As Christians, we have to understand that the moment we have laid our lives down to follow Jesus, the devil will gather his forces against us. We are in battle every day, we have stepped into the ring. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-20 about spiritual warfare, given the Ephesus church’s background rooted in pagan and idol worship, to guard themselves and to stand against such evil. The spiritual attacks may come against us through different people, but it is paramount in understanding there are principalities and powers of darkness behind it. The devil wages a war against us because he apprehends the mighty work of God that will be done through our lives, one consisting in tearing down the strongholds of darkness.
“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. therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
– Ephesians 6:12-13
Spiritual attacks can appear as something innocent or benign, but it greatly deters the will and glory of God in our lives if we are not spiritually discerning. This is why one of the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 is the discerning of spirits. The root of every spiritual attack is hinged on this fact: It is anything or anyone that leads us astray from communion with God (Genesis 3:23-24) and that causes us to resist God’s will for our lives (1 Samuel 19:9-10). And the path to victory is this, that we let nothing take the place of our commitment to God in our lives. This means to be firm in our convictions and the absolute moral biblical authority over us, letting nothing or no one distract us from our personal devotion, not letting the love for this passing world hinder us in God’s will, and as Paul says in Ephesians 6, it is to increase in the word of God daily and to always pray in the Spirit, for this is how we become fully equipped with God’s armor. Let us always remember that there is no evil attack against us that Jesus has not faced already and overcome on the cross. Thus, let us always seek His grace and strength to be more than conquerors in every battle!
“Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
– Colossians 2:15
Let’s pray:
Father, I thank You for the victory won on the cross over every power and principality. The enemies I face today have already been defeated on the cross. Therefore, I speak forth the authority You have given me today and trample the serpent and scorpion underneath my feet in Jesus’ name, amen.
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