Ephesians 6:12 12 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.
If ever there was a time in history when the truth of our text needed to be applied, this is that time. It seems as though all we see is division in the world, in our country, and unfortunately in so many churches. We have lost focus! We need to get back on track.
Part of what has happened is that we have had temporary, or at least I hope it is temporary, amnesia. We have forgotten that other people, political parties, nations, ideologies are not the enemy. This is a heavenly battle, an eternal battle, a spiritual battle in which we are engaged.
It is much easier to attach the one we see. We can see a political opponent, or a competitor in the marketplace, or the occupants of our house as the enemy. We see them and receive the blows that they inflict. They are tangible, an easy target.
But the real battle is unseen. That makes it very hard to acquire a target and engage. Fortunately, Paul gives us a list of targets, all from his perspective, his worldview. If he lived today he might express this list differently, but the result would be the same.
Today, Paul might write about all the spiritual forces of the universe. He might make a reference to Star Wars and tell us that the dark side of the force was against us. He might even talk about the negative energies being aligned against us.
For Paul, these attempts to name the enemy of our soul would not validate the exact shape and character of this force, this being. He would use the language and cultural images he had at his disposal to communicate the reality of this other battle in which we need to engage.
There is only one Ruler in this heavenly realm, the LORD.There is only one authority, one power. All others are derivative in nature. But he uses the hierarchical language of his day to help his readers, and us, to get the picture. Whatever forces that are aligned against us spiritually, these are the forces against which we must struggle against.
But how are we to struggle? We put on Jesus. He is our armor, our flack vest, our kevlar protection. This is a spiritual battle, and only Jesus can protect us in this realm. All the weapons we use are His. We stay “in Him” and we are safe.
We must stand firm in Jesus. We must allow truth to permeate our being so that we don’t fall apart in the conflict. We stay in Jesus and not try to attack this spiritual force in our own righteousness, our own good deeds, our own merits. We must be prepared to continue to share the Good News, even in the face of danger. And we must continue to pray.
Our whole protection is Jesus. We must stay in Him. Any other posture or position is futile. We can not stand against Satan and his forces. But Jesus has already defeated his one weapon: death.
The resurrection of Jesus take the power of death away from Satan. Death no longer has sway over us, if we are in Him. Even in the face of a terrible flu virus, Christians should be able to stand strong in Him. Fear should not overtake us. Death is not the enemy.
Let us not stop proclaiming, living and dying for the LORD. All for Him, in Him, through Him, and by Him. Don’t let human entities become the enemy.
The Arnold Journey 