What is Meant by Unseen Spiritual Warfare and Struggle?

Our principle task as a Christian is our engagement in a spiritual struggle against evil. There is no option for compromise with evil. We must be prepared to battle every type of evil. This a battle that is an inner one. It takes place in our soul. Until we root out all sinful tendencies in our own soul we will not be effective in combatting evil external to us, the evil caused by others. We need to have as a motto to “battle with evil in my own soul.”

This battle is an unseen one because it takes place in our soul. Some mistakenly think this kind of effort is only for monks or clergy. Further, that it is not necessary for those living in a secular world to practice traditional guidelines for an Orthodox way of life. Instead of the unseen warfare in the soul, it is assumed we are to engage in external battles politically or otherwise, attacking the evil caused by others. But the reality is, if we were to all defeat the evil in our own soul we would live in a much different world. Archbishop Averky says: 

Only one who has battled with evil in his own soul can successfully wage battle with evil in general and, therefore, the battle with evil must begin in one’s own soul, with unseen warfare.

The standard for this battle is based on Jesus Christ. The reason He came taking on full humanity was to show us the significance of being made in God’s image, and a path to become like Him, united as one. He teaches us: 

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:48)

We are all to seek such holiness.

This battle is one that is unceasing. It is never finished. Evil is constantly around us with the devil and demons constantly tempting us to follow them instead of God. But Christ has given us the help needed to engage in this battle. He sent us the Holy Spirit which lives in us. This we need to trust and follow. We should be continually praying for this divine help. This combined with our own efforts will lead step by step to a victory over evil. This is the reason all the elements of the Orthodox way of life are essential. These can be found in our booklet, Ten Points for living an Orthodox Christian Life.

We learn from the Church fathers according Archbishop Averky that the following four dispositions that are needed:

Never rely on yourself.

Always have in your heart hope in God.

Work at This unceasingly.

Pray always.

The greatest difficulty we face is our self-asserting pride. Pride causes us to deny any weakness we may have. It works to protect a self-image of being perfect in the eyes of others. We tend to think of ourselves as something special and superior to others. This is the root, origin and cause of the passions that lead us to sin. The Apostle Paul says, 

Do not be wise in your own opinion (Rom 12:16).

Our loving God wants us to win this battle with evil just like Christ has. This is why He allows external afflictions and grief.  These make us aware of our insignificance and awakens us to our prideful condition. He may also enlighten us with His grace. He continually calls us in various ways to awaken us to our nothingness and to follow Him. 

What are we to do? First, we must observe our life experiences and see that we can’t seem to do good without God. Saint Peter of Damascus says, 

“There is nothing greater than to realize your weakness and ignorance, and nothing worse than not to be aware of them.” 

Second, we need pray for His help to see our weaknesses and raise our awareness that we need His help. Third, we should be aware that our salvation may be in jeopardy because of the crafty nature of Satan who can only be defeated with His help. Fourth, once we observe we have sinned, failed to live up to His ideal, we must immediately recognize our weakness and repent.

The key is to observe ourselves carefully, to be watchful, to awaken our conscience, to embrace the vision of Gospel love, realizing how much we need Him to help us in this struggle. We must have the firm belief in God as Almighty who can do anything. That He is Love and always ready to give us help. This is why He gave us His only begotten Son. We can observe in the Scripture how He always helped the most disadvantaged, like the woman who lost a single drachma.

Finally, remember that the battle with evil is within. We cannot rely on our own self-will alone. We must overcome pride and discover and embrace our weaknesses. We must trust in God. We must live a life of repentance.

Reference: The Struggle for Virtue, Chapters 9 & 10, Archbishop Averky

Ten points for living an Orthodox life