Spiritual Battle — Deeper Personal Study Workbook
Built for personal, self-paced study alongside or instead of the class itself, this workbook follows the same five passages and repeats a consistent shape each week — Executive Summary, Class Recap, Going Deeper: Original Language, Going Deeper: Cross-References, Historical & Cultural Background, Theological Reflection, and a look From the Old Testament — so a reader always knows where they are, however far they’ve gotten. It asks more of a reader than the class itself does, going further into the Greek text, into cross-references the class has no time for, and into Old Testament background that only gets a passing mention in the room, but it asks that only because it trusts a reader to bring their own life to the text.
Week 1, Ephesians 6:10-13, goes deeper into κράτος, ἰσχύς, and ἐνδυναμόω — the reserve of power, the strength inherent in a person, and the command to be empowered — cross-references Ephesians 1:18-21 and 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and turns to Daniel 10’s Prince of Persia and Job 1’s Accuser who needs permission.
Week 2, Ephesians 6:14-20, studies περιζώννυμι (“having girded”) and προσκαρτέρησις (“perseverance”), sets Isaiah 11:5 and Colossians 4:2 alongside the passage, and returns to Isaiah 59:16-17’s picture of God wearing His own armor and Isaiah 52:7’s beautiful feet bringing good news.
Week 3, 1 Peter 5:5-11, works through ἀντίδικος (“adversary”) and ἐπιρίπτω (“casting”), draws the cross-reference to Luke 22:31-32’s account of Peter’s own sifting, and looks back at the whole of Job’s trial and the snare of the fowler in 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
Week 4, James 4:6-10, studies μοιχαλίς (“adulteresses”) and φιλία (“friendship”), sets Jeremiah 3:20 and Isaiah 54:5 alongside 1 John 2:15-17’s New Testament parallel, and follows the Accuser through Zechariah 3:1-4’s courtroom scene to Revelation 12:10-11’s overcoming of him.
Week 5, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, closes with στρατεύομαι, the verb of the warfare itself, a cross-reference to 2 Timothy 2:3-4’s good soldier, the Roman military-court background behind “punish all disobedience,” and a last look at David and Goliath alongside the dragon’s certain defeat.
Every week ends the same way, with Personal Reflection & Journaling questions and a Prayer Focus — not a summary to skim, but material meant to be worked through slowly, one week and one question at a time.