There’s a battle raging all around us. Not one fought with physical weapons or visible armies, but a spiritual conflict that shapes our relationships, our families, and future generations. Most of us walk through life completely unaware of this, dismissing it as outdated theology, or the stuff of horror movies.
It’s a reality that I don’t think we can ignore. The apostle Paul wrote with crystal clarity in Ephesians 6:12. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over the present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Our struggle isn’t the difficult people, challenging circumstances, or even our own weaknesses. Behind all these visible struggles is an invisible war. We can either ignore this completely treating it as a superstition or outdated thinking or become obsessed with it and see demons behind every difficulty and blame Satan for our poor choices. I believe the truth is found somewhere in between. Not every problem is demonic, but denying the reality of spiritual opposition is like walking through a minefield blindfolded, insisting mines don’t exist.
Scripture is filled with glimpses into the spiritual dimension. The Bible shows us evidence of the unseen realm. The prophet, Daniel, who prayed for 21 days before the angel finally appeared to him. The angels exclamation, was that he’d been fighting against the Prince of Persia for 21 days come to him. There was a cosmic battle happening in the Albany realm while Daniel prayed faithfully on earth. Elisha’s servant, was terrified when he saw an enemy army surrounding their city. Elisha prayed in 2 Kings 6:15-18, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” Suddenly, the servant saw what had been there all along – the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire, heavenly forces that outnumbered the earthly army.
These aren’t fairytales or allegories. They are windows into a reality that exists whether we acknowledge it or not. When you understand this the chaos happening in the world today is no longer confusing and everything that is going on right now is prophesied in the Bible.
Satan has a strategy. And the goal hasn’t changed since the Garden of Eden to undermine and destroy God‘s work. He has called the tempter and accuser. Scripture tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that, “Your enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
This is where Satan becomes particularly dangerous. Is patient, he’s playing the long game.
If you are a believer in Jesus, your eternal destiny is secure cannot snatch you from God‘s hand. So what’s his strategy? He goes after your effectiveness, your joy, he goes after relationships, children, and grandchildren.
Satan knows he can derail us through distraction, discouragement, or deception, and he can impact gets to come. If he can destroy our lives our children may never see what godly love looks like. If he can isolate us from other believers we can become vulnerable prey.
Think about how Satan (the serpent) approached Eve with a simple question, “Did God actually say?” Satan had a strategy – create doubt, distort God’s word, divide man and woman, and ultimately destroy the relationships for God. The same tactics are still in his plan today.
Look around at our culture. Marriage is under assault, birth rates are declining, sexual confusion abounds. Children are being taught worldview fundamentally opposed scripture. None of this is accidental. It’s part of a deliberate, generational strategy to undermine God‘s design for humanity.
But through all of this there is good news -We are not alone. His destruction has already been determined. And at least, for the meantime, we are not fighting this battle in our own strength.
The apostle Paul’s instruction is clear: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God” -Ephesians 6:10-11.
Notice -it’s by His might, not ours. It’s God‘s armor, not any equipment we manufacture ourselves. It’s our job to know the Word of God and to pray against Satan.
When apostles, Paul original audience heard about “the armor of God” they wouldn’t have pictured a lone soldier standing against an army. They would have envisioned a Roman military unit – shield locked together, protecting each other‘s backs, standing as one impenetrable force.
I think this is a picture of the church we should be. It’s not about denominations, or clothing, or even a place only certain people can enter. It’s about fighting off an unseen force that is destroying us. We are not meant to fight alone. We were designed to stand together, protecting one another, lifting up those who fall, and advancing as a unified force. Satan has done such a great job dividing us, until we realize this, we will not be able to do our one assignment God created us for.
Here’s the ultimate truth that changes everything, “Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world” -1 John 4:4).
I believe that until all churches come together to battle the unseen spiritual forces that are destroying us we will never be able to finish the assignment God created us for.
From Pity to Praise 