Duane
Member
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor 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. EPHESIANS 6:10–12
Every time Paul mentions another class of spiritual beings in his teachings, he reaffirms that we wrestle against them. The word against appears six times in the three verses above. Think of an oarsman rowing his boat against the current. He is trying to make progress in one direction while the current seeks to take him the opposite way. Similarly, we are trying to make progress toward the kingdom of God, and Satan turns the current of the world in the opposite direction, creating resistance with every stroke of the oar.
Satan’s war against us is organized and strategic. The word principalities (Ephesians 6:12) refers to his head officers, while the word wiles (v. 11) refers to his clever plans, crafty deceptions, and cunning methods. Like a military general, Satan plans his attacks and directs his demonic forces.
Note carefully how Paul describes this one against whom we are fighting: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” In other words, our enemies are not people. You may think they are, but they are not. Author John Phillips put it this way:
We must see beyond people. Satan may use people to persecute us, lie to us, cheat us, hurt us, or even kill us. But our real enemy lurks in the shadows of the unseen world, moving people as pawns on the chessboard of time. As long as we see people as enemies and wrestle against them, we will spend our strength in vain.
Satan is the great destroyer. He wants to destroy your life through adversity and by blocking the work God wants to see manifested in your life. Satan does that by discouraging you, by dissipating your time and energy, and by making a frontal assault on your weak areas that lead you to sin. Satan wants to disrupt your walk with God, ruin your testimony, and destroy your life.
Paul gives the following instruction in Ephesians 6: “My brethren, be strong” (v. 10). Why? So we can enter this battle and fight against the enemy who is against us. This is not a fight only for the apostles. This is not a fight only for pastors. This is not a fight only for deacons or other church leaders. This is a fight for the brethren, for all of us together—the brothers and the sisters in Christ’s family. The lines have been drawn. Our enemy, with whom we are involved in mortal combat, is none other than Satan himself. The Lord and the brethren, His people, are battling against Satan and his demons.
The Spiritual Warfare Answer Book
Every time Paul mentions another class of spiritual beings in his teachings, he reaffirms that we wrestle against them. The word against appears six times in the three verses above. Think of an oarsman rowing his boat against the current. He is trying to make progress in one direction while the current seeks to take him the opposite way. Similarly, we are trying to make progress toward the kingdom of God, and Satan turns the current of the world in the opposite direction, creating resistance with every stroke of the oar.
Satan’s war against us is organized and strategic. The word principalities (Ephesians 6:12) refers to his head officers, while the word wiles (v. 11) refers to his clever plans, crafty deceptions, and cunning methods. Like a military general, Satan plans his attacks and directs his demonic forces.
Note carefully how Paul describes this one against whom we are fighting: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” In other words, our enemies are not people. You may think they are, but they are not. Author John Phillips put it this way:
We must see beyond people. Satan may use people to persecute us, lie to us, cheat us, hurt us, or even kill us. But our real enemy lurks in the shadows of the unseen world, moving people as pawns on the chessboard of time. As long as we see people as enemies and wrestle against them, we will spend our strength in vain.
Satan is the great destroyer. He wants to destroy your life through adversity and by blocking the work God wants to see manifested in your life. Satan does that by discouraging you, by dissipating your time and energy, and by making a frontal assault on your weak areas that lead you to sin. Satan wants to disrupt your walk with God, ruin your testimony, and destroy your life.
Paul gives the following instruction in Ephesians 6: “My brethren, be strong” (v. 10). Why? So we can enter this battle and fight against the enemy who is against us. This is not a fight only for the apostles. This is not a fight only for pastors. This is not a fight only for deacons or other church leaders. This is a fight for the brethren, for all of us together—the brothers and the sisters in Christ’s family. The lines have been drawn. Our enemy, with whom we are involved in mortal combat, is none other than Satan himself. The Lord and the brethren, His people, are battling against Satan and his demons.
The Spiritual Warfare Answer Book
