Spiritual Warfare

Hey, guys, it's Amy again!

I have two brothers-in-law, one, a sergeant in the Marine Corps, is currently in Afghanistan, and the other, an Army Ranger, will deploy shortly. I won't even try to paint a picture of the things they see or hear or feel because I would not be able to do it justice. For them, there is no mistaking that they wake up every morning in the middle of a war. Most of us will never experience that. I have the utmost respect for my brothers and other men and women serving our country. But there's another war, one that we are all a part of.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

You have an enemy who hates you. Very much. And he has a goal for your life. He wants to steal from you, kill you, and destroy you. (John 10:10)

When we think of Satan, we think of a little evil red devil with horns and a pitch fork. But he used to be absolutely beautiful. He was a beautiful angel who grew prideful and rebelled against God. God then cast him out of Heaven and condemned him. Satan is angry with God. He hates God.

And he hates you. He hates you. And he wants to destroy you.

He lies to you. He accuses you. He deceives you, tempts you, and schemes against you. He tells you you'll never be good enough; that you're just a disappointment; that no could ever love you or forgive you or want you, not after what you've done. Or he tells you that if you just had that one thing or that one person then you would be happy.

You may be asking, "Why? What have I done to him to make him hate me so much?" The answer is quite simple, really. He hates you because he hates God. And God loves you. He wants to get back at God by hurting the ones He loves.

I said earlier that we were all in a war. But instead of a physical one like my brothers experience, this one is in your mind. And it's for your heart. If God created you to live in friendship with Him, then that is what Satan wants to thwart. He wants to prevent you from experiencing all that God has to share with you. He will do whatever it takes to keep you from pursuing a relationship with Christ. He will make the pleasures of this broken world seem like the point of life. Satan isn't stupid. He's been around for years and he has studied the human race. You're really not so different from someone else. He's seen your weaknesses before and he knows exactly where to target you where it will hurt the most. He knows where to attack so that it will be the most effective in keeping you wrapped up in anything and everything but God. It could come in the form of money or fame or another person. He can attack in anyway because he controls this world system. Things like the media or education or government are under his influence and he'll use them to manipulate you. I'm not saying everything or everyone in media, education, or government is bad. But Satan does have influence there.

God is sovereign and ultimately in control. Other creations in this world, like mountains or sunsets or stars, shout who He is. He is good. He loves you. He wants to spend time with you. He wants to be friends with you. One day, God will restore things to his original design (Genesis 1-2, Revelation 21-22). But we don't live there yet.

Both God and Satan are pursuing you. But it is your decision. If our identity is in Christ, then we know to "set our minds on things above" (Colossians 3:1-4). We can recognize a lie for what it is, take it captive, and focus on Truth instead (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:1-2

We're in the middle of a war literally between good and evil. And you're the prize.