Read Ephesians 4 – 6
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. Ephesians 6:12 KJV
We often get distracted by difficulties, broken relationships, and disappointments of great variety. We tend to think our problem is money, people, or things, but all of this is on the surface of our lives; dealing only with the tangible or physical. While these things are real and cause great heartache, if we never look any further, we will miss the bigger battle and never quite overcome the heart of the problem. Although we struggle with physical things on a physical level, our real battle is not physical, it is spiritual. With Ephesians 6:12 in mind, to say evil spiritual forces are against us is not a stretch of truth; principalities and powers in high places is bigger than most can imagine. If the real battle is spiritual, then we cannot win it at the physical level. To win we must take advantage of the armor of God described in the rest of this passage. Spiritual battles require spiritual enablement.
Lord, I often forget there is more happening in my life than at first it seems. Too often I look with temporal shortsightedness when I need to be looking with spiritual insight. Instead of clinching my fists and trying harder, I need to be equipped with your armor.
A question to ponder: What are the different parts of God’s armor and why are they necessary in the real battle of the Christian life?
