For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.     Ephesians 6:12 LSB

Often times, we like to put a name and a face to our enemies. Most of us have at least one person that perhaps doesn’t care for us so much or maybe even tries to cause trouble when they can for whatever reason. We like to be able to identify the enemy or the threat.

If you read this Scripture passage, however, you see that what is truly behind our problems is a force that is invisible. As Christians we are in Spiritual battles. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the tearing down of strongholds, as we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”.

It’s important to understand that when a person who is unsaved comes against us, we are not warring with that person, we are warring with one of the devil’s minions. This is why we can’t war according to the flesh and must use divinely powerful weapons, not those typically used in war.

Satan’s forces of darkness are highly structured for the most destructive purposes. This is why we are told in 1 Peter 5:8 to be sober and alert for the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

We must understand that the threat of attack from the devil is very real. If we believe in God, we must also believe the devil exists. We must understand that he has his own angels or minions, and they are a well-organized force. The books by Frank Paretti like This Present Darkness illustrate this beautifully.

In the book of Daniel, when the angel, Gabriel came to Daniel, he mentioned that he had been involved in battle and the angel Michael came to his aid (Daniel 10:12-13).

I was always a bit confused by the phrase in heavenly places. You wouldn’t think of a heavenly place as a place where a fight might break out, right? But as it is explained in Colossians 1:16, everything was created by God, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him. All places were created by God and are under His control.

But we must also remember what we learned from the book of Job, even the devil can go no further than God allows him to go (Job 1:12, 2:6).

When we work for Jesus Christ and serve Him, we are working against the devil. This will cause the devil to send evil forces against us. But rest assured we are not alone. Jesus is with us every step of the way. We must remember to suit up in His armor found in Ephesians 6:10-18. We must also have a full understanding of who and what we are fighting.

Remember, it’s a spiritual battle. Our weapon is the sword, which is God’s word. We must trust in the Lord and be obedient to Him. We must stand up for God but stop short of vengeance. Romans 12:19 tells us that vengeance is God’s job, and we are to let Him handle it. Instead, we are told in Romans 12:21 not to be conquered by evil, but to conquer evil with good. We do our best fighting on our knees.

We must understand that when people perpetrate evil it is because they are under the influence of the evil forces of darkness in this world. There is nothing spooky or mysterious about it, it’s simply the devil at work. Trust in God to fight these evil forces for you. Rely on Him and stay close to Him through prayer and Bible study. Be truthful, faithful, strive for righteousness, do your best to keep the peace, you are protected in your salvation. Never forget to carry the sword, which is God’s holy word, and don’t be afraid to swing it.

Have a great day!