Summary
Derek Prince wrote Spiritual Warfare as a comprehensive field guide for Christians who sense that something real is happening in the unseen realm but have never been given a clear framework for understanding it. His central conviction is that the Christian life is not a vacation -- it is a war. And the sooner believers understand the nature of the conflict, their enemy, and their equipment, the sooner they can stop being casualties and start living as overcomers.
Prince was uniquely positioned to write on this subject. A former soldier in the British Army during World War II, he understood military discipline and strategy in ways that many theologians do not. After his conversion to Christianity, he spent decades on the front lines of spiritual ministry across multiple continents, encountering demonic opposition in forms that ranged from subtle deception to overt manifestation. This book distills that lifetime of experience into a structured, biblically grounded manual for spiritual combat.
The Reality of the War
Prince begins by establishing that the spiritual war is not a metaphor. It is not poetic language for internal psychological struggle, though it certainly includes that dimension. He draws on Ephesians 6, where Paul describes the believer's conflict as being not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Prince takes Paul at his word. There are organized ranks of demonic beings that operate with intelligence, strategy, and malicious intent against God's people and God's purposes.
This is a foundational point for Prince. If you do not believe the war is real, you will never prepare for it. And unprepared soldiers become easy targets. He observes that one of Satan's most effective strategies is convincing Christians that he either does not exist or is not worth worrying about. The result is a church that is technically equipped for battle but functionally unarmed.
Prince also addresses the origin and nature of the enemy. Drawing from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, he traces Satan's fall from his original position as a glorious angelic being who rebelled against God out of pride. The enemy is not God's equal. He is a created being who has been decisively defeated at the cross. But he has not yet been fully removed from the scene, and in the interim, he operates with cunning, persistence, and real power against those who belong to Christ.
The Armor of God
The centerpiece of the book is Prince's exposition of the armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18. He treats each piece not as a devotional metaphor but as actual spiritual equipment that believers must consciously put on.
The Belt of Truth. Prince argues that truth is the foundation of everything else. Without a commitment to truth -- both doctrinal truth and personal integrity -- the rest of the armor has nothing to hold it together. The enemy is the father of lies, and his primary weapon is deception. A believer grounded in truth is resistant to deception in all its forms.
The Breastplate of Righteousness. This is not self-righteousness but the righteousness of Christ received by faith. Prince emphasizes that righteousness protects the heart. When believers are walking in right relationship with God, their hearts are guarded against the accusations and condemnation that the enemy uses to paralyze them.
The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Prince connects this to readiness and stability. A soldier with proper footwear can stand firm on any terrain. The gospel of peace gives believers a secure foundation. They know who they are, whose they are, and where they stand. This peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of confidence in the midst of conflict.
The Shield of Faith. Faith, Prince explains, is the believer's active defense against the fiery darts of the enemy. These darts include doubt, fear, discouragement, lust, and accusation. They come suddenly and with force. Faith does not prevent the darts from being thrown, but it extinguishes them before they can set the believer's life on fire.
The Helmet of Salvation. Prince interprets the helmet as the assurance of salvation that protects the mind. The battlefield of the mind is where many of the fiercest spiritual conflicts take place. A believer who is secure in their salvation can resist the mental attacks that seek to undermine confidence, distort identity, and create confusion.
The Sword of the Spirit. This is the Word of God, and Prince identifies it as the one piece of armor that is both defensive and offensive. He points to Jesus' temptation in the wilderness as the model. When the enemy attacked, Jesus responded with specific, spoken Scripture. Prince teaches believers to do the same -- not just to read the Bible generally, but to wield specific verses as weapons against specific attacks.
Offensive Weapons
Prince does not stop with the armor. He argues that the church has been given offensive weapons that many believers never learn to use. Chief among these are prayer, praise, fasting, the name of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, and the testimony of believers.
Prayer. Prince distinguishes between various types of prayer, with particular emphasis on intercessory prayer and warfare prayer. Intercessory prayer stands in the gap for others. Warfare prayer actively engages and pushes back against demonic forces that are operating in specific situations, territories, or lives. Prince sees prayer not as a passive request system but as an active deployment of spiritual power.
Fasting. Prince was a strong advocate of fasting throughout his ministry. He argues that fasting sharpens spiritual sensitivity, breaks the power of the flesh, and releases a dimension of spiritual authority that is not accessible through prayer alone. Jesus indicated that certain kinds of demonic strongholds can only be broken through the combination of prayer and fasting.
Praise and Worship. Prince teaches that praise is a weapon of war, not just an expression of gratitude. He points to 2 Chronicles 20, where Jehoshaphat sent the worshippers out ahead of the army, and God ambushed the enemy. Praise shifts the atmosphere, confuses the enemy, and invites the manifest presence of God into the battle.
The Name of Jesus. The authority of the believer is rooted in the name of Jesus. Prince teaches that the name is not a magic formula but the legal authority granted to those who are in covenant relationship with Christ. When a believer speaks in Jesus' name, they are exercising delegated authority from the throne of heaven.
The Blood of Jesus. Prince identifies the blood of Jesus as the ultimate weapon against the enemy's accusations. Revelation 12:11 says that the saints overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. The blood speaks of a finished transaction that the enemy cannot undo. Prince teaches believers to actively plead and apply the blood of Jesus over their lives, families, and circumstances.
Strategies of the Enemy
Prince dedicates a substantial section to understanding how the enemy operates. He identifies several primary strategies. Deception is the enemy's foundational tool -- twisting truth, promoting half-truths, and creating counterfeit spiritual experiences. Division is another key strategy, as the enemy works to fracture relationships, churches, and families. Discouragement targets believers' morale, seeking to make them give up. Distraction pulls believers away from their primary calling and mission. And accusation attacks believers' identity, telling them they are unworthy, unforgiven, or disqualified.
Prince also discusses territorial spirits -- demonic beings that exercise influence over specific geographic areas, institutions, or cultural systems. While he does not build an elaborate theology of territorial spirits, he acknowledges their reality based on the Daniel 10 account of the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece. He counsels leaders to be aware of the spiritual dynamics at work in their regions and to engage in strategic prayer accordingly.
The Role of the Church
Prince closes with a vision for the church as a spiritual army. He argues that the church was never meant to be a passive institution that simply waits for heaven. It was designed to be an aggressive, advancing force that takes territory from the enemy and establishes the rule of Christ on the earth. The gates of hell, Jesus said, shall not prevail against the church. Gates are defensive structures. This means the church is supposed to be on the offensive, breaking down the enemy's defenses and liberating captives.
Prince calls leaders to train their people for war. This means teaching them the Word, equipping them with the armor, showing them how to pray with authority, and sending them out to engage the battle in their homes, workplaces, communities, and nations. The war is real. The equipment is real. The victory is certain. But it must be fought.