The Battle Axe: Winning Spiritual Warfare

By Mike Olawale

Spiritual warfare is inevitable, so all believers must be prepared to confront it at one point or the other. It is crucial for every believer to have a thorough knowledge of how this warfare is conducted. Believers need to know the following: whom we are fighting; the level of the enemy’s strength; the warfare tactics involved; our own weapon of victory; and how to win the war.

The focus of this book is to wake up the sleeping warriors, the believers, and the anointed battle axes of the Most High God. To prepare each individual for spiritual battles, to teach you how to obtain your desired victories and triumphs, no matter how fierce the warfare or fiery dart the devil throws at you. This is a must read for everyone who seeks to lead a victorious life having understood that life is not a fun-fare but a warfare!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Nov 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781698703435

Mike Olawale

Mike Olawale is the presiding pastor of Christ Dominion Church of God International, with headquarters in Upper Malboro, Maryland, United States. Mike believes not only in preaching the word of God, but also in teaching the word of God. He is a firm believer in the truth that the word of God must be ‘lived’ and applied practically in every aspect of daily life in order to reap its fruits. He is also the founder and president of The Mike Olawale Foundation (TMOF), a NGO founded in 2012, which serves as a platform to extend the love of God to those who are in need. TMOF’s core activities focus mainly on supporting families, by equipping their youth with the encouragement they need to achieve excellence in their educational goals and aspirations. He is the author of several books, and workshop materials needed for spiritual growth and development. He is married to his beautiful wife Pastor Olori, and they are blessed with three wonderful children.

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Copyright 2020 Mike Olawale.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-6987-0342-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-0344-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-0343-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020920102

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

1 Knowing Your Opponent, Part 1

2 Knowing Your Opponent, Part 2

3 The Devil’s Threefold Mission

4 Man Is A Triune Being - Made Of Spirit, Soul, And Body

5 Eight Conditions Of The Mind

6 The Flesh, The Devil, And The Work Of The Flesh

7 Pulling Down Strongholds

8 External Strongholds

9 Seven Things The Devil Hates

10 Thirteen Keys To Victory

Conclusion

Testimonies

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I acknowledge the Almighty God who, in his mercy, located me from the pit and washed me in the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, and the Holy Spirit for the inspiration and knowledge to write this book.

I would like to especially thank my wife and my beautiful children, both biological and spiritual, for their unwavering support in making this book a reality.

I would also like to acknowledge my father in the Lord, Bishop David Oyedepo, for the great impact his ministry has had on my life and family and my mentor, Pastor Dele Bamgboye, and his wife for their unconditional love, support, and continued guidance.

Finally, I would like to thank the Royal Intelligence team for their immense contribution toward the development of this book (editing and layout of the manuscript). As a result of their talents and abilities, this book will be a blessing to thousands throughout the world.

To everyone else who contributed to the accomplishment of this project, I pray that the Sovereign God will reward you for your time and effort.

FOREWORD

P astor Mike’s book, The Battle-Axe: Winning Spiritual Warfare , is a must-read for all Christians! God wants His children to be blessed, healthy, prosperous, and prepared for the spiritual warfare with the knowledge that He has included in the Holy Bible. Once again, Pastor Mike has placed his thumb on the pulse of our spiritual subconscious! Exposing the tactics of the enemy that often impede our progress will help us to understand these tactics to a greater extent. Giving us the proper tools for spiritual warfare will empower us to become the warriors that God intended us to be.

Hence, this book will change the lives of many Christians who would like to become victorious in their everyday lives and circumstances. The methodology and teachings in this book will help us to stretch the boundaries of our wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. In addition, they will empower us to grasp the multitude of prophetic threads that are contained in God’s word for our spiritual growth and development. Without the knowledge contained in this book, many believers would remain in a stalemate situation, if that may be the case. However, with such knowledge, many believers will live a more victorious life of triumphs from every stepping stone, and they will be able to turn them into building blocks of spiritual success.

Christians are more powerful than they can imagine. Nevertheless, if they are equipped with the elements of spiritual knowledge, tactics in warfare, they will definitely change not only their own circumstances but also those of others for whom they intercede. I truly feel that the better equipped that Christians are to run the race and fight the good fight, they will be able to move mountains and change the world at large. As Pastor Mike has elaborately written on the topics of Pulling Down Strongholds and Thirteen Keys to Victory, I believe the topics will equip all Christians to become more victorious in their walk of faith. Also, they will gain the necessary courage to fight the good fight and always win as an ongoing standard in their spiritual walk and journey.

As you read this book, take the dynamic journey of learning the concepts, meditating on the word of God, and triumphing over every circumstance. Consequently, in the long run, you will certainly rejoice in great things to come as you experience a greater level of spiritual growth and development. Simply take the Battle-Axe and you will win the spiritual warfare that is ahead of every Christian’s journey of faith!

Pastor William A. Benjamin

Youth Pastor, Christ Dominion Church International

INTRODUCTION

T he believers are the anointed battle axes prepared by God to dash His enemies in pieces. Your hands have been anointed for war so that bows of wickedness are broken by you. The battles of life are inevitable, and storms and trials are part of life’s journey. As an iron axe head is used to cut down trees and cut through wood like a hammer, a believer can be described as a spiritual hammer and an anointed battle-axe used by God to cut through barriers; pull down satanic strongholds; and cut in pieces every force of wickedness, barrenness, and opposition along your path to victory.

The focus of this book is to wake up the sleeping warriors, the believers, and the anointed battle-axes of the most high God to prepare you for spiritual battles, to teach you how to obtain your desired victories and triumphs no matter how fierce the warfare or the fiery dart the devil throws at you.

"The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name. Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider" (Jeremiah 51:19–21 King James Version [KJV]).

Spiritual warfare is inevitable, so all believers must be prepared to confront it at one point or another. Therefore, we need a thorough knowledge of how this warfare is conducted. We need to know the following: whom we are fighting, the level of the enemy’s strength, the warfare tactics involved, our own weapon of victory, and how to win the war. Believers who are ignorant of these details of spiritual warfare will experience a lot of difficulties because spiritual warfare is an ongoing battle. It is real and it is happening even as we speak! For this reason, it is wise for you to fully understand the spiritual warfare that took place in heaven, as described in Revelation 12:7–9 KJV: And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Today, many Christians have forgotten about this celestial spiritual war, and they have no knowledge about the terrestrial spiritual warfare that affects their lives today. The passage in Hosea 4:6 KJV states, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge …," and these are God’s people! Since they lack adequate knowledge of who the adversary is, this makes them vulnerable to his attacks. However, end-time saints are empowered to defeat the kingdom of the devil, not with the physical combat but with knowledge. Apostle Paul was adamant about this in 2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV. He says, Lest satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. Consequently, believers should not be ignorant of satan and his devices or tactics.

The Lord Jesus prepared His disciples for everything, including spiritual warfare because they even saw Him casting out demons. In fact, He sent them forth (and all of us) to do the same. But before He sent them out, He charged them to become wise. He said, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16 KJV). This combination of supernatural wisdom and Christlike innocence are the keys to all spiritual victory. Indeed, we can defeat the enemy and enjoy a life of total victory because of what Christ did on the cross. This is described in Colossians 2:14–15 KJV: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. However, wisdom must precede warfare, and virtue must come before victory.

The acts of a successful spiritual warfare must be carried out with caution. There are absolutely no shortcuts in the spiritual warfare process (they will only make the process longer and harder). Spiritual warfare must not be waged ignorantly, blindly, or carelessly because to engage the devil with presumption is to engage in a suicidal mission. Thus, all believers must be aware of this truth.

Next, believers must beware of having too much self-confidence in the process of spiritual warfare. Remember that Adam was in paradise when he fell. Therefore, humble yourself in the knowledge of Christ and in His grace. Also, note that Solomon wrote three powerful books of the Bible, and he was immersed in the glory of God, yet he fell. Therefore, do not presume that what happened to others cannot happen to you. Remember, the devil is a longtime old deceiver. He has been deceiving mankind for thousands of years while our experience only compares to a brief moment. Hence, we must use all the weapons of victory—wisdom, knowledge, prayer, praise, fasting, and other spiritual weapons. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with wisdom and humility, you will not fall, but we will reign victoriously. Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war (Proverbs 20:18 (KJV).