Some days feel like a battle, don't they? Some feel like weeks, some months, some even years.
Circumstances come along, and we find ourselves getting angry at people or events. Or, something blows up in the news, and we get angry at the injustice. We want a villain, and we want to see that villain punished.
Or perhaps it is as simple as having a co-worker who continues to rub us the wrong way.
But if we focus only on the external "enemies" we will fight those battles only.
The Word of God is clear, that is not where our battle lies.
"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." Eph 6:10-12 (NIV)
Satan, the Devil, the enemy. A preacher once said, "If you loved Satan, gave everything to him, laid down at his feet and worshiped him, he would still hate you just as much." That is the kind of enemy we are dealing with.
As long as we focus only on the battles we can see, we will not be aware of the true battle we should be engaged in. We will not put on our armor and we will not fight. And he likes it that way, because we have victory over him every time we fight.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 (NIV)
He will not fight us head on, he will hide behind what we can see. So we must learn so see what is truly going on around us.
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor 10:3-5 (NIV)
You are a Christian, you've been enlisted, make no mistake, we are at war.
But the victory in that war is ours - if only we will fight it.
