“Therefore, put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]” — Ephesians 6:13 (AMPC)
In chess, grandmasters often win not through rapid attacks, but by completely paralyzing the enemy army through advanced concepts called prophylaxis, piece restriction, and the blockade. Prophylaxis involves anticipating the opponent's next forward move and blocking it before it can even happen. Piece restriction systematically takes away the enemy’s escape routes, while a blockade plants a piece to halt an entire advancing pawn chain.
These same maneuvers can be used as tactics in our spiritual warfare with the demonic realm. A few years ago, God showed me a powerful illustration using a game of chess and how to outmaneuver Satan’s next move. God doesn’t want us constantly being redirected and blocked by the darkness when He gave us the light to help guide us along our path. On God’s cosmic chessboard, sometimes His directives are often defensive containment rather than forward advancement.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 1:18 (ESV)
“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of His coming.” —2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 (ESV)
Just as a perfectly placed chess piece must focus on standing in the same place to maintain a restriction, Believers are often called to a strategy of spiritual prophylaxis—anticipating the enemy’s traps and standing firm in perseverance. When we obey God's positioning and refuse to move prematurely, we act as a divine blockade against the forces of darkness. Moving out of alignment will allow the enemy's kingdom to break through, but by standing our ground in faith, we paralyze the adversaries counterplay. Sometimes we will find our safety and power in staying exactly where God placed us, trusting the promise of James 4:7, which says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Through patient endurance, we hold the line and allow God’s ultimate, cosmic checkmate to unfold. Therefore, when you have done all to stand, continue to stand and allow God to maneuver you and direct your next move. We are called to push back the gates of hell until the time of Jesus Christ's return comes for the final battle to be fought. For now, we raise our hands, we take our authority in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and when we see dark forces moving, we lift our hands and we say, “Stand back!” We then draw a line with the Blood of Jesus, and we command the demons not to cross over it, to return to the abyss from where they came, and not to return.
There is a famous quote from a book called, The Art of War, by a military general named Sun Tzu.
“Know your enemy!”
In it he wrote:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
This is such a powerful truth within a Biblical spiritual warfare context. Our war is not being waged with a flesh enemy, but the enemy uses the flesh as one of his targets to attack.
“For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this Dark Age.” — Ephesians 6:12-13 (ESV)
We indeed are in a war, and every battle has a strategy. God’s Word is our battle plan, and spoiler alert — the ending victory is ours in Jesus Christ.
Join me on the journey ♟️
ABOUT MARIE SCINTO
"You are God’s girl and He loves you! You sprinkle His seeds of love wherever you go!” Those words were spoken to me by my husband Joe many years ago. They came at a time when I was questioning my self-worth in God’s Kingdom, purposes, and plans. The Father made sure that in my darkest spiritual hour, I heard His Truth about my identity and self-worth. It has been my passion ever since to deliver that same message to any who may need to hear it. It is not about who we are, but Whose we are, and I am God’s girl!
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