“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
This text is Paul’s declaration of war for followers of Jesus Christ. We should not forget that we are in a battle, and that Satan wants to ruin our lives and our witness. Here are my thoughts about this battle. It is a personal battle. We cannot choose whether or not to fight this battle; we are in it until we die. The battle begins in our hearts and minds. As Satan tempted Jesus, so he tempts us. There are days that I feel the battle raging in my heart and mind. Satan is always trying to call me away from my commitment to Jesus. He is also trying to call you away from your commitment to Jesus. Satan cannot have us, but he can ruin our witness and the quality of our lives. We need to cover our lives with prayer and with the scriptures, and the process sic Jesus on him. He can handle us, but he cannot handle Jesus. (Pause here and praise Jesus.) It is a spiritual battle. We are fighting an enemy that we cannot see, but we can see the result of his evil work all around us. Satan wants to kill our spirits. He wants to hamper our enthusiasm, and keep us on the sidelines. Paul wrote that “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the ruler of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." We do not need to let the battle defeat us; rather, we need to meet the enemy in the power of Jesus. We need to pay attention to the urging of the Holy Spirit instead of the urging of the enemy. Keep in mind that Jesus defeated Satan on the cross and in His resurrection, and He is our hope and our shield. And we always need to keep in mind that He loves us, disciplines us and forgives us. I don’t mean for this reminder of the battle to make you afraid, but to remind you that you are not in this battle by yourself. It is a vital battle. We are the Lord’s soldiers until we die, or until Jesus comes again. We need to live each day with the understanding that Satan wants to trip us up. I think that I might be an expert on this, because he has tricked me and made sin appear to be appealing to me. Satan is good (or bad) at making his demons appear as “angels of light.” This reminds me of the country song: “It don’t feel like sinning to me.” Sin doesn’t feel like sinning, but the aftermath of it feels every bit like sinning. (Come on, you know what I mean.) It is vital that we join the battle each day in faith in Jesus, and in prayer and scripture. Take 1 John 4-5 to heart: “For whosoever is born of God, overcomes the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcomes the world but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” Rejoice if you believe, and repent if you do not believe! Bro. Joe
1 Comment
Linda Brooks
9/20/2017 10:12:45 pm
Thank you SO much. Bro. Joe. I am STILL appreciating ALL of your messages. I Pray GOD'S continued BLESSINGS on you.
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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