Thea
"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood..."This passage has shut my mouth more than a time or two when my frustrations begin to mount. There are times when I feel like I need to speak my mind or argue back or defend myself, but with this truth as the background, I can see things for what they are. My battle is not with that person who spoke the critical word, nor the ones with whom I disagree, nor even my dear husband in the midst of a disagreement. In those moments a war is being waged--a war of division--by "the rulers, the authorities, and the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." It's far greater than a frustration with the one who physically stands before me, clothed in flesh and blood. There's an intense battle going on in the spiritual realms, aiming for the destruction of unity. Our enemy wants us to think our battle is against Sarah or John or Amy, because if he can get us thinking ours is really a battle with flesh and bone, then he can dismantle our relationships while he flies under the radar.
But there is great hope, for greater is He who is in me than He who is struggling against me, and against the unity the LORD desires.
Jill
This verse gives us who our battle is against as Christians and the chapter goes on to tell us how (Eph. 6:13-18) to fight. Knowing who the real enemy is should change things for us. It should help us to step back and slow down long enough to hear from the one who ultimately has won the battle. God's spiritual armor is vital to our journey and if we don't learn how to use it daily we will be at a great disadvantage. We are freed from having to fight this battle alone.
Most of us might say that our relationships are sometimes the hardest things to deal with. Hopefully we have good ones but most do come with struggles. When we face these struggles, let us keep in mind who the true enemy is and how are we allowing ourselves to be taken in. Get some clarity on the subject through prayer. It is so important to make sure we are following God's will in each situation and not our own. I hope I can walk these examples out better in my life. I truly want to fight against the right enemy and knowing that my God has gone before me is the greatest comfort I know!
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Marishell
My recent induction to mommy-hood breathed new life to Ephesians 6:12 for me. My sweet little girl was born two months ago. What a struggle it was for Annie’s arrival! Annie was stuck in a couple of places in the birth canal and eventually we needed the aid of a vacuum to push her out. As I rested in between one set of contractions, I felt the urge in my spirit to ask my husband to agree with me in prayer to specifically bind the work of the enemy, and again call forth God’s destiny over our child. I felt the enemy was trying to hinder her arrival because of the purpose and destiny God has for Annie. Beautiful Annie was born after 8 hours of pushing. Due to breathing and possible infection complications, Annie went directly to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where she spent 5 days. Leaving our child in NICU each evening after my hospital checkout was heart-wrenching. The first night apart, God revealed a special image of His protection upon her in the heavenly realms. Annie had a roommate in NICU and their incubators and space were divided by a heavy curtain. God showed me mighty warrior angels approximately 7’ feet tall whose wings were linked side by side who surrounded Annie (similar to the boundaries of the curtain) while directly above her a constant stream of ministering angels traveled up and down. The scripture is clear that the enemy of our soul comes “to kill, steal, and destroy.” As parents we must also war for our children in the heavenly realm. As we pray for our children and our home, a struggle takes place that is not “against flesh and blood”. We must be vigilant to prepare and to fight as spiritual warriors to protect, to advance, and to lay hold of our Godly inheritance that God has prepared for our family.
Thank you to the ladies that posted this week. We only had a few but quite a powerful word!
Kay
ReplyDeleteI believe the truth of this verse is one of the vital keys to our successful walk in the Spirit. We are born into a war! It says we wrestle not- AGAINST FLESH & BLOOD- however, we do wrestle! Many would say since Jesus won the victory the battle is over- No, I contend that is when our meaningful battle began. The enemy of our souls and of our God & King did not lay down & surrender @ his defeat. We have to enforce the victory! We get the extraordinary honor of fighting our King's enemy with the King @ our side! It has been well said, we gladly do it all- for the sake of the Lamb and for the reward of His suffering! Let this be our battle cry!