Week 1: Session 1 — Sizing Up the Enemy

1.Shirer opens the study by arguing that everything happening in the visible, physical world is directly connected to a wrestling match in the invisible, spiritual world. Does that claim feel natural to you, or does it feel like a stretch? What experiences in your life make you more — or less — inclined to believe it?

2.Paul uses the word 'wrestle' (or 'struggle') in Ephesians 6:12. Shirer points out that wrestling is intimate, close-range combat — not a distant artillery exchange. What does that image change about how you understand spiritual warfare? How does it make the battle feel more personal?

3.Shirer warns against two opposite errors: ignoring the enemy entirely (naivety) and being obsessed with him (giving him too much credit). Which of these two ditches are you more likely to fall into, and why?

4.The Daniel 10 passage reveals that Daniel's prayer was heard immediately in heaven, even though the answer was delayed for 21 days because of spiritual opposition. What does this story tell you about prayer and spiritual resistance?

5.Shirer emphasizes that the enemy's primary strategy is to catch you 'unaware and unarmed.' Think about an area of your life where you have been consistently blindsided — relationships, your thought life, your emotions, your schedule. Is it possible you have been unarmed in that specific area?

6.The study's central premise is that prayer is not just preparation for battle — it is the battle itself. It is the 'divinely authorized method that activates our spiritual armor.' Does your current prayer life reflect that level of urgency? What would need to change?

7.Shirer distinguishes between our real enemy (the devil and spiritual forces) and the people and circumstances we often treat as our enemy. Who or what have you been fighting that may actually be a distraction from the real battle?

8.Paul commands believers to 'be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might' — not in their own strength. How does this session reframe what spiritual strength actually looks like? How is it different from willpower, discipline, or positive thinking?

9.How does understanding the reality of spiritual warfare deepen your appreciation for what Christ accomplished on the cross and at the resurrection? How does the gospel speak directly to the battle described in Ephesians 6?