Spiritual warfare is something we all experience – and it happens more often than we think. The battle can involve the world, the flesh, and even the devil himself (see Ephesians 2:1-3). But the struggle doesn’t always happen out in the mysterious spiritual realm, somewhere far away and hard to see. In fact, when it comes to battling with the world, spiritual warfare is more ordinary than you might have realized.

What Is “The World”?

When we talk about “the world” in the context of warfare, we’re not talking about the earth or even the people who inhabit it. The world, aka “the world system,” is an organized system in opposition and rebellion against God. Ephesians 2 warns about “the course of this world.” Think of the world system as a current that carries you away from God’s will.

From the time Adam and Eve first sinned, the world has been working against God’s purposes for humanity. Satan himself is behind the world system, as Paul points out:

2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Most people are oblivious to the spiritual side of this world and the dangers thereof. If you want to win at spiritual warfare, you need to be aware of the dangerous pull of the world in all of its varied forms.

Footholds and Strongholds

The world establishes a foothold by putting ideas in your head that go against God’s Word. Over time, the more you buy into it, it becomes a stronghold – a place from which the enemy can set up a defensive position. Paul warns us to guard against this:

Colossians 2:8 (NLT) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Worldly thinking dominates secular institutions and even infiltrates the church. Here are a few examples of bad ideas that are introduced to us through the world:

• Social Media: Your value is directly proportional to your number of likes or followers.
• Commercialism: You can only be happy if you buy this product we’re selling right now. (See 1 John 2:16)
• News & Politics: Unborn children do not have a right to life.
• False Religions: Follow our rules to earn yourself a place in heaven.
• Progressivism in the church: The Bible is old-fashioned and talks too much about sin.
• Relativism: Everyone gets to choose what’s right in their own eyes.

This list is just scratching the surface. Add to this list or create your own. There are countless examples of bad ideas planted in our head from the world around us. And this isn’t just high-sounding nonsense, it’s actually spiritual warfare! James gave this warning:

James 4:4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

Winning the War

The Bible teaches that the battle against the world is already won in Christ (Colossians 2:14-15). But how do we appropriate the victory for our lives? How do we tap into the victory when the world comes at us hard? We win the war with the world by exercising spiritual discernment in our everyday lives. Paul said it this way:

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.