Our Battle is Not Against Flesh and Blood
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV)
As followers of Jesus Christ, we will, from time to time, find ourselves in a battle. A battle that takes place not in the earthly realm, but in the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm is real. It is as real as the earthly realm we find ourselves in. The only difference is that we generally cannot see it with our physical, earthly eyes. But on rare occasions, God gives us the ability to see into the spiritual realm where the battle takes place, as he did with Elisha and his servant (2 Kings 6:8-17).
When we find ourselves in a spiritual battle, it may appear as a visible battle in the earthly realm through physical occurrences. Most often our spiritual battles manifest as hardships we experience. For example, these hardships may be chronic financial lack or chronic illness. They may also take the form of a stream of difficulties - a perfect storm, as it were. They may also be unusual events that prevent us from moving into God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Our hardships may also be caused by others who, intentionally or unintentionally, harm us. Today we will use verses from Ephesians 6:10-13 to proclaim and pray over our lives.
Ephesians 6:10-13
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Paul commands us to be strong in the Lord, to find our strength in Him. We are not to depend on our own strength because it will inevitably fail us in the spiritual battle. Instead, we are to depend on God's mighty power. He reminds us that our spiritual battle is not a battle against people who may be involved, but against evil powers in the unseen world. It is a battle between light and darkness. We are not to fear these evil powers because we belong to God and have overcome them. This is what 1 John 4:4 (NKJV) says,
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Proclaim & Pray:
I will be strong in You, Lord and in the power of Your might. I will put on Your whole armour so I can stand against the wiles of the devil. I do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. I will not fear these dark forces because I am Your child. I will overcome them because You are greater, who lives in me, than the evil forces in the heavenly places that try to rule this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If once the curtain were pulled back, and the spiritual world behind it came to view, it would expose to our spiritual vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, sweeping everything within its range, that the fiercest battle fought on earth would seem, by comparison, a mere game. Not here, but up there – that is where the real conflict is engaged. Our earthly struggle drones in its backlash. Abraham Kuyper
