From: The inspiration of the Holy Spirit (with help of the Orthodox Study Bible).
To: all you who are struggling with the powers of darkness. All you who are in war. All you who are struggling to love. All you who are tempted, scared, forgotten, distracted, confused, numbed, in despair by this battle. To all you who have lost hope.
"The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8) 
Thus my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, know still that there is hope in the Word of God, Who became flesh, for the sake of us all. And so in knowing this; be not disheartened, for God is with you, even right now, so that you may not be alone.
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War. The first thing you'll probably think when you hear this word is all this; death, destruction, nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms. As of currently, April 6, 2026, this physical war is still going on. Thus let us pray for those who are in this physical war, those who are starving without homes, because their house has been bombed, and those families who have been lost. However, there are also those who are not in this physical war, but many are battling in a spiritual one. This type of war is far less talked about by the news or the media (or the world), but affects us (true Christians) greatly, if not more than physical war, for it enters into the deepest parts of ourselves, which is the heart and the soul. This is spiritual warfare, and this type of war, unlike the war against flesh, is against the spiritual; that is the unseen. In the verses above, Paul names the spiritual warfare we go against, which is broken into three parts. Spiritual fortresses (strongholds), human reason (arguments), and human and angelic powers (every high thing that exalts itself). For strongholds, they act as prisons that keep us contained and trapped in cycles of sin (addiction) and toxic mindsets (fear, anxiety, worries). These strongholds can be crafted using human reasoning, that is arguments, which slowly drive us away from God, for human thoughts are tainted by sin, as our thoughts are not God's thoughts (Isaiah 66:8). Arguments between oneself of what is right or wrong (or what to do in a certain situation), that when done without the guidance of God, can lead one further astray. Human and angelic powers refer to pride, those that raise themselves up above God, in thoughts, words, or actions, as well as the devil, who though transforms himself to an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), is not the true Light, for only God is Light. Do not be deceived. Therefore, our spiritual warfare is not against the powers of this world, but unholy thoughts not from God, who are from Satan and his kingdom, or our own fallen, sinful nature. And as the strongholds of the mind continue to keep us trapped in lies, which stem from the powers of darkness, it seems as though there's nothing we can do. For these spiritual battles cannot be touched by the flesh of our human actions. We are helpless. 

However, there is hope. For Paul goes on to mention though we are in the flesh (having our fallen human nature), we do not wage battle according to the flesh. How can that be, then, that despite having fallen human nature we can wage battle and defend against spiritual attacks? The answer is this; the weapons given to us are not of this world. Paul goes on to say, instead, the weapons given to us are divinely powerful and effective in the destruction of strongholds, the mindsets and habits that keep us stuck. My brothers and sisters in Christ, God Himself have equipped us with weapons of warfare that are not of this world, so that in being from the Heavenly, we may use against the powers of darkness, not according to our flesh or our will, but only through the power and will of God. Thus we are not helpless, because God is with us, and has equipped us with weapons we couldn't get from anywhere else to go against these strongholds, arguments, and every high thing against the knowledge of God (pride and the devil). According to the Orthodox Study Bible, these weapons are also three, which is the Word, prayer, and the Cross. 

The Word is found within the Bible (Romans 10:17), which we use to align ourselves with God so that in learning about Him, we are better able to understand His commandments, and most importantly the love He has for us that can overcome any opposing strongholds. In His Word, which is promise and Truth, we are able to be stabilized knowing God is God, and that with God, anything, even spiritual warfare, can be won and overcome through His Word. Prayer, on the other hand, is what truly unites us with God. We may learn of God through the Word (that is the Bible), but knowledge of God without intimacy with God is like that of the Pharisees, which is lacking in love. That though they see the words of God, do not understand them, and do not truly know God. So unlike the Pharisees, we need a genuine and intimate relationship with God, which is through prayer, that can protect us from all arguments. Since prayer is the act of dwelling in God's presence, we know God to be holy thus no unholy thing can enter into that presence. In prayer, we can surrender all to God, where no evil thought can get to us, for we are in the presence of the Most Holy God, praying to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Through prayer, we can truly destroy every thought that is not in obedience to God. Lastly, there is The Cross. The action God took upon Himself, to free us and rid us of all uncleanness which is sin. Jesus Christ, Who is God, would die by being crucified on the Cross, suffering for our sake yet defeating the powers of sin, Satan, and death itself. By the Cross we are ultimately saved, because the price of our sins was paid, defeating Satan who tries to exalt himself, and the human pride when Jesus Christ, on the third day, raised Himself up from the dead, proving God is more powerful than any opposing powers. With the Cross, spiritual warfare, though at times may still rage within us, proves to be ineffective as Christ on the Cross had already overcome all death and sin. So by the Cross and His sacrifice, we are saved, from every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. That is why we also do the sign of the cross, for when we humble ourselves before Jesus Christ, we remember what's already been accomplished by Him Who gave His life, so no longer are we slaves to sin, or children of darkness, but are able to come through to eternal life with all purity.

Therefore my brothers and sisters, we are not to be scared of the devil nor of spiritual warfare, but know that all this had already been overcome! Yes, from time to time, we are to experience attacks and temptations, but always keep God in heart through the Word, prayer, and Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, and the war can be won. Though truly know this, that to "win" this spiritual warfare, it is all by God and His will. There is nothing we can do on our own against Satan or His attacks, or sometimes even our own sinful thoughts, but only through God working inside of us, and God abiding with us (Exodus 14:14). And finally, Paul ends by mentioning we are to be bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This goes back to when Paul was dealing with a rebellious minority group in Corinth, and emphasizes for all of us to be strict among ourselves, to the point of examining our own thoughts, for unholy thoughts lead to unholy action which may lead to further destruction. There is also a spiritual meaning to this, which is to have spiritual discipline, that every ounce of our being is to be worshiping of God, and every thought to be in obedience to Jesus Christ. Of course, this is very hard to do, but if done, can free us from the despair of spiritual warfare, for when we are truly united to God, we know God to be the goodness and joy of our lives.

Hence, we are to keep moving forward. We are not to fall into the strongholds feeling scared or forgotten, nor arguments in our thoughts that keep us distracted or confused, nor numbed and in despair by the devil. But know that when you are tempted in these things, all you who are at war with the powers of darkness, that God has indeed given us divinely powerful weapons, in the form of the Word, prayer, and the Cross. There is hope in God, truly there is a great and glorious hope! For He has conquered death by death, so though Satan is the temporary king of this world (John 12:31), God is God of the next. There truly is hope! Hope in a new Heaven and new Earth (Rev 21:1), one without sin or the control of darkness. So know this; that though we may have temptations come at us in the form of spiritual warfare, it is truly all temporary. All this suffering and struggles and headaches and heartaches, it will stop. In fact, not only had God conquered sin and death and the devil, He had also brought a great peace and joy, the peace and joy that are not of this world.

Take that, Satan, I'm too busy in the joyful presence of God to care about what comes out of your deceitful lips.
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Thus let us thank the Lord God for giving unto us breath and life. In everything we do next, let it be of honor to Him. Glory be to God, Who helped me from spiritual warfare! Glory and honor and worship to Him Who suffered for our sake! Surely God has not abandoned us, for His Word never lies. Heavenly Father, You are with us, Jesus Christ, You rose for us, Holy Spirit, You are the Holy temple in our body always. 

So if you are in spiritual warfare, understand that you are not alone, but all who go close to God have experienced it. Do not give up, do not be deceived, do not be discouraged, but let God be your head and "fight" for you. You need only to be still (Ex. 14:14).

And the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Even to the end of the age. Praise be to God. 
Amen.