September 5, 2021 WHO ARE WE FIGHTING?
Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
We face formidable enemies, and unless we put on the ‘full armor of God,’ we do not have a chance of winning. Do not take this personally-but sometimes we are not too bright; we spend a lot of time, resources, and emotional energy fighting the puppet instead of the real enemy; our enemy is the one hidden behind the curtain that is pulling all the strings. Being focused on the puppet is just what the enemy likes-it is one of his schemes; in verse eleven above, we are admonished to ‘stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” People that are about doing evil and wickedness are not our real enemies; they are simply guided by and influenced by the “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The problem is that if our spiritual eyes have not been opened by the Spirit of truth-the Holy Spirit-we cannot even see the enemy and do not even know who the enemy is. It is ‘mind-boggling,’ contrary to logic, curious, and amazing, but what is unseen is more real than what is seen with our physical eyes. 2 Corinthians 4:18. There are spiritual battles taking place between God the forces of wickedness, the devil, and the primary battle grounds are in the hearts and minds of human beings. The goal of Satan is to draw the hearts and minds of believers away from God as a way of getting back at God-that is the battle. We can be assured that the devil and his demons are behind all wickedness and evil; he is the real enemy that is behind the evil and wickedness and strife. Once we know that, we know who to fight; and we fight by prayer, by speaking the truth, and by letting our light (the light of God) shine before men. This does not mean that we never confront or engage those who are practicing evil and are opposed to God; our heart should be that they would come to know God as Savior. Let us be smart in this battle; let us see the real enemy and stand firm with the armor that God has supplied; let us be a part of spoiling his plans to kill and destroy. Know it or not, we have an adversary; the good news is that Jesus overcame Satan, and his days or numbered; and God has given us the armor we need to overcome our arch enemy. (It’s another subject, but God is using Satan for His own purposes, which includes us learning how to overcome evil.) “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.”
James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Blessings,
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