Spiritual Warfare

God has had me out of my comfort zone for the past month. As I have been meditating on Ephesians chapter six which is known as the spiritual warfare chapter, I have taken notice that the whole book, even the whole Bible is about a disciples battle that is in the heavenlies and manifests itself in very concrete earthy forms.

Ephesians six is clear that our battle is not with other people but with the Devil and his skilled demonic army. Why is it that so many Christians seem defeated today and so many disciples find it so difficult to live out the radical implications of the gospel? Many followers of Jesus would say they strive to put on the whole armor of God every day so what is the problem?

So as the Spirit of God opens my eyes to new things, I see things in Ephesians six that I have never noticed before. Standing against the wiles of the Devil" (v.11) reveals Satan's schemes and strategy against God's children. Do we realize that Satan has a strategy? Do we know what our commander and Lord's strategy is for us today?

I have counseled Vietnam War vets and have found them so utterly confused and shell shocked from their past. Many of them will say things like "I did not know why we were there or where we were going?" Or "We had superior weapons than the enemy but it seemed like they would get the best of us more times than not." Why? One must have a battle plan and strategy to win over an enemy. Can it be that many Christians put on the whole armor of God but forget to check what God's plans are for the fight?

1 Cor.9:26 says we must not "fight like a man beating the air." Doesn't that describe many Christian believers and churches today? We need to be people of the Word. We need to know what we are doing and how we are to do it. The place where Satan is attacking is the home and yet the church thinks everything evolves around it's programs and ministries. We keep building bigger buildings, hiring more staff, and implementing more programs and ministries while families continue to fall apart under the vicious onslaught of the enemy. Unless the Church goes back to training parents to disciple their own children, we may seriously be looking at losing the next generation for God.

Lastly, notice that prayer is not one of the pieces of armor. Do you find that strange? Why is that? I have come to realize that prayer is the spiritual warfare. It's the very place where we depend upon God and His power and not on our strength and human sweat. It is on God's power and sovereign direction that leads his followers to places of peaceful rest and intense spiritual battles. We need to know both where the enemy is attacking as well as getting our marching orders from the Lord God Almighty. Maranatha!