SPIRITUAL WARFARE: EPHESIANS 6:12

Who is our enemy? If you can quickly point it out without giving it a second thought, then you most likely have it wrong.

There is a cosmic battle between good & evil that we can't see. The struggle behind the veil is way bigger than we can imagine. It's ignorant of us to pretend it's not there—or even worse—to pretend that we are smart enough to win on our own. Our enemy is cunning, crafty, deceptive—he is the father of lies. The Bible says that he is the "prince of the power of the air" who is at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph 2:1-2), that he is the "the ruler of this world" (Jn 12:31). Satan's agenda is to blind minds & deceive hearts with the promotion of empty & false philosophies of the world to imprison us (2 Cor 4:4). Ultimately, the battle is not being fought against secularism/atheists, false religions, agnostics, or pseudo-Christians but with the demonic forces that are at work within them. These demons are undetectable, unseen because they elevate the desires of the human heart & flesh as the center of attention so that wrongdoings appear to be justified when they're abominable. Evil runs amuck in our world today because humanity welcomed it in; that is why God in His sovereignty has allowed Satan to operate the world to a certain degree. We are enslaved to the bondage of Satan by our own doing. But we don't need to be children of wickedness & darkness (Col 1:13) because God has sent His son to us so that we can be reconciled to Him through Jesus. Not only that, but His children have the Helper, the Spirit who equips every believer for the spiritual battle in the unseen realm.

The weapons that we use to war against cosmic evil are not of this world but are gifts from the Father. They are the armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the peace of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit.

What's going on in your life? the lives of people close to you? your family? your church? your workplace? your nation? the world?

Are you using the armor of God & intentional prayer to discern the battles that manifest themselves in your everyday life?