Devotional: Spiritual Warfare
"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."
– Ephesians 6:12
Matt and I watched The Matrix a few nights ago; it was the first time I had seen it. As we watched, we noticed multiple biblical references such as the names of people and places (Trinity, Nebuchadnezzar, Zion), and a reference to a “second coming” of someone who would save them. Come to find out, the original screenwriter was a Christian, but his original intent was overridden (go figure, Hollywood).
Overall, though, the metaphor of the Christian worldview remained at the core of the story. The main character is given the choice to take a red pill or a blue pill. If he took the blue pill, he could carry on with his life and not be awakened to the true reality. The red pill, on the other hand, would wake him up to life in the true reality, but there would be no going back.
He chooses the red pill that wakes him up to realize that what he thought was his existence on earth was actually just a simulation-dream. It wasn’t real. Everyone who was still asleep thought they were alive, but they were just experiencing the simulation-dream.
As humans, we are living in the matrix. Our lives in our physical bodies are not the true reality. Taking the red pill is when you realize that there is a spiritual realm, that there is more to your life, and that this whole existence revolves around our Creator and His love for us. We wake up to realize that we are more than just flesh and blood– we are spiritual beings that exist within these flesh-suits.
There’s a veil between the dimension we experience (the physical) and the dimension that actually controls everything (the spiritual). We get glimpses of the spiritual realm when a miracle happens, when God speaks to us, when a prayer is answered, when something uncanny happens, or even with paranormal activity. If we could see what was really going on in the spiritual realm, we would be shocked. It would be too much to grasp.
What are these spiritual forces?
There is only light and darkness; good and evil. There are the good spiritual forces: God and His angels. Their goal is to protect us. There are the evil spiritual forces: Lucifer (Satan), who was an angel who rebelled against God along with a third of the angels. Their goal is to destroy us.
Why do evil forces attack us?
Many people wrongly assume that if you become a Christian, your life gets easier. They think that God is a genie who grants all your requests and permits everything to go your way. Rather, becoming a believer in Jesus gives us a life of joy, peace, and hope despite our circumstances. Because of this, becoming a Christian is like putting a target on your back for the enemy (Satan and the demons) because they don’t want this for you. John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” You’ve become a threat because you have “woken up” and can now be effective for God’s purposes and His kingdom. The enemy wants to discourage you by making you doubt God’s love for you. He wants to make you an ineffective witness of Jesus by tempting you with sin so that others see you as a hypocrite. Satan is jealous of you because you have redemption and he doesn’t. He wants to make your life as miserable as possible to see if you will curse God. Satan wants to steal your joy and cause destruction in your life. Ultimately, Satan hates you because God loves you.
How do we experience attacks?
I didn’t coin this phrase, but the battlefield is in the mind. The most common way I believe the enemy chooses to attack us is through thoughts. Ephesians 6:16 says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Those flaming darts are headed for your mind to make you doubt, stir up hate, make you self-focused, plant a seed of bitterness, etc. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The idea of being sober-minded and watchful is being calm, clear-headed, and aware. The imagery of the devil as a hungry lion reveals that we have to constantly be on guard because he is constantly looking for someone to attack.
The enemy also attacks in other ways such as leading us into temptation, making sin look appealing (which is ultimately a snare to cause damage in our lives), capitalizing on our weaknesses and emotional states, stirring up division, inflicting pain, etc.
How do we stay on guard?
1. First and foremost, remember who and whose you are. “God has given us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” according to 1 Timothy 1:7. We have the power of the Almighty God on our side! Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” God already has the victory and that’s why the enemy wants to fight so hard. Satan’s destiny is hell (Matthew 25:41) so he wants to wreak as much havoc as he can before his time comes.
2. Secondly, no matter what happens as a result of the enemy’s attacks or simply the result of living in a broken world, we have the assurance that God will use all things for His purposes. In Genesis 50:20, we see this as the result of Joseph’s crazy journey: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
3. Stay vigilant when you are weak. The enemy likes to pick on us when we are hungry, tired, sick, etc. If we recognize that we are more vulnerable at these times, then we can recognize that Satan is going to capitalize on our discomfort.
Take care of your needs and/or start listening to a sermon or put on worship music.
4. Be immersed in His Word. Ephesians 6:17 says to wield “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, Jesus’ tactic was to respond with Scripture. He diffused Satan’s lies and temptation with the truth. This is why reading the Bible is essential as a Christian.
Memorize Scripture or write down specific verses to keep visible at all times.
5. Use gratitude as a weapon. Satan always wants to make us want more. He’ll strike us with thoughts that we don’t have enough, we aren’t good enough, aren’t pretty enough, etc. The key, though, is to always remain grateful. God is the giver of every good thing (James 1:17). Staying grateful protects our minds from self-centeredness and reminds us that God is our provider.
Create a habit of writing down at least three things you are thankful for each day.
6. Pray without ceasing. There’s a reason why Colosssians 4:2 says to devote yourself to prayer and why 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray without ceasing. Keeping our minds in a state of prayer (communicating with God) keeps us guarded from Satan’s fiery darts. There are many things to pray for, including our enemies.
When your mind starts to drift into negative thoughts, convert it into a prayer for guidance.
7. Don’t make allowances for sin. When we entertain opportunities for sin, we are giving an open door for the enemy to do what he wants. This also applies to more subtle things such as the media we consume– things we watch and things we listen to. Music sticks in our brains and most secular music is littered with ungodly lyrics.
8. Fix your thoughts on Jesus and goodness. When you aren’t praying, think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable— anything is excellent or praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8). Once again, our mind is the battleground.
Keep your thoughts fixed on Jesus by listening to sermons and playing worship music.
9. Submit to God and His direction. James 4:7 tells us to “submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Submitting to God means obeying His commands because we know that they are for our good. When we submit to Him, the enemy has to flee. The enemy cannot get to us because we are under God’s protection.
Ask yourself, am I doing what I want to do or what God wants me to do?
10. “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:3). Setting our minds on things above help us to remember that this earth and the things on it are not permanent. As a result, we won’t get so caught up in the little things that don’t have much eternal significance. It also means that we are looking toward Christ’s return any day now.
11. Connecting with like-minded believers. We cannot fight this spiritual battle alone. We need the body of Christ to support us through prayer, teachings, encouragement, and praising God corporately.
12. Keep worship music on. Satan hates the idea of God being worshiped. He can’t attack you if you are praising God, so keep worship playing whenever you have the chance. It will help you keep your thoughts focused on Jesus.
13. Remember WHO the real enemy is. Satan wants to cause division among believers and he wants to stir up anger and hate toward the people that have done you wrong. Ephesians 6:12 clarifies that we are “wrestling” against those people. It’s the spiritual forces behind it. Satan can have a strong influence on people who are not believers, and even believers who are not staying vigilant.
All of these things are considered our “weapons.”
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 carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
Take a moment: Read Ephesians 6:10-20.
What does the “belt of truth” symbolize?
What does the “breastplate of righteousness” symbolize?
Why do you think salvation is connected to the image of a “helmet?”
Why does he connect being prepared with the “gospel of peace” to our feet?
Based on the specific descriptions of the pieces of armor, what do you think are the different ways we are encouraged to fight the spiritual battle?
Are there additional ways that I didn’t mention in which you can fight the spiritual battle?
Knowing that our fight is spiritual, not physical is what it means to live by faith.
-Alina