Where Is Your Battle And Who Is Your Ally?

Ephesians 6:10-14 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. (KJV)

For the past couple of days I have really been struggling to "keep my spirits up". There have been some things happening in my life that have really been quite frustrating. Things which I cannot control and over which I have no authority seem to raise my degree of frustration to a new level. I think this is the basic human tendency to become aggravated when things hold us back or hold us down, and we cannot move or control those things. I have come to the realization that often the closer I get to God, or the more I try to get closer to God, the more things like this come into my life.

I think Paul hit the nail on the head in verses 12 and 13 of today's scripture reading, in which he says that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and spiritual wickedness. I honestly believe that Satan pays particular attention to us when we are striving to do the right thing and get closer to God. He realizes that he cannot snatch us out of God's hands, but through his powers in this world he can bring problems into our lives in order to push us back away from the Father. Satan knows that if he can get us away from God then that might potentially keep someone else from ever coming to know God. These "things" we cannot control that come into our lives may be more than just earthly problems and barricades.

So the question becomes, "How do we control and handle those things over which we have no control?" I think the first thing we need to do is to learn to recognize when these things may be part of a greater attack by Satan and his demons. Once we identify where the true problem lies, then we can better equip ourselves to handle it. That is where the latter half of today's reading comes into the picture. If we are to do battle against these evil powers, then we will need to call upon a higher power to go into battle with us. By putting on the whole armour of God, we can take with us into battle His words and His strength. Only through the power of God will we ever stand a chance against "the wiles of the devil". Once we realize that we are in the midst of a battle that we cannot fight alone, then we have the victory in sight. By calling on our Father above and standing strong in Him, we can always overcome the battles we face, whether they be of this world or of the rulers of darkness.

Prayer: Father, we take upon ourselves the full armour that you provide. We call upon Your strength and power to help us to do battle against the problems and struggles that we may face today. Amen.