Check out my course, People Warfare, at www.schoolofthespirit.tv.
There’s a war raging all around you. It’s not just in the spirit realm, though that’s where it begins. It’s not just against principalities and powers, though they are certainly involved. It’s a war that plays out in real-time, in your daily interactions, in your relationships, in your workplace, in your church. It’s what I call people warfare—and too many believers are blind to it.
The Unseen Battle Playing Out in Front of You
We know the enemy is a master strategist. He doesn’t just attack with direct demonic oppression; he influences, manipulates, and incites people against one another. He stirs up misunderstandings, offenses, betrayals, and conflicts. He plants seeds of suspicion. He fuels gossip, slander, and division. And because his hand is often unseen, people warfare is dismissed as “just life” rather than the strategic assault that it truly is.
We see this in Scripture time and time again. Look at Jesus and Judas—Satan entered Judas and turned him into an agent of betrayal (Luke 22:3). Look at Paul and Alexander the coppersmith—Paul called him out, saying he did him “much harm” (2 Timothy 4:14). Look at Nehemiah and Sanballat—Sanballat and his crew were sent to frustrate and oppose the work of God (Nehemiah 4:7-8). The enemy has always worked through people to hinder, delay, and even attempt to destroy God’s plans.
Yet, too many believers still fail to recognize this. They assume a disagreement is just a misunderstanding, that opposition is just part of life, that betrayal is just human nature. And while people have free will, the reality is that Satan stirs people up against you just as he stirred up the Pharisees against Jesus.
Why Don’t People See This?
There are three main reasons why believers don’t discern people warfare:
They’re looking for demons, not people being used by demons.
Too many people think warfare always looks like demons manifesting in some dramatic way. They don’t realize that demons also work through attitudes, offenses, manipulation, and even well-meaning people who speak against what God is doing in your life.They trust the wrong voices.
Satan doesn’t always use an obvious enemy to attack you. He can use friends, mentors, even fellow believers who, though well-intentioned, speak out of their own emotions rather than by the Spirit of God. Peter himself tried to deter Jesus from going to the cross, and Jesus had to rebuke him sharply (Matthew 16:23). Not everyone who speaks into your life is being led by God.They’re afraid to confront the truth.
Recognizing people warfare means acknowledging that some of the people you love, respect, or even depend on are being used by the enemy to hinder you. That’s not an easy thing to face. It’s much easier to believe that all conflict is natural or coincidental than to admit that a spiritual enemy is influencing the situation.
Why You Need to See This—Now
If you don’t discern people warfare, you’ll fight the wrong battles. You’ll spend your time arguing with people instead of dealing with the real spiritual forces behind them. You’ll waste energy trying to prove yourself rather than recognizing when the enemy is using people’s words to distract or discourage you. You’ll hold on to relationships that God is trying to separate you from, thinking you just need to “work things out” rather than seeing that certain connections are actually open doors for the enemy’s attacks.
Paul said, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12), yet too many believers live as if their fight is only against flesh and blood. It’s time to wake up. It’s time to see beyond the natural. It’s time to discern people warfare and respond accordingly—not with offense, not with fleshly retaliation, but with spiritual wisdom, prayer, and the strategies of God.
The enemy loves to stay hidden, but it’s time to expose his tactics. Ask the Lord for discernment. Ask Him to open your eyes. And when you begin to see, don’t shrink back. Stand firm, stand strong, and refuse to let the enemy manipulate the people around you to derail your destiny.
Check out my course, People Warfare, at www.schoolofthespirit.tv.
Pray with me: