“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 (NIV)
We often hear people wonder - why do good people suffer bad things?
We often view our struggles—the anxiety, the sharp temptation, the persistent doubt, the relational friction—as purely internal or interpersonal problems. We fight against a bad mood, a difficult colleague, or a personal failure. But the Apostle Paul pulls back the curtain on reality, revealing that these surface battles are often just symptoms of a deeper, unseen warfare.
You are a soldier in a spiritual war, whether you feel like one or not. The true enemy is not the person who angered you, nor is it the circumstance that caused you distress. The real enemy is the spiritual forces that seek to distract you, discourage you, and ultimately dismantle your faith. The target is your faith and the way is through your fear and temptation.
This truth is both sobering and empowering. Why?
• Sobering: It reminds us that there is a strategic, intelligent foe actively working against our peace and purpose.
• Empowering: It shifts our focus from fighting symptoms to fighting the source. When you realize the battle is spiritual, you stop using fleshly weapons (anger, gossip, self-pity) and start using the only effective tools: spiritual weapons.
Three Strategies for Spiritual Victory
1. Know Your Enemy’s Strategy (The Lie)
The primary weapon of the enemy is deception. He tries to make you believe lies about God, lies about yourself, and lies about your situation.
• Lies about God: "God isn't good. He has forgotten you. Your sin is too great for His grace."
• Lies about you: "You are worthless. You will never change. You are too weak to fight."
Your Defense: The Truth of God's Word. When you are tempted to believe a lie, speak a corresponding truth. If you feel forgotten, recall: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:8).
2. Put on the Full Armor (Ephesians 6:13-17)
Paul is insistent: we must be fully equipped. The armor is not optional; it is the provision Christ has given you for protection.
3. Fight from a Position of Victory (Intercession)
Crucially, you are not fighting for victory; you are fighting from the victory already secured by Jesus Christ on the cross. Your power does not come from your strength, but from His.
Paul concludes the armor passage with a call to prayer for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18). Intercession is how we deploy the spiritual weapons. When you pray, you are inviting the power of God into the unseen battle, and no spiritual force can stand against Him.
Think about this:
• What "flesh and blood" struggle in your life right now might actually be a symptom of a deeper spiritual battle?
• Which piece of the spiritual armor do you feel you need to intentionally "put on" today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for opening my eyes to the reality of the spiritual war. Forgive me for trying to fight my battles in my own strength. I put on the full armor of God today. I take up the Shield of Faith to guard against the lies of the enemy, and I wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word. Strengthen me to stand firm in the victory Christ has already won, and help me to pray ceaselessly for others who are in the fight. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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