Although we may not always recognize it or see it…we are in a war every day of our lives, whether we choose to be or not.
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us what kind of war we are in and how we can be strong in the Lord as we face it. The Bible points out that our battle in this life is not against flesh and blood. It does not matter what we are facing…a difficult spouse, an unruly child, a co-worker that we can’t talk to anymore, the depression that does not seem to go away, the pain of rejection or abandonment from years ago, or the addiction that has a death grip on us. We see these issues in reality and can perceive them as our problem but the truth is, our real enemy is invisible.
I can look through my life and see so many battles I have faced and lost because I didn’t recognize my real enemy. I fought with people and never came to a resolution or had peace. I fought myself for years only to find myself only to find myself in a deeper pit of shame. For years, people were my enemy. My drug addiction was my enemy. My circumstances and the trauma I went through were the enemy. And as long as I kept trying to fight what was going on around me, I neglected what was going on inside of me and failed to see the enemy who was out to destroy me…and I never found victory.
We need to realize that the devil uses people, trauma, circumstances, disappointments, loss, our thoughts or feelings…anything he can to destroy us daily. Scripture says his goal is to “steal, kill, and destroy” and that is exactly what he does through the situations in our lives. We alone cannot win this battle but God gives us instructions in His Word on how we can be victorious!
Ephesians 6 tells us ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.’
So how do we gain victory? We have to put on whole the armor of God! Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer. Each day when we wake up, we need to seek The Lord. Before the chaos and darkness of the world can get to us, we need to get alone with God. We need to get in His Word so that our hearts and minds can be filled with His Truth that deepens our faith and secures our peace. And above all…we need to pray.
Verse 17 in Ephesians 6 tells us to “pray always” and that is exactly what we need to do if we want to be victorious. So today, whatever situation you are in, whatever struggle you are facing, remember that the real battle is invisible but take heart because we have a strategy in place that God has given us in His Word so that we can have victory and defeat our real enemy!