You have overcome them

"You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  (1 John 4: 4)

The first principle of a successful spiritual campaign is:  Do a thorough SWOT analysis   SWOT stands for:  S = Strength, W = Weakness, O = Opportunity, T = Threat.  I learned this principle in Marketing.  Then I saw that this is one of the principles of Ignatian spirituality.

After SWOT analysis, St. Paul urges the Ephesian Christians to:
"Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.
Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.
For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens."  (Ephesians 6: 10 - 12)

For this warfare, we are to put on the full armor and not pieces of armor.  One of the most important pieces of armor is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

The word of God, the sword of the spirit assures us even before the battle that we "have overcome them, for the one in us is greater than the one who is in the world."  What a tremendous boost to confidence is the sure knowledge that the outcome of the battle is certain to be victory for us.