BY GREG CRUM

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:12-13

Of all the altercations that we find ourselves involved in as we journey through this life, we must remember that the vast majority of these, and definitely the most significant of these, involve forces that are unseen to the natural eye and untouchable by human hands. Our ultimate enemy in this life isn’t a human man or woman, and he doesn’t have flesh and blood that can be damaged by our worldly weapons. The root of our strife in this life is Satan and the forces of darkness that have aligned themselves with him. When we understand this, it frees us to love our fellow man despite our differences and contend with our real adversary at the source.

Last week we wrote that from time to time, we must remind ourselves that we are to live keenly aware of the spirit world that we are a part of. We said that this realm is more enduring than the sky we see and the faces in our mirrors. We mentioned that this world is full of spiritual forces, both good and evil, and it is up to us to exercise our authority in Christ in this realm to enforce God’s will in our lives and on this planet.

In a fond reference to an ‘80s toy line, we said that this world includes much more than meets the eye. In fact, as a believer, it’s the unseen that is the most important and influential in our lives. A spiritual truth worth remembering is this—our victories in this life hinge on how well we can recognize and respond to the forces of the unseen. That’s one of the lessons taught in Ephesians Chapter 6 that we really fight against the unseen, inhuman, not against the humans that are just being influenced by these forces. 

So, with that acknowledged, how do we fight these spiritual forces? Well, first, it should be obvious that since our opponent isn’t flesh, fleshly attributes won’t win the battle. No, to fight effectively in the arena of the spirit, we must get out of the sense realm and exercise the victory Jesus won for us on the cross. If we are ever going to be consistently successful in overcoming challenges in our life, we are going to have to quit trying to fight spiritual battles with our five natural senses.