Principles of War
What they are and how to employ them in Spiritual Warfare
In the study of warfare great men have concluded that there are some broad, overriding
principles which, if followed, will always tend toward success in battle. Equally true, these
principles, if neglected or ignored, tend toward defeat. Just as these time-honored principles
are effective in waging physical combat, they are key to assuring victory in spiritual warfare.
In fact, they seem to apply equally well regardless of the endeavor… mortal or spiritual
combat, business, or life.
Some may question this look at the principles of war as unrelated to Christianity or the
church, but listen to Paul’s words from II Corinthians 6:3-10, II Corinthians 10:1-5,
Philippians 2:25, II Timothy 2:3-4, Philemon 2, Ephesians 6:10-18. Clearly, Paul
likened the Christian walk to mortal combat, so I feel comfortable in following his lead.
These truisms have been studied, applied, tested, tried, refined, revised, re-employed and
distilled for centuries. As far back as thousands of years ago these principles were being
bantered around. In military training some of my required reading was ancient writings by
Chinese strategist named Sun Tzu whose work on this subject is still regarded as some of the
most insightful. New technology sometimes tempts one to depend on the method and
forget the principles of war. To do so is to invite disaster.
In some cases technology has altered employment of the principles, but the principles
themselves appear to be timeless. So, in today’s military these principles are thoughtfully and
systematically injected into the formal and informal Military Decision Making Process to
ensure none are overlooked.
The US Army has tinkered with refining these principles for years and settled on 18 that the
US military used for many years. These 18 were later distilled to the 9 currently in use and
that we will discuss here. Let’s take a look at them….
 Mass – we must stick together (either literally or the effect of our fires) in order to be
able to support one another. Whether in the offense of defense, regardless of the size of
the organization from Army down to Squad, Mass in among the most critical of the
Principles of War. Synergy is derived from adhering to this principle and destruction is
invited by ignoring it. Hebrews 10:25. We must stick together. Lone Ranger Christians
don’t survive. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Remember the movie “Top Gun”? What was the lesson Maverick learned? “I will not
leave my wingman!” Luke 10:1-2 …they were sent two by two. Matthew 18:19
…operate and pray in groups.
Paul, that great pillar of the faith, had a wingman…and when alone doesn’t appear to
have been as effective.
Acts Chapter 17 – Paul goes to Athens alone, but asking Silas and Timothy to join him
“with all speed”. Acts 17:14-15 Paul felt like he couldn’t wait to concentrate or mass his
forces when he saw the city full of idols. So, he took on the city alone (vs. 16-17). He
saw an awakening or a riot…and he had little effect. Silas and Timothy didn’t join Paul
for several weeks after Paul had arrived in Corinth (Acts 18:4) where he’d been preaching
with no recorded effect. When Silas and Timothy joined him there was a marked
difference in the power, content and results of his preaching (Acts 18:5). Results are seen
in Acts 18:8-10.
The principle of mass was so important to Paul he passed by an open door for lack of
help and wrote II Corinthians 2:12-13.
 Objective – direct your efforts toward a defined, attainable objective that contributes to
strategic, operational or tactical aims. This principle has critical elements some of which
are obvious...some not so obvious.
1. You simply must have a goal. Ever been involved in an operation where the
objective was not clearly defined? There seems to be nothing more frustrating.
You are quickly lost in the middle of the muddle. Zaps you of energy and
enthusiasm.
2. The goal must contribute to the accomplishment of the “main thing”. Ever been
involved in an operation where this is missing? There is a goal, but the goal that
has been set doesn’t really help you get where you’re supposed to be going. Ouch!
3. Everyone in the unit must know and understand what we are trying to accomplish.
Germans in WWII wrote concise orders using “Aufstragtatik”. US later adopted
this method and now call it “Commander’s intent”. Everyone must know what
the Commander wants the “end state” to be. That way the troops can figure out a
way to make it happen when the plan comes unglued.
4. Intermediate objectives are no less important.
Every person in the chain of command has his/her objective assigned by higher
authority. So…how does this apply to the church? Jesus Christ is our Commander-inChief. What is our objective? Matthew 28:19-20. None of us are going to achieve this
objective alone…you can clearly see the need for intermediate objectives.
 Simplicity – use the KISS method. Keep It Simple, Stupid! Not much else to be said
about this principle except to say that this is easier said than done.
 Security – we must be about the business of ensuring friendly forces are protected.
Have you ever been in a position at work where you felt like you were not being
protected by your co-workers and/or boss? Did you feel vulnerable?
Security may rightly be divided into three parts.
1. Intelligence of the enemy.
a. We must know where the enemy is, where he is going and his disposition.
In many ways the one who wins the recon battle wins the whole thing. So,
we should use a good bit of our combat power to wage and win the
recon/counter recon battle.
b. Knowing prevents deception and surprise. Gain access to his
communications when possible. Just get in his computer and change some
data…then instead of artillery rounds showing up, refrigerators arrive.
c. So it is with spiritual warfare. We must know Satan’s intentions, methods,
who he is, and what he does. We can read his history in God’s Word and
observe his victories/defeats in his actions against men and women. We
can read of his contact with the Son of God, his failure in the
wilderness…and his ultimate defeat at Calvary.
d. Through Satan’s apparent ignorance of God’s plan (security) of attack he
(Satan) perpetuated the crucifixion of Jesus by blinding religious leaders and
prompting Judas I Corinthians 2:7-8. This failure to detect/discern God’s
plan was a major factor in Satan’s defeat.
2. Continual protection against the enemy. We must be vigilant…watching my
brother’s back while he watches mine. Tendency is to think defense when
thinking of security. However, Clausewitz 101 says “The act of
entrenchment…shall serve the defender not to defend more securely behind a
rampart, but to attack the enemy more successfully.” In other words, the best
defense is a good offense.
3. Final stand against the enemy. We must understand that there are elements
present in spiritual warfare that are not present in mortal combat. Namely, it isn’t
just you and me in the fray…we have the Lord we can ultimately depend on who
always makes the final stand a victory. Remember the old hymn “My Faith Looks
Up to Thee”. Psalms 18:1-2, Psalms 27:1, Psalms 28:2, Psalms 29:7, Isaiah
58:8-9, Isaiah 59:17
 Maneuver – An Army must be mobile. Offense can never be achieved without the
ability to move. Maneuver, as a principle of war, must not be measured against how fast
we could move yesterday. That is irrelevant. Rather, it must be compared with the
enemy’s mobility. We must move more quickly, farther and for a greater period of time
than our foe.
The French Army of WWII could move, but were not nearly as mobile as Hitler’s
Armies. You’ve heard of “blitzkrieg”? This German word literally means “lightning
war”. Blitzkrieg was the maneuver principle personified. In Mark 16:15 Jesus said “Go”.
We know that, but not everyone can be physically mobilized due to profession or health,
etc. Yet, the message can absolutely be mobile even if we are chained II Timothy 2:8-9.
Especially true in the technologically advanced world we live in.
We must also consider the mobility of the weapon itself. A tank has the capability to fire
in any direction…360 degrees. If the weapon system has that capability, but I keep the
weapon trained in one direction, then I’m not using the weapon’s inherent mobility.
Our weapon, God’s Word, is living and action, sharper than any two-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12. We must use the weapon to the maximum of our
capacity…the weapon has no limitations. The limitations are in us. Most of us leave the
Sword of Spirit rusting in its scabbard.
Prayer is another powerful weapon that is largely unused. It is a tragedy indeed to see
Christians immobilized because they don’t know how to use this powerful weapon.
Jeremiah 33:2-3
 Offensive – you must be on offense to win. Defense is sometimes necessary, but only as
a means to prepare yourself to go on offense. Constant defense only delays losing.
General Patton abhorred digging or using foxholes...didn’t want his Army to dig them
because they are defensive in nature. A few points about the offensive worthy of note.
 An Army with the initiative (on offense) has moral and physical advantage over
the enemy at the point of contact.
 The offensive is an attitude as well as an action.
 The attacker has the advantage of making his decisions first and the then carrying
them out. Defender must see what his opponent does before he makes his
decision. The decision the defender makes is usually forced upon him by the
attacker…though there are some artful ways to break that cycle.
 Generally, attacker chooses whether, when and where the fight will occur.
 Offense generally occurs one of two ways: attack directed against the whole front
or attack directed against one segment of the defense the defeat of which will
mean decisive victory.
The offense in spiritual warfare is conducted in much the same way. It is directed against
the enemy, Satan, whom we fight to wrest from his possession. Matthew 16:18 – “And I
tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades
shall not hold out against it.” Sounds like offense to me.
 Unity of Command – there can only be one commander…and everyone must
understand who that is. The importance of this principle cannot be overstated. When
anything or anyone other than the Lord is on the throne of our hearts, we have violated
this principle.
Have you ever found yourself faced with a situation at work where you had more than
one boss? Both bosses place demands on you and expecting the desired result?
Invariably, you find yourself pleasing one or the other, but not both. Jesus put it this way
- Matthew 6:24. Anything that causes me to fail in my responsibility to Christ is a
violation of Unity of Command (UOC).
On the battlefield fracturing UOC can have lethal consequences. In spiritual warfare
such fracturing can have lethal and eternal consequences. Fracturing UOC is a powerful
weapon in Satan’s hand and manifests itself in a couple of ways that come immediately to
mind.
1. Place someone or something other than our Commander on the throne of your
heart. Might even be a good person or laudable thing.
a. Someone like kids, spouse, religious leader 1 Corinthians 3:1-7
b. Something like job, money, church programs
2. Division Galatians 5:19. Denominationalism flies in the face of UOC.
Under provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) mutiny is punishable
by death during time of war. Mutiny is simply a gross violation of UOC.
The purpose of the Restoration Movement (of which our church is a part) is to unify
believers by removing labels and creeds and to use the New Testament church as the
pattern.
The closer the Commander is to the force commanded, the closer the cooperation and
unity of the organization Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:20.
In military service pride is deliberately generated in order to encourage instantaneous
obedience and high quality performance. One method is to use competition between
sister organizations. Yet, platoons should cease to compete when they act as a company.
They are then held together by the Company Commander. Companies should cease to
compete when they act as a Battalion, etc. Pride developed can and does backfire when
we lose sight of UOC. Philippians 1:15-18, Proverbs 6:16, 1 John 2:16, Daniel 5:20,
Proverbs 16:18
 Surprise – If you think about it, there really are only three elements with which surprise
can be achieved: time, place and method.
There are two factors that can contribute to surprise: Ignorance on the part of one
commander and intelligence on the part of the other. Ignorance my natural
(incompetence or inadequate security) or it may be induced (deception).
Gideon’s surprise encompassed time (night), method (lamps, torches, voices,
trumpets), and place (three sides of the enemy’s camp)…all of which were
unexpected.
Pearl Harbor…time and place were not anticipated. The weapon (method) was not
unusual. Hiroshima and Nagasaki…surprise was absolutely achieved by the weapon.
In spiritual warfare God is omniscient, Satan is not. God has no intelligence
limitations nor can He be deceived. Satan can and has been surprised before. God
did not deceive Satan…he just withheld information from him. The Bible speaks of
this over and over as a mystery I Corinthians 2:7-8, Romans 5:6-8
The love of God expressed in Christ’s death was unexpected…even among those on
His side. So, the message itself was a surprise. John Elefonte… “No one ever died
for me before”.
Want to surprise Satan?
1. Time…now! For far too long the church has been waiting for just the right
time. I am convinced that Satan believes that the church will continue to stall.
I Thessalonians 5:2-8
2. Place…where did Jesus do it? OUTSIDE these walls! Church is constantly in
training…never in the fray. YouTube Steve Camp’s song “Run to the Battle”
3. Method…
a. Use our weapon to its fullest. The Sword of the Spirit which is the
Word of God. Only 6% or so of committed Christians have ever read it
from cover to cover.
b. T.H.I.N.K. before you speak. Is it True? Helpful? Inspirational?
Necessary? Kind?
c. Remember that our objective is not to win an argument, but to win men
and women to Jesus Christ.
 Economy of Force – the idea behind this principle is efficiency or effectiveness in
fighting. Economy of Force (EOF) manifests itself in five primary ways:
1. Right place. Mass achieved at the right time, but at the wrong place is a gross
violation of the principle of EOF.
2. Right time. Mass achieved at the right place, but at the wrong time is a violation of
EOF.
3. Right amount. More force than needed to the job violates EOF. This may seem
like a violation of Mass, but is instead a mark of efficiency.
4. Weight the main effort. This renders invalid “cookie cutter” decisions.
5. Right type of force (don’t send Military Police when the job requires tanks).
So, in spiritual conflict concentration of Christians where there are no non-Christians,
you have achieved mass, but at a point that is not decisive… violating EOF. EOF
begs for Christians to be employed according to their spiritual giftedness. 1
Corinthians 12, Romans 12. So to have a concentration of Christians where
paganism is thick and rampant is compatible with principles of war. In contrast, mass
achieved in places which are not decisive points violates EOF. Accordingly, fronts
where no decisions are being made should be manned with a minimum of force.
Christians seem to have a tendency to concentrate at indecisive point. When there are
decisive points and Christians are congregated away from the front, we ought to plead
to God for Economy of Force.
Concentration in a noncombatant area is legitimate for training, to receive power, or
to prepare for attack. However, if this concentration remains after training has been
accomplished or if we dilly dally in the rear area, we waste our force.
Judges 7 and 8…Gideon was directed by God to employ the principle of war known
as EOF. The Lord sent home 31,700 men…and won the battle with 300.
A mnemonic often used to help one recall the nine Principles of War is MOSSMOUSE.
Seen below with just a snippet of what each is about.
Mass - Mass the effects of overwhelming combat power at the decisive place and time.
Objective - Direct every operation toward a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable objective.
Surprise – Duh…ya’ think? Time, place, or method.
Simplicity - One of the toughest things to do. Keep it simple, stupid.
Maneuver - Place the enemy at a disadvantage through the flexible application of combat
power.
Offensive - Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.
Unity of Command - One boss, one effort, per objective
Security - Don't let the other guy surprise you using his maneuver. Get inside his decision
cycle.
Economy of Force - Employ all combat power available in the most effective way possible:
allocate minimum needed assets to secondary effort and send the right type of force (don’t use
tanks when you need military police).
Questions/comments? Contact Marty Pinkston via email at marty_pinkston@hotmail.com or
by calling (502) 695-1059