Lent 2022

Day 5

The Reality Of Spiritual Warfare

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

The Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus, is explaining that our battle is not necessarily a physical battle. There’s a spiritual war happening all around us where we are the victors because of Jesus’s sacrifice. The problem is that some of these forces are grasping for power in our lives as they go down swinging. We have to recognize that much of what we experience in the physical realm can be considered an assault in the spiritual as well.

I want to be clear here, though. Our lack of planning is not spiritual warfare. If you know your car is low on gas but you don’t stop to fill up, your car running out of gas on your way to an interview is not a spiritual attack. If your phone is low on battery because you forgot to charge it, it’s not a spiritual attack when that phone dies when you’re in the middle of an important conversation.

Despite the examples I gave above, there are plenty of times where I’ve felt attacked spiritually. I wonder if you feel the same way. There’s tension because we do know that we are saved and victorious through Christ’s sacrifice for us, but the kingdom of God has not fully come yet. That means that evil can still exist in this world. So at the same time that the kingdom of God is already here like Jesus says, it’s also not yet come.

When you feel attacked, you’re not helpless, though. Jesus is our answer to spiritual warfare. Thinking about this as an actual war, you have to plan accordingly. Think of this as needing defense and offense.

“Defense” would be reading your Bible and spending time with God every day. As you spend time with God and learn about the things he did and cared about, you prepare for attacks that are coming. You’re prepared to face hardships because you’ve been inspired by God’s Word.

“Offense” would be praying. As you pray for the things you want or need, God moves. He’s always moving, and he may not move like you want him to, but he does move. This also takes the battle out of your hands and gives them to the one who is already victorious. There are other methods of offense that could include serving, but this devotional is already too long.

Prayer

“Father, thank you for your victory. Help me to recognize areas in my life where I need to up my offense or my defense. Give me strength to resist the evil in this world that continues to hold on for dear life. It’s in Jesus’s name I pray, amen.”

Nick Vogel