“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Ephesians 6:12
As Christians, it’s common to spend time worrying about the other people around the world who disagree with us. We worry about people of other faiths or no faith. We worry what they might do to us or our way of life, what they might take away from us, what evil they may bring into the world. While sometimes these concerns are valid, they aren’t the real battle that we are facing.
Paul says in Ephesians 6:12 that the battle we’re fighting isn’t against other people. We aren’t here to battle it out with other religions or cultures. Most of us aren’t under attack by non-believers, but even if we were, that’s still not our real battle. Our real fight is much deeper. We are at war with the spiritual forces of evil and darkness that are working to destroy us. We are daily faced with a struggle for our eternal soul, and every day we move closer to one side or the other. It is a constant battle. Thankfully, the outcome isn’t all up to us.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we know that the victory has already been won. Anyone who is in Christ has already defeated death and sin because He already defeated it. His sacrifice covers all of those who believe and guarantees their victory in this battle. That, however, does not mean that the battle has stopped. The war is still being waged. Every day the forces of evil are trying to take you away. We must not allow them to. We must cling to Jesus Christ, our victor, our king, and our savior.
It seems that we forget how serious this battle really is. While we worry about things like whether or not the government will take the word “God” off of the dollar bill, we ignore sin struggles that are waiting at our doorstep to devour us. We condemn other religions and ways of life while we cover up our own sin and shame with self-righteousness.
Don’t be fooled. Your job on this earth is not to be at war with flesh and blood. You’re fighting a bigger fight. If you’re on Jesus’ side, there’s good news. You’re winning. Just make sure that’s the side you stay on. If you find that you’ve been spending more time fighting against flesh and blood than spiritual forces of evil, you may need to reconsider what you’re fighting for.
Prayer:
Father,
Help me not to fall into the trap of blaming, accusing, or hating other people. Help me always to be looking for ways to share your gospel and rather than condemn anyone, bring them to new life with you. Help me to wage war against the powers of darkness by joining with Jesus in his death and resurrection. I believe that He is my victory and my savior. Thank you Father, for giving me the victory through your son.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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