“Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days.”  Daniel 10:12-14 HCSB

The struggle is real is a phrase which was started in hip hop culture to refer to the oppression and poverty faced by black Americans especially in the inner city. Although it refers to a serious matter, humor has taken over and it has been used in such simple matters as when you can’t find a sock or when you have to eat your cereal dry because you are out of milk. But the struggle I am referring to today is the very real struggle of good verses evil.

Yesterday, we spoke of how Jesus came into Jerusalem as a hero and within a few days the crowds were wanting Him crucified. Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil (Mark 1:12-13). He knows all about the struggle we face with the devil. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39) that if possible for God to allow this cup to pass from him or to save him from having to endure the crucifixion. In Ephesians 6:12 we are told that the battle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. In our scripture passage today, Daniel had prayed and fasted for three weeks. It was three weeks before the angel came to explain the vision to him. The angel was telling Daniel that it had taken him three weeks to get there because he had been involved in battle with the prince of Persia and that it was only when Archangel Michael came to his aid that he was freed from the battle and was able to get to Daniel. The angel was describing the struggle that had occurred in the spiritual realm.

Each and every day that we live on this earth, there is a struggle for our soul. We must choose who will win the battle. We can choose to align ourselves with evil forces which leads to spiritual death and an eternity in hell or we can choose God and the salvation that He offers.

Over and over again, we read about great heroes of the Bible. I often speak of David who was known as a mighty warrior. David was not mighty on his own, but he was mighty through God’s strength. His obedience gave Him strength through God. Samson had great strength through God but lost his strength, freedom and his eyesight due to disobedience. Gideon went to war with only three hundred men and was successful in God’s strength. Joshua and his army were able to tear down the walls of Jericho by marching around the city and blasting trumps in obedience to God and by following His instructions.

There is a fight in the spiritual realm for our souls. If we align ourselves with the devil and perpetrate evil against others, we run the risk of God turning us over to our evil intentions (Romans 1:24). We run the risk of having our hearts hardened. We saw God harden Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus 8, 9:12, 10:1, 11:10, 14:4, 20, 27). This eventually caused Pharaoh and his army to follow the Egyptians into the Red Sea where they met their demise.

It’s very easy to become complacent knowing that God has his angels guarding us, but we must be on guard and be alert. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that the devil is walking around like a lion looking for someone to devour. The devil knows our weaknesses and uses them against us. He wants to lure us away from God’s protective shelter (Psalm 91:1). We must choose to stay there.

We must always be mindful that the devil wants to destroy us. If we want God’s protection, we must choose it. We must choose to believe and trust in Him. We must choose to obey Him. We must understand that if we love Him and trust in Him and obey Him that there is nothing that can defeat us.

The struggle is real, align yourself with God and His vast army. We will be more than conquerors when we stand firm with God’s army (Romans 8:37). The struggle is real, but praise God, the battle has already been won. God’s got this! We need only to suit up, stand firm, and watch Him work!

Have a great day!