We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood…

All of us, if we have lived long enough, are going to experience hard times in our lives. We are going to have dark days with doubts and fears increasing. Things are going to go wrong and sometimes we may even get damaged in the process. We will likely have some heartaches, troubles, challenging periods, and even trials that shake us to our very core. Some poor folks will endure events and traumas that they never find a way from which to recover. Others will find themselves under the control of various life-suckers ever present in their lives to bring them down whenever they start to get up. The question is why? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is this life that God created so difficult to navigate? Why does catastrophe happen to one person and not to another person? Why do negative things even happen at all? The answer can be found in the title above. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).

It seems easy for people to accept that there is a God and that He created the heavens and the earth. However, what people sometimes have a hard time accepting is that there is also an evil power at work in the world and that power is ultimately responsible for every bad thing that ever happened to you and me. The evil that is in the world was certainly never God’s intention for His creation, but it gained access to the world through man’s disobedience to God. And once evil got in, it has been making the world a wilderness ever since. Fear, sickness, disease and death came about because of evil as decay was introduced into God’s perfect creation. It was never God’s will for people to have fear. It was never God’s will for people to endure sickness and disease. It was never God’s will for people to die. I know this because in the new creation none of these things will continue to exist. Yet, they exist today and it behooves us to learn where it all came from. Our fight in this life is never between people (flesh and blood). Oh sure it seems like it is at times but it really is not. Our fights are with what is behind the people giving us a hard time. Our fight is the fight between good and evil. What we are wrestling with is spirits. These evil spirits were not always evil. But, they chose, by their freedom of will, to rebel against God following their leader Lucifer who was once an angel of light. As a result, one third of the angels were cast out of heaven and make up the source of all of the difficulties we face today. All of them. These evil spirits control the world and the systems of the world. Adam gave them the authority he once had and as such they control the world we live in today. All of the chaos and anarchy and terrible things that go in the world are the result of their influences in people’s lives. On the surface that might scare you a bit. It is admittedly a very deep proposition, but it is true. This is who all people wrestle against whether they know it or not. I can assure you that every difficult and bewildering situation you ever faced came about because of their influence and dark power. Every hardship, all suffering, all sickness and everything that ever plagued you came as a result of their functioning. Does that mean you are evil? Absolutely not. But, it does mean that evil has had a hand in making your life difficult. Look no further. God said that His people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. God does not want us to be ignorant of Satan’s devices. He desires that we are very clear about what is actually going on and that we seek His help in order to prevail against them. We aren’t wrestling against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers in high places.

Some people believe that there is no such thing as the devil or evil and that all that happens to us comes from the hand of God. That could not be further from the truth. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. God does not need evil to teach you and I a lesson. God does not afflict people in order to make them better. And God certainly does not cut people’s lives short in order to bring them home or to some better place. The Bible says the devil is the author of death. (Hebrews 2:14) Again, look no further. It happens to people not because they are evil, but because he is evil. Not understanding how evil functions or foolishly concluding that evil is something man made up to explain things he did not understand, is a lie. Remember the quote from the movie, “The Usual Suspects?” “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” There is much truth contained in that quote. The less you know about how he functions the better for him. But, God does not want you ignorant. Do you ever take time to consider why you struggle with certain aspects of life? Why in some areas you just can’t seem to get it right? The answer is found as a result of an opponent you cannot see nor discern working tirelessly behind the scenes to lead you astray; to steal your enthusiasm for living; to malign your good name; to control you and cause you to live in fear every day. The Bible says the thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. (John 10:10) But, Jesus Christ came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Note carefully, we “might” have life…depending upon what we choose. God is always the victor over evil but it us up to us to learn what is true and be able to choose properly. There is no criticism because all of us have been subject to this in one form or another. However, with God there is always a way out. There is always a solution. God always has an answer of peace for us. God does not want us to fear evil, though it is admittedly scary at times. He wants us to begin to discern what is actually going on so that we can have a fighting chance at winning. God wants you to know the score. Your fight is always a spiritual one.

My hope is that even though this is a tough subject, you are able to finally get answers about the things that have been controlling your life. Answers about why you sometimes act the way you do. Answers concerning the things that have gone dreadfully wrong. Even answers to certain tragedies and things you may have been asking God about for years and years. God was not behind any of it. Some say, “Why does God allow all the suffering in the world today?” God is always opposed to suffering as He is the very definition of love. But and it’s a big BUT, God will not overstep our freedom of will. He requires believing from our hearts to get Him involved. He simply won’t override our freedom of will, no matter how many times we may have begged Him to in earnest. If people are ignorant concerning God and His power they have no recourse against the evil functioning of the devil (who does exist). How could they? If people do not know what is actually available from God (His love and protection, His healing power, His willingness to forgive) how could they believe Him to provide it for them when they needed it most? You see, this isn’t just an expose of evil, it is an appeal for you to learn. It is an exhortation for you to seek our good God and after finding Him, though He be not far from any one of us, learning how to prevail against the evil that plots and schemes against you without cause. There is so much pain and suffering in the world today. People are enduring unbelievable torture and slave like bondage. Truly the enemy has made the world a wilderness, but you do have recourse against him. Once you get God’s spirit inside, greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (I John 4:4) Evil and its endless manipulations and deceptions is no match for God who knows all and sees all. You can win in the spiritual competition.

The only remaining question is what are you going to do about it? How much longer do you want to live an empty and unfulfilled life? How much more are you willing to suffer? Aren’t you frustrated and tired of the perpetual difficulty and hardship? It is not just how life is, but rather how life is absent God and His good power. You can find answers to the things that have plagued your soul for years. You can gain back control where you have lost control. You can be delivered from every looney tune thing you ever got caught up in. It is not too late. It is never too late. The evil things you have suffered are very personal and artfully devised by the evil one who hates God and hates people, you and me included. He is a worthy opponent for sure, but he has his limitations. One being that he cannot easily overtake your freedom of will. He cannot make you do anything or think anything without your consent. You can always choose another direction unless you willfully forfeit that right. So now is the time to know what God wants you to know. Now is the time to learn what God’s Word says about your enemy and how to defeat him (them). Yes, you are still going to be challenged and suffer damage at times, but God will heal you up if you need it and help you learn what went wrong and why. Today is the day to get back up and get back into the fight. Today is the day to stop getting pushed and pulled around in directions you really didn’t want to go. Today is the day to win in the spiritual competition and take back your God-given place in this life, blessed, free and happy beyond measure. Darkness can never prevail against light. This is the light. 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. But God is still higher and He always wins!

Just some good thoughts…