we read His Word and then do what it says. The main goal of our Bible study
is to apply God's Word to our daily lives and become stronger witnesses of the love of God to every person we encounter.
It isn't enough for us to clarify our insights, recall our experiences, or identify our emotions. We must live
the Christian life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, every week of the year. We are challenged to be
doers of His Word and not hearers only (James 1:22).
Studying with Others
The value of a group study is that you will be confronted with insights, experiences, and emotions that are
not your own—and which will serve to stretch and challenge you. In turn, as you share your insights, experiences,
and emotions, you will challenge others and also grow in your ability to communicate God's Word. There is great
value in a group study experience! If you don't have someone to talk to about your insights, experiences, emotions,
and challenges, I encourage you to find somebody. Perhaps you can start a Bible study in your home. Perhaps you
can talk to your pastor about organizing Bible study groups in your church. Not only will you grow in your understanding
of God's Word, but you will be building relationships with fellow believers that can be invaluable.
Keep the Bible Central
Keep the Bible central to your study. Don't let a Bible study group turn into a support group or a therapy group.
These types of groups have their time and place, but it is as we gather around God's Word—as if we are reading
the manual that will make a life-or-death difference in our lives—that we truly grow in the Lord and become all
that He created and designed us to be.
If you are doing a personal Bible study, you must be diligent in maintaining your focus on God's Word. Self-analysis
is not the goal of this study. Growing up in the fullness of the stature of Christ is the goal.
If you are part of a group study, make certain that your conversation about God's Word doesn't stray into a
discussion of the latest news about occult practices or groups, paranormal experiences, or what a particular preacher
has to say about the devil. Stay in the Word of God. Rein in all discussions so your focus is tightly on what God
is saying to you through the Bible.
Prayer
I encourage you to begin your Bible study sessions in prayer. Ask God to give you spiritual eyes to see what
He wants you to see and spiritual ears to hear what He wants you to hear. Ask Him to give you new insights, to
recall to your memory experiences that relate to what you read, and to help you identify your emotional responses.
Ask Him to reveal to you what He desires for you to be, say, and do.
As you conclude your study, ask the Lord to seal what you have learned in your heart so you will never forget
it. Ask Him to transform you more into the likeness of Jesus Christ as you meditate on what you have learned. And
above all, ask Him to reveal to you ways in which you can apply what you have studied and to give you the courage
to live out God's Word in your daily life.
As you begin your study, consider these questions:
• What new insights into overcoming the enemy do you hope to gain from this study?
• In what areas do you have questions about spiritual warfare? In what areas do you perceive a personal need
for greater strength, power, or authority?
• How do you feel about your ability in Christ Jesus to encounter and defeat the enemy of your soul?
• Are you open to being challenged to engage more actively in spiritual warfare against the devil's forces?
From Overcoming the Enemy: Discover God's Plan for Winning Spiritual
Battles by Charles Stanley. Copyright 1997 by Charles Stanley.
