Winning the War: Three Strategies the Enemy Uses and How We Fight Back
My name is Andrew, and I’m the lead pastor here at Passionate Life Church. In this part of our Winning the War series, I want to help you understand something very clearly: you are in a spiritual battle every single day. This is not something to fear, but it is something you must recognize.
The enemy has a strategy for your life. He studies patterns. He looks for weaknesses. And if we’re not aware of how he works, we can end up fighting battles without understanding what’s actually happening. The good news is that God has already given us counter-strategies. When we know how the enemy attacks, we can stand firm and live in victory.
Strategy One: Getting You Not to Pray
One of the first things the enemy wants to do is stop you from praying. Prayer is not optional for the believer. It is both our offense and our defense. If Satan can disrupt your prayer life, he knows he can weaken your spiritual strength.
I said this during the message, and I want to repeat it here:
“The devil does not want you to pray because he knows prayer is the best offensive and defensive weapon that we have.”
Many people struggle with prayer because they feel frustrated. They wonder if God hears them or if prayer is actually doing anything. Those thoughts are not neutral. They are lies meant to discourage you and silence communication with God.
Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. That sounds impossible if we’re trying to live it out in our own strength. But this isn’t something we manufacture naturally. Joy and thankfulness are supernatural byproducts of time spent with the Father.
I shared this truth from the stage:
“Joy isn’t natural. Joy is supernatural. It’s something we receive when we spend time with our Father.”
Prayer is not about performance. It’s not about saying the right words. It’s about a relationship. When we talk to God consistently, something begins to shift on the inside of us.
I also taught on praying in the Spirit, including the gift of a prayer language. I know this topic can feel confusing or uncomfortable for some, but I want you to hear my heart:
“The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not weird. People are weird.”
Praying in the Spirit has strengthened my walk with God in ways I can’t fully explain. There are moments when I don’t know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit does. This is a gift God gives when we’re open to receiving it.
The counter strategy to this attack is simple but intentional. You must designate time to pray. You have to schedule it. Protect it. And remember that something is happening in the spiritual realm every time you pray, even when you don’t see immediate results. If you need support or agreement in prayer, we encourage you to submit a prayer request.
Strategy Two: Making You Tired
Another strategy the enemy uses is exhaustion. If he can’t stop you from praying completely, he’ll try to wear you out until you quit.
I’ve experienced this myself. You sit down to read your Bible or pray, and suddenly you feel tired in a way that doesn’t make sense. That’s not just physical. That’s spiritual.
Scripture warns us in Galatians 6:9 not to grow weary in doing good. Why? Because weariness makes us vulnerable. The enemy often waits until we’re exhausted before he attacks.
We see this clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane. While Jesus was praying during one of the most intense moments of His life, the disciples kept falling asleep.
Jesus warned them:
“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
They missed a powerful moment with Him because they were tired. And not long after, they scattered, denied Him, and lost confidence.
I shared this truth during the message:
“Satan wants to make you tired so you’ll miss moments with Jesus.”
The counter strategy here is rest. Rest is not optional. It’s commanded by God. The Sabbath wasn’t created to restrict us—it was created to restore us.
God Himself rested, not because He needed to, but because He designed us with limits. Under the new covenant, rest isn’t about legalism or a specific day. It’s about intentionally entering God’s rest.
I’ve had to learn this personally. If I want to last long-term, I have to rest. God is playing the long game with your life, not a short sprint. Rest sustains you so you don’t burn out and quit—especially when you stay connected to healthy spiritual community through Life Groups.
Strategy Three: Wasting Your Time, Energy, and Thoughts
The third strategy the enemy uses is distraction. He wants to waste your mental and emotional energy on things that don’t matter.
I talked about this during the message:
“We spend hours having fake conversations in our heads with people we’re never actually going to talk to.”
Worry, fear, and anxiety consume energy without producing fruit. The enemy loves this because while you’re distracted, you’re not focused on what God is doing.
Scripture tells us to give all our worries to God because He cares for us. But for that to work, you actually have to believe that He cares. Not just about the big things, but the small things too.
Social media, false information, and constant noise make it easier for the enemy to plant fear. We end up worrying about things that may never happen.
That’s why Scripture tells us in Philippians 4 not to worry about anything, but instead pray about everything. When we do that, God’s peace guards our hearts and minds.
The counter strategy here is taking your thoughts captive. This is spiritual warfare. Second Corinthians 10 tells us we are not fighting like the world fights. The battlefield is the mind.
I explained it like this:
“You have to take that thought captive, bind it up, and say, ‘In the name of Jesus, you don’t belong here.’”
Thoughts of fear, depression, and worry must be confronted. If we don’t take thoughts captive, they take us captive. Over time, when we consistently fight back, those thoughts lose their power.
Living Aware and Walking in Victory
This message isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to wake you up. The enemy’s strategies are simple, but they’re effective if we’re unaware.
Prayerlessness, weariness, and distraction slowly weaken believers. God’s counter strategies are just as clear: pray intentionally, rest consistently, and guard your mind.
You are not powerless in this war. You have the Holy Spirit. You have authority. And you have everything you need to win.
At Passionate Life Church, our heart is to see people live fully devoted lives to Jesus Christ. When you recognize how the enemy works and apply God’s truth, you stop surviving and start winning the war. If you’re ready to respond, grow, or get connected, explore your Next Steps.
The enemy has a strategy for your life. He studies patterns. He looks for weaknesses. And if we’re not aware of how he works, we can end up fighting battles without understanding what’s actually happening. The good news is that God has already given us counter-strategies. When we know how the enemy attacks, we can stand firm and live in victory.
Strategy One: Getting You Not to Pray
One of the first things the enemy wants to do is stop you from praying. Prayer is not optional for the believer. It is both our offense and our defense. If Satan can disrupt your prayer life, he knows he can weaken your spiritual strength.
I said this during the message, and I want to repeat it here:
“The devil does not want you to pray because he knows prayer is the best offensive and defensive weapon that we have.”
Many people struggle with prayer because they feel frustrated. They wonder if God hears them or if prayer is actually doing anything. Those thoughts are not neutral. They are lies meant to discourage you and silence communication with God.
Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. That sounds impossible if we’re trying to live it out in our own strength. But this isn’t something we manufacture naturally. Joy and thankfulness are supernatural byproducts of time spent with the Father.
I shared this truth from the stage:
“Joy isn’t natural. Joy is supernatural. It’s something we receive when we spend time with our Father.”
Prayer is not about performance. It’s not about saying the right words. It’s about a relationship. When we talk to God consistently, something begins to shift on the inside of us.
I also taught on praying in the Spirit, including the gift of a prayer language. I know this topic can feel confusing or uncomfortable for some, but I want you to hear my heart:
“The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not weird. People are weird.”
Praying in the Spirit has strengthened my walk with God in ways I can’t fully explain. There are moments when I don’t know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit does. This is a gift God gives when we’re open to receiving it.
The counter strategy to this attack is simple but intentional. You must designate time to pray. You have to schedule it. Protect it. And remember that something is happening in the spiritual realm every time you pray, even when you don’t see immediate results. If you need support or agreement in prayer, we encourage you to submit a prayer request.
Strategy Two: Making You Tired
Another strategy the enemy uses is exhaustion. If he can’t stop you from praying completely, he’ll try to wear you out until you quit.
I’ve experienced this myself. You sit down to read your Bible or pray, and suddenly you feel tired in a way that doesn’t make sense. That’s not just physical. That’s spiritual.
Scripture warns us in Galatians 6:9 not to grow weary in doing good. Why? Because weariness makes us vulnerable. The enemy often waits until we’re exhausted before he attacks.
We see this clearly in the Garden of Gethsemane. While Jesus was praying during one of the most intense moments of His life, the disciples kept falling asleep.
Jesus warned them:
“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
They missed a powerful moment with Him because they were tired. And not long after, they scattered, denied Him, and lost confidence.
I shared this truth during the message:
“Satan wants to make you tired so you’ll miss moments with Jesus.”
The counter strategy here is rest. Rest is not optional. It’s commanded by God. The Sabbath wasn’t created to restrict us—it was created to restore us.
God Himself rested, not because He needed to, but because He designed us with limits. Under the new covenant, rest isn’t about legalism or a specific day. It’s about intentionally entering God’s rest.
I’ve had to learn this personally. If I want to last long-term, I have to rest. God is playing the long game with your life, not a short sprint. Rest sustains you so you don’t burn out and quit—especially when you stay connected to healthy spiritual community through Life Groups.
Strategy Three: Wasting Your Time, Energy, and Thoughts
The third strategy the enemy uses is distraction. He wants to waste your mental and emotional energy on things that don’t matter.
I talked about this during the message:
“We spend hours having fake conversations in our heads with people we’re never actually going to talk to.”
Worry, fear, and anxiety consume energy without producing fruit. The enemy loves this because while you’re distracted, you’re not focused on what God is doing.
Scripture tells us to give all our worries to God because He cares for us. But for that to work, you actually have to believe that He cares. Not just about the big things, but the small things too.
Social media, false information, and constant noise make it easier for the enemy to plant fear. We end up worrying about things that may never happen.
That’s why Scripture tells us in Philippians 4 not to worry about anything, but instead pray about everything. When we do that, God’s peace guards our hearts and minds.
The counter strategy here is taking your thoughts captive. This is spiritual warfare. Second Corinthians 10 tells us we are not fighting like the world fights. The battlefield is the mind.
I explained it like this:
“You have to take that thought captive, bind it up, and say, ‘In the name of Jesus, you don’t belong here.’”
Thoughts of fear, depression, and worry must be confronted. If we don’t take thoughts captive, they take us captive. Over time, when we consistently fight back, those thoughts lose their power.
Living Aware and Walking in Victory
This message isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant to wake you up. The enemy’s strategies are simple, but they’re effective if we’re unaware.
Prayerlessness, weariness, and distraction slowly weaken believers. God’s counter strategies are just as clear: pray intentionally, rest consistently, and guard your mind.
You are not powerless in this war. You have the Holy Spirit. You have authority. And you have everything you need to win.
At Passionate Life Church, our heart is to see people live fully devoted lives to Jesus Christ. When you recognize how the enemy works and apply God’s truth, you stop surviving and start winning the war. If you’re ready to respond, grow, or get connected, explore your Next Steps.
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