Welcome to part three of our message series, STAND. So far, we’ve learned how to stand firm in the Lord’s strength, clothed in the armor of God, ready for spiritual battle. And today, we’re going deeper to understand and know our battle.

Paul writes, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10–11).

Every believer needs to know what kind of battle we are in because we are not fighting people; we are not using natural weapons, but our struggle is spiritual. Therefore, we must be strong, standing in the strength, authority, and armor that God gives us.

I wanted to share this with you because there is a lot of confusion about spiritual warfare today. That confusion has caused many believers to step into battles they were never meant to fight, trying to confront high-ranking demonic beings that have dominion and exert influence over regions, systems, and realms of authority within society. But nowhere in Scripture are we told to do that.

In the early days of my ministry, I was involved in some of those same kinds of efforts. We would fast and pray late into the night, believing that if we could confront the powers over our city, revival would come. We spoke the Word of God in the streets, declaring victory over what we thought were the forces controlling our region. We truly believed we were shutting down an organized, multitiered spiritual army. But it didn’t work.

The truth is, those kinds of efforts can actually bring unnecessary trouble. When we move beyond the authority that God has given us, we can invite a level of spiritual backlash that could have been avoided. I’ve seen many believers face attacks they were never meant to face because they stepped into battles that didn’t belong to them.

Now, this message isn’t meant to bring fear—it’s meant to bring wisdom and clarity about spiritual things. The Bible doesn’t tell us to go looking for a fight; it tells us to stand firm in the one we’ve been assigned to. That’s a big difference.

So let’s look at God’s Word together to understand where these principalities came from, what authority they still have, and what kind of warfare we’re actually called to engage in.

This passage gives us a glimpse into the origin of principalities and the unseen realm. It helps us understand the nature of the battle we face and reminds us of the victory we already have through Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 32:8 takes us back to the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. When humanity rebelled by building the tower, God scattered them and divided them into nations. In that moment of judgment, He also appointed spiritual rulers over those nations.

Some translations say “sons of Israel,” but the oldest manuscripts—like the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint—say “sons of God.” That phrase doesn’t refer to people but to divine beings, heavenly members of God’s council who served under His authority.

Over time, many of these beings rebelled and led the nations into idolatry. While the nations turned to false gods, God chose one people to be His own.

“For the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:9).

While the other nations fell under corrupt spiritual influence, God claimed Israel as His portion. Through Israel, He would send the Messiah—the promised Seed—who would crush the serpent’s head and redeem the nations back to Himself.

We see these heavenly beings appear again in Job 1:6:

“The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them” (Job 1:6).

These divine beings were created to serve under God’s authority, but some turned toward darkness. Psalm 82 gives us a clear picture of their rebellion:

“I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler” (Psalm 82:6–7).

This isn’t describing humans—we already die as mortals. It speaks of celestial beings who will one day face God’s judgment. Though God rebuked them, He allowed them to remain in place for a time.

These fallen powers didn’t just neglect their calling—they corrupted the nations. They spread witchcraft, idolatry, and immorality, leading people into the worship of false gods and pulling humanity further from the truth of the living God. The Bible says,

“They provoked him to jealousy with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God—gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear” (Deuteronomy 32:16–17).

These were not just lifeless statues or carved images; they represented real demonic beings—fallen spirits that deceived people and drew their worship away from the one true God.

That’s why, during the Exodus, God demonstrated His power over Egypt’s false gods. The plagues were not random punishments; they were precise acts of divine warfare. Each one exposed the weakness of Egypt’s idols and revealed that the Lord alone is supreme. He said,

“I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord” (Exodus 12:12).

Every plague was a direct challenge to a specific Egyptian deity. The Nile turned to blood, showing God’s power over Hapi, the god of the river. Darkness fell over the land, proving Ra, the sun god, was no god at all. Even Pharaoh, who claimed to be divine, could not stand against the judgment of the Almighty. The Exodus was more than deliverance from slavery—it was a public declaration that no false god, no ruler, and no principality can stand against the Lord our God.

These high-ranking demonic beings—spiritual rulers with influence and authority over regions—drew their power from human worship. Their influence grew as people gave them allegiance and devotion. That’s why even God’s angels sometimes encountered resistance. It wasn’t because of weakness but because of spiritual jurisdiction.

When nations turned their loyalty toward false gods, they empowered those fallen beings. We see this clearly in Daniel 10. When Daniel prayed and fasted for twenty-one days, the angel sent with God’s answer said he had been resisted by “the prince of Persia” until Michael came to help. That “prince” wasn’t a human ruler but a territorial principality—a demonic being exercising authority over Persia.

Notice that Daniel didn’t try to fight that spirit himself. He didn’t go to war in the heavens; he stayed faithful in prayer and fasting until heaven’s answer came through. The angels fought in the unseen realm while Daniel’s role was persistence, obedience, and intercession. That’s the pattern for true spiritual warfare.

We’re not called to start fights in the heavens; we’re called to stand firm in prayer, obedience, and faith until God’s will is established on earth. Our victory doesn’t come through aggression but through alignment—standing under God’s authority and letting His power work through us.

From Eden to the time of Christ, Satan gathered rebellious spirits and claimed authority over the nations. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, the devil tried to offer that authority to Him in exchange for worship. He attempted to entice Jesus, saying,

“I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to” (Luke 4:6).

But Jesus knew that bowing to Satan would place Him under the devil’s dominion, just as Adam once had been. Jesus came to fulfill God’s promise spoken long ago in Genesis 3:15 where the Lord said:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

That prophecy revealed that one day a child would be born of a woman—conceived by the Holy Spirit—who would crush the serpent’s head. The serpent would strike His heel through suffering and death, but Christ would gain the final victory through the cross.

When Jesus went to the cross, He wasn’t only bearing our sins; He was confronting the very powers of darkness. The serpent struck His heel through betrayal, pain, and death. Judas acted under Satan’s influence, and the rulers of this world celebrated, not realizing they were securing their own defeat. The Bible says,

“None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8).

And so, while they thought they were destroying Him, Jesus was crushing their authority. On the cross, He broke their legal right over humanity and reclaimed what Adam had lost.

“Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

Notice that Paul doesn’t say Jesus disarmed demons but powers and authorities—the high-ranking principalities that once governed the nations. These beings, originally appointed by God and empowered through human worship, were stripped of their authority at Calvary. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, took back the dominion that was lost in Eden.

From the very beginning, God gave humanity authority to rule over the earth. But when Adam and Eve sinned, that authority was surrendered to Satan. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus, the Son of God, took authority or dominion back. He crushed the serpent’s head and secured everlasting victory for all who belong to Him. And in the last days, the Bible says:

“He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:2).

Jesus is the One who crushed the serpent’s head and broke the power of every dark force. Because we belong to Him, we share in His victory and authority. In His name, we have the power to destroy the works of darkness wherever they try to operate in our realm of influence.

Now Jesus holds all authority in heaven and on earth, and He sends us to claim the nations for God. The Great Commission doesn’t begin with activity—it begins with authority. Jesus didn’t say, “All authority has been given to Me; now go bind principalities.” He said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18–19). Our mission is to advance His victory by bringing people out of darkness and into the light of His kingdom.

Before His death and resurrection, Jesus’ ministry was focused on Israel—the one nation that belonged to God. But after the cross, when He disarmed the principalities and powers, He gave His church a new mission: to go into all the world and reclaim the nations for God.

Now all authority over the nations belongs to Jesus. The principalities no longer have any legal right to rule, though they still exert influence wherever people give them allegiance. Their power now depends on human devotion, not divine permission. That’s why our mission isn’t to “break” their authority—it’s already broken—but to weaken their influence by leading people to Christ.

We do this by going, preaching, baptizing, and teaching. Every time someone turns to Jesus, the kingdom of darkness loses another captive. As the gospel spreads, the light of Christ drives back the shadows, and no power of hell can stop it—because Jesus’ authority is absolute.

Yes, the powers of darkness will resist, but they cannot prevail. Jesus has given us authority to move forward into every nation, no matter how dark or spiritually bound, and bring His kingdom to earth. We are called to win souls, make disciples, plant churches, heal the sick, and cast out demons in His name.

“And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16:17–18).

Preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God is the greatest act of spiritual warfare. Every time believers carry the message of Jesus into enemy territory and rescue souls from darkness, the devil’s kingdom loses ground. That’s how the early church overcame the Roman Empire—not by shouting at principalities in the air, but by boldly preaching Christ and demonstrating His power.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Paul wasn’t talking about principalities in heavenly places; he was talking about strongholds of thought—lies, deceptions, and false ideas that blind people to the truth of God. The real battle is for minds and hearts. We destroy the influence of principalities by leading people to Jesus, not by engaging them directly in the spirit realm.

Daniel didn’t fight the prince of Persia; he trusted God’s angels to handle that. He knew that his role was to pray, fast, and remain faithful until heaven’s answer came. The same principle applies today. This pattern for revival has never been about confronting the prince of the air; it has always been about responding to God’s call on earth. He said,

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

That has always been God’s pattern for revival. Every great awakening in history—whether in America or around the world—was birthed through repentance, prayer, fasting, and the pursuit of God’s presence. When God’s people humble themselves and return to Him, heaven moves, strongholds fall, and nations are changed.

Those who focus on fighting principalities often lose sight of Jesus’ true mission—to win souls, make disciples, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Too many believers get caught up in chasing spiritual shortcuts or mystical methods that Jesus never endorsed.

We must stay anchored in the Word of God and in the faith that has been handed down through the church. Be cautious of so-called secret revelations or spiritual experiences that contradict Scripture or shift the focus away from the gospel. God’s Word is clear, complete, and more than enough.

Even Paul, who had incredible spiritual encounters and heavenly visions, never instructed Timothy to confront territorial spirits. Instead, he wrote,

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1–4).

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, He didn’t try to bind the prince over the city—He wept for the people’s hearts. When He sent His disciples into new towns, He didn’t tell them to war in the heavens; He told them to preach the Kingdom of God, heal the sick, and announce that salvation had come near.

Today, the victory is already won. Jesus holds all authority in heaven and on earth, and our assignment is to reclaim His inheritance one soul at a time. We don’t conquer cities by shouting at the sky—we conquer hearts through the power of the gospel. Every time a person comes to Christ, the enemy’s grip weakens, and the Kingdom of God grows stronger.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

After describing this battle, Paul didn’t tell us to go on the attack. He said, “Stand your ground” (Ephesians 6:13). He emphasizes it three times. To stand your ground means to hold your position—to remain firm in faith, anchored in truth, and clothed in righteousness. It’s a position of strength, not aggression; a posture of confidence in Christ’s victory rather than striving to win a battle He has already won.

That’s how spiritual authority truly works. God has given us powerful weapons, but that doesn’t mean we can attack the enemy on our own terms. Our authority isn’t about charging into enemy territory—it’s about standing firm when we’re under attack and holding the ground Jesus already won for us.

When Paul describes the armor of God, nearly every piece is designed for defense—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. The only offensive weapon mentioned is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

The word Paul uses for “sword” refers to a short dagger used in close combat. That tells us our battles are fought up close and personal, not far away in the heavens. We fight with the Word of God spoken in faith when the enemy comes against our minds, our homes, or our families. We have the authority to resist him with Scripture, just as Jesus did in the wilderness, but we are not called to invade his domain. Our victory comes from standing firm in what Christ has already accomplished, knowing that the power of His Word and the presence of His Spirit are more than enough to keep us secure.

So if a demonic power tries to intrude into your life, you have every right to resist it—just as you would defend your own home from an intruder. But you don’t go looking for a fight. Chasing rulers, principalities, authorities, or powers is not biblical.

Paul reminds us that our real battle is spiritual, and it requires spiritual armor and prayer. He makes this clear in Ephesians 6:18:

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Paul’s focus wasn’t on attacking spiritual rulers but on perseverance—staying faithful in prayer, standing in intercession, and walking in boldness as we proclaim the gospel. Even he asked the church to pray for him, saying,

“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19).

If spiritual opposition rises against you or your calling, you have the authority to stand your ground, to resist, and to rebuke in Jesus’ name. But Scripture never instructs us to launch prayer assaults against distant principalities. True spiritual warfare isn’t about aggression—it’s about endurance, faith, holiness, and advancing the power of the gospel until every heart bows to the authority of Christ.

Think about it this way: if you were hiking on the Appalachian Trail, you wouldn’t go out searching for bears or bobcats to fight. But if one attacked, you’d stand your ground and defend yourself. In the same way, believers don’t go looking for spiritual battles, but when darkness intrudes, we stand firm, resist in the name of Jesus, and overcome through the power of His Word.

These promises remind us that faithfulness today prepares us for future authority in God’s kingdom. In the last days, Jesus will say to those faithful believers:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21).

These words point to our future role in Christ’s eternal kingdom. One day, the redeemed will take the place of the rebellious princes and rulers and will rule the nations alongside Jesus. The Bible says,

“If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:12).

The same believers who now stand firm against darkness will one day reign in light. Jesus promised,

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26).

Those who remain faithful through trials will share in His authority when He rules the earth. John’s vision in Revelation takes that promise even further:

“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge... They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

This shows the fulfillment of God’s plan—when the redeemed will reign with Jesus in His millennial kingdom, replacing the fallen powers that once ruled in rebellion. Our present faithfulness prepares us for that future reign, where we will govern with Christ in righteousness, peace, and glory.

But right now, these fallen spiritual rulers still hold temporary influence in the world, but their judgment is already sealed. When Jesus returns to establish His kingdom, those thrones will be filled by the redeemed sons and daughters of God. The faithful—those who stood firm, prayed, endured, and obeyed—will reign with Him over cities, regions, and nations as part of His everlasting rule.

Maybe you didn’t know this, but heaven is not our final home—it’s our waiting place until Christ restores all things. The Bible promises that one day there will be a new heaven and a new earth, completely renewed and free from sin’s curse. The apostle John described this glorious vision given to him by Jesus:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:1–3).

On that day, heaven and earth will become one. God’s throne will dwell among His people, and His presence will fill everything. Eternity won’t be spent floating on clouds like little chubby babies with angel wings or sitting through endless services around the throne. We will live, create, lead, and reign with Christ in a renewed and perfect world—restored to the way God intended it from the beginning, filled with His glory forever.

There will be no need for church buildings, because we will be the Church—God’s redeemed family—living in perfect fellowship with Him. Worship won’t be confined to a service or a song; it will fill everything we do. Every action, every word, and every purpose will honor God completely. The crowns we receive will symbolize the authority and responsibility He entrusts to us in His kingdom.

Those who were faithful here on earth—who served humbly, prayed earnestly, gave generously, and walked in obedience—will be promoted to rulership in the life to come. Where fallen principalities once ruled, the righteous will now reign in their place. Jesus told us,

“You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21).

The fallen rulers won’t simply disappear—they will be replaced. The redeemed, washed in the blood of Jesus, will take their rightful place under His authority, governing the nations and directing all worship to “The Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

This is why we stand firm today. We’re not just fighting for victory; we’re being trained to reign. Every test of faith, every moment of endurance, and every act of obedience prepares us to rule with Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

So stand firm and stand strong because the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you. And every battle you face today is preparing you for the authority you will carry in eternity. One day, every false ruler or counterfeit principality will bow, every power will fall, and God's saints will reign forever with Christ.

Right now, you may have grown weary in the fight. You’ve stood your ground, but the struggle has been long. The enemy whispers that you’re losing, that your prayers don’t matter, or that your faith is in vain. But hear the Word of the Lord—your victory was already secured at the cross. You’re not fighting for victory; you’re standing in it.

Today, the Holy Spirit is calling you to rise and stand again. Lift your shield of faith. Fasten your belt of truth. Take up the sword of the Spirit and speak God’s Word over your life, your family, and your calling. You are not abandoned, and you are not defeated. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Let the Lord renew your strength and fill you with His power once more. You were created to stand, and one day, you will reign with Him forever. Amen.

Graphics, notes, and commentary from LifeChurch, Ministry Pass, PC Study Bible, Preaching Library, and Sermon Central. Scripture from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.