Against principalities
April 29, 2021 (Bible Devotional)
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
We live amid a spiritual battle. Many times, we tend to demonize one another. Yet, the Bible reminds us that we are not fighting against flesh and blood. Our enemies are not those who oppose us. We may have disagreements and dislike with one another, but we should never fall into the trap of thinking we are each other’s enemy. Jealousy, hatred, and envy are practiced so much in the world that many look down on their neighbors. Yet, the Bible commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We can only extend such love when we believe that they are not our principal enemy.
The Biblical commands expect to treat every with respect and love. Christ even goes further to say that we ought to love our enemies. And He takes this approach to what we may consider an extreme. Jesus commands us to pray for them that despitefully use us. And as if this is not enough, he reminds us that we should bless those who curse us. We are unable to perform such actions in our human power. Sometimes, even in the family circle, we manifest hatred and anger. Yet, Christ is calling us to love the worst neighbors and the most atrocious persecutors.
We are not fighting against flesh and blood. Those who oppose and persecute us are not our enemies. We are not wrestling against them. When we realize that our battle is spiritual, then we need spiritual armor. And our spiritual armory will help us fight the true enemy while loving God and each other. Our battle is against principalities. It is against systemic oppression that is governed by the rulers of this world. We battle against the accumulated manifestation of Satanic power possessing human agents. The darkness that we see in the world is the product of the influence of spiritual darkness in high places.
To overcome this battle, we need the whole armor of Christ. If we simply battle in our strength, we will soon exhaust all of our power. We are not trying to tackle one single enemy, but a systemic level of evil. The spiritual wickedness against us is well orchestrated. This is why if we fail to see the bigger picture in the smallest evil acts we may tend to believe that we are fighting against one another. The greatest criminal organization is led by powers that rule the darkness of this world. Yet, we have nothing to fear. Even if thousands of thousands encamp against us, we have on our side the Lord of hosts, even Jesus.
How are you responding to this spiritual battle?
The Prayer — Heavenly Father, give us love for one another. Open our eyes to understand the nature of the spiritual battle around us. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
