Unseen Warfare

 

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood”  ~Ephesians 6:12

Dark Clouds

We consider the problems in our life as originating from flesh and blood conflicts. For example, we are knocked off our perch by greedy, inconsiderate, backbiting, unfaithful, deceptive, unfair, fraudulent conflicts. Our hearts get broken, money taken, job jeopardized and so on. “How can this be happening to me?” we wail.

As Christians, however, we must remember what God says about the source of our struggles:

Ephesians 6:10-12 ~”Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world.”

The unseen world rules the seen and temporary world. The unseen enemy who wars against our soul doesn’t want us to use our eternal weapons of warfare provided by God that reach into his realm. He wants us to blame each other and flail around with awkward, earthbound weaponry. He wants us to fight what we can see and touch instead of calling upon God. Above all, satan wants us to act as though we are still citizens of this earth and forget that our citizenship is in heaven.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 ~”We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.”

There is a true King (God) and a false one; a magnificent heaven and a terrifying hell. We presently wander a battlefield called earth, which is caught between night and day, life and death. Everything we now see, including the earth, will one day pass away.

We are agents of truth who cannot afford to distrust the Holy Spirit within. Doubt is one of the mightiest weapons satan raises against us. Doubt gives birth to hesitation, unbelief and fear. Stand against the attacks, press in and get the counsel of heaven.

James 1:5-6 ~”If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

1 Corinthians 2:11-13 ~”No one can really know what anyone else is thinking or what he is really like except that person himself. And no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit) to tell us about the wonderful free gifts of grace and blessing that God has given us. In telling you about these gifts we have even used the very words given to us by the Holy Spirit, not words that we as men might choose. So we use the Holy Spirit’s words to explain the Holy Spirit’s facts.”

Psalm 86:11-13 ~”Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.”

And how do you handle your problems? Are your knuckles bruised from fighting the world as though God were some distant deity, smiling down from heaven, wishing you luck? Take stock of who you are according to the Bible and call upon Mighty God to direct your path and destroy the wiles of the enemy. God never sleeps or slumbers and is always with you…every second of every day! He’s done everything possible to prepare us for battle with unseen spiritual forces. Tap into His unlimited power and, by faith, take up the armor of God! The shield of faith does wonders.

Advertisement

Who Is The Enemy?

“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do.” 2 Corinthians 10:3

As humans, we are introduced to our problems in the realm of the physical or emotional, but this first clash does not yield the insight and perspective necessary to format a viable solution. To gain this perspective we must delve a bit deeper, or, as C.S. Lewis would say, “Go higher up and further in.”

Ephesians 6:10-12  ~Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For 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.

The unseen, eternal realm rules the seen and temporal. The unseen enemy who wars against our soul does not want us using the eternal weapons of warfare that reach into his realm. He wants us to jostle each other and flail around with our awkward, earthbound weaponry. He wants us to fight what we can see and touch and keep our hands off his realm. He wants us to act as though we are yet citizens of this earth and forget that our citizenship is in heaven.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4  ~We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do.  ⁴We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

We live in a world where life is not what it seems. Attempting to resolve problems with our wit or power will not bring any true long term resolution. God is awakening those who are in tune with His will, listening to the Holy Spirit. The enemy is operating full force and he is after our power. His attacks may seem overwhelming but God Himself has provided us with all the weaponry we need.

Far too often we are content to manage the chess pieces on the board in front of us rather than confront the powers they represent. We must come up to higher ground if we are to gain a problem-solving perspective.

There is a true King and a false one; a magnificent heaven and a terrifying hell. We presently wander a battlefield called earth, which is caught between night and day, death and life. And what we see now will one day pass away. All we see is firewood…it will burn.

2 Peter 3:10-13 ~But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. ¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

You are an agent of truth who cannot afford to distrust the light within you. Doubt is one of the mightiest weapons your enemy (Satan) raises against you. It will cause you to hesitate and waiver in unbelief and fear. Press in and get the counsel of heaven.

James 1:5-6 ~But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 ~And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. ¹³When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

Revelation 21:1-4 ~Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

If you are struggling with your faith, remember that the very people who walked with Jesus on this earth, who ate with him, trudged around the cities and valleys with him and who He empowered to fight the devil and his schemes, still struggled with putting it all into practice. “Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.” ~Mark 9:24

Unseen, Eternal Warfare

As humans, we almost always are introduced to our problems in the realm of the physical or emotional, but this first clash does not yield the insight and perspective necessary to format any viable solution. To gain this perspective we must delve a bit deeper, or, as C.S. Lewis would say, “Go higher up and further in.”

 

• Ephesians 6:10-12  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.

 

            The unseen, eternal realm rules the seen and temporal. The unseen enemy who wars against our soul does not want us using the eternal weapons of warfare that reach into his realm. He wants us to jostle each other and flail around with our awkward, earthbound weaponry. He wants us to fight what we can see and touch and keep our hands off his realm. He wants us to act as though we are yet citizens of this earth and forget that our citizenship is in heaven.

 

• 2 Cor. 10:3-4  We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do.  We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

 

            There is a true King and a false one; a magnificent heaven and a terrifying hell. We presently wander a battlefield called earth, which is caught between night and day, death and life. And what we see now will one day pass away.

            We are agents of truth who cannot afford to distrust the light within us. Doubt is one of the mightiest weapons satan raises against us. It will cause us to hesitate in unbelief and fear. Press in and get the counsel of heaven.

 

• James 1:5, 6  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

 

• 1 Corinthians 2:11-13  No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.¹³ When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.

 

• Psalm 86:11-13  Teach me your ways, O Lord,
      that I may live according to your truth!
  Grant me purity of heart,
      so that I may honor you.
  ¹² With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
      I will give glory to your name forever,
  ¹³ for your love for me is very great.
      You have rescued me from the depths of death.