8 Recommended Books on Spiritual Warfare

I’ve been interested in the biblical reality of spiritual warfare for more than 25 years. This theme is so dominant in the scriptures that to ignore it is to miss a portion of biblical teachings. You may not agree with everything in all these books (I don’t), but here are some books for further study:

  1. Sydney H. T. Page, Powers of Evil: A Biblical Study of Satan and Demons. This book is one of the best I’ve seen for examining demons in the scriptures.  It’s out of print, but worth searching for a copy.
  2. William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour. It’s a massive 17th century work, but it’s packed full of powerful statements. Start with the abridged version if you don’t want to read the full work.
  3. Tremper Longman III and Daniel Reid, God is a Warrior. This resource will help you build a necessary foundation for understanding spiritual warfare:  the battle we face is not ours, but the Lord’s.
  4. Clinton Arnold, 3 Crucial Questions about Spiritual Warfare. The questions are What is Spiritual Warfare?, Can a Christian be Demon-Possessed?, and Are We Called to Engage Territorial Spirits? Even if you differ with the conclusions, you’ll learn from this scholar.
  5. Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices. This one’s not the easiest read, but it’s worth the effort. Learn how this Puritan preacher described Satan’s strategies and the believer’s measures to overcome him.
  6. Chuck Lawless, Discipled Warriors: Growing Healthy Churches that Threaten the Enemy.  I admit my personal bias here, but I want to help leaders and congregations live in victory. 
  7. C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters. If you’re studying and teaching about spiritual warfare, you need to know this classic about Screwtape and his nephew demon, Wormwood.
  8. Russell Moore, Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ.  This work, built around the enemy’s attack on Jesus, shows us the adversary’s strategies while always pointing to Christ.

I know that books about spiritual warfare vary widely in their approach. What other books would you recommend?

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