Apostle John Eckhardt is sounding the alarm: the Church cannot afford to ignore the reality of spiritual warfare in 2025. In a recent teaching, he shared his personal journey with the late C. Peter Wagner, who “was the professor of church growth,” and whose groundbreaking book Warfare Prayer revealed how “when Satan interferes with God’s work on earth, believers must take action—not through fleshly means, but through prayer as a weapon.”
According to Eckhardt, this kind of focused, militant intercession isn’t about attacking people—it’s about confronting and defeating the forces of hell that resist the spread of the gospel. “Warfare prayer is not an end in itself,” he explains. “It serves the primary goal of reaching the lost with the gospel.”
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What Effective Warfare Requires
Eckhardt lays out key characteristics of effective warfare prayer:
- “Prayer is powerful when it’s rooted in God’s desire to save souls.”
- “Effective warriors must live lives of personal holiness and obedience.”
- “Believers have authority in Christ… to tread on all the power of the enemy.”
- “Warfare prayer requires strategic and informed engagement, not reckless or arrogant battles.”
Referencing James 5:16, he adds, “The prayer of the righteous person is powerful and effective.”
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The Three Levels of Spiritual Warfare
Wagner taught that spiritual warfare takes place on three levels, each demanding a different strategy:
- Ground-Level Warfare – “That’s personal deliverance from demonic oppression, praying for individuals to be set free.”
- Occult-Level Warfare – “Engaging against witchcraft, occult powers, and false religion requires discernment and careful engagement.”
- Strategic-Level Warfare – “Confronting territorial spirits and principalities ruling over regions, cities, and nations requires collective, corporate, and often apostolic prayer efforts.”
Eckhardt cited powerful examples, including mass crusades in Argentina where evangelist Carlos Annacondia confronted demons publicly. “After a crusade in a town or city where the church was not growing, the churches would begin to grow… because something was broken.”
Warnings and Cautions of Warfare
But spiritual warfare is not for the unprepared. “Avoid arrogance. Don’t pick fights with principalities without God’s clear leading,” he warned. “Even Michael the Archangel said, ‘The Lord rebuke thee.’” Eckhardt also urged believers to “stay under authority… lone rangers in warfare can become victims and vulnerable.”
He emphasized that spiritual warriors must be fully equipped: “Wear the full armor of God—spiritual armor, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit, the helmet of salvation, the gospel shoes of peace.”
Ultimately, Eckhardt reminded the church of its mission: “We fight not for the sake of fighting, but to establish the lordship of Jesus over territories and peoples.”
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If churches want to see revival, growth and breakthrough in 2025 and beyond, it won’t come through human programs alone—but through bold, strategic and Spirit-led warfare prayer.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
