Allen Clark's web site www.combatfaith.com blog is at www.combatfaith.blogspot.com
Military officers are well-acquainted with the difference in strategy and tactics in the art of war. The higher up commands establish the strategy to combat the enemy and it is carried out at lower levels in tactical maneuvers by the combatants closer to the enemy for implementation. So too is spiritual warfare divided between strategic spiritual warfare in the heavens and on earth in principalities and tactical spiritual warfare upon individuals. For decades I have studied spiritual warfare through writings of a multitude of authors much less the original source, our Bible. One of the absolute premier teachers on spiritual warfare is Derek Prince, now deceased. He was a WWII member of the British Army and received his education at Eton and Cambridge. He is available on You Tube for his teachings (also through many books) and he teaches with a very agreeable, measured, and educated style that derives confidence in his conviction and knowledge.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3,4 (NIV LASB) it is written, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." The footnote states, "Satan is 'the god of this age.' His work is to deceive, and he has blinded those who don't believe in Christ. The allure of money, power, and pleasure blinds people to the light of Christ's gospel. Those who reject Christ and prefer their own pursuits have unknowingly made Satan their god." In one of Prince's videos he points out about warfare on the strategic level and how it is exhibited in the horrific leaders through the ages, the dictators, potentates, criminals, terrorists, yes, even religious leaders, who have exercised domination, manipulation, and control over humanity. Satan's mission is to keep humanity away from God and one major way is to bring horror, evil, and misfortune upon nations and individuals to such an extent that people deny there is a God because they say, "How could a loving God allow all this evil to exist? That is why I do not believe in God much less His Son sent to earth." It exists because Satan was given control of the earth after the fall in the Garden.
On the tactical level we are subject to personal demonic oppression as individuals and this causes, among other things, depression, suicides, divorces, unfaithfulness, and all the litany of sins and examples of misbehavior to us individually. In 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5, it is written, "For though we live in this world, we do not wage war as the world does. 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." The footnote reads, "...but we don't need to use human plans and methods to win our battles. God's mighty weapons are available to us as we fight against Satan's 'strongholds.'...Paul assures us that God's mighty weapons-prayer, faith, hope, love, God's Word, the Holy Spirit-are powerful and effective." It seems on the daily secular level we employ with varying degrees the normal weapons taught in psychology ("human plans and methods")to protect ourselves from relationship hurts and pains by others. Our Lord teaches us many much more powerful weapons to utilize in our personal spiritual arenas.
It is only directly possible for most of us to fight on the personal tactical level and that we can do daily. However, warfare at the strategic level also may be waged by us through intercessory prayer where we as individuals pray that God will intervene to block evil. On the personal level pray each day specifically for individuals in our families and friends for protection from harm and danger from benign neglect, malignant intent, and intersection of evil.
