The truth about spiritual warfare

There is a real battle for our soul that is going on daily in our minds, in our hearts and in our spirit. The apostle Paul described it thus: "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this world of darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). ).

Spiritual warfare is the battle between good and evil within the invisible spiritual realm. At the same time that God draws us to Himself, the Bible says that Satan wanders like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

"Spiritual warfare" is a phrase you might hear some Christians use, but the truth is that many people don't really know what it is, or what to do about it.

One way to explain spiritual warfare is to compare it to physical warfare. Historical battles were often aimed at controlling territory for political or economic power. Spiritual warfare is the battle for control of people's souls.

Whether you believe in him and follow him or not, God created you for a reason. He created you to know him and experience his love. He created you to love others as you love yourself and to use your skills and talents for the good of the world - to point people to Him.

However, God has an enemy, known as Satan or the devil. Because he is an enemy of God and of God's people, he is sometimes simply called "the enemy".

Satan is committed to keeping people from knowing God and trusting their lives to him. The enemy's tactics may differ depending on whether someone is already a Christian or not, but his ultimate goal is always to prevent people from experiencing God's love. Yes. Every day when we wake up we have the choice to serve our flesh, which is our sinful nature, or to listen to the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will cleave to one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).

What we devote our time to will determine our success in the spiritual battles we face every day. This can mean spending time reading the Bible, choosing to worship when things get crazy, and setting aside time to pray. We were created with a mind, body and spirit. We were meant to be spiritually occupied. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19). Our body is called the "temple of the Holy Spirit". So just as when a hotel room is occupied there is no room for anyone else, a Christian is occupied by the Holy Spirit and cannot be filled with anything else.

John, one of the original 12 disciples, proclaims, "You, dear children, are of God and have overcome them, for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4 ). . In other words, Jesus in us is greater than anything the enemy, Satan, can put around us.