Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12, NIV

 

Boeing has experienced a torrid time over the last few years – what with crashes, a patchy safety record, and deep gashes to its once stellar reputation. And its problems have gone celestial. NASA astronauts dependent on Boeing to get back to Earth are “stuck” at the space station due to technical issues – talk about having problems on Earth and in the heavens.

 

But oddly enough, that is exactly our problem too. Let me explain. We live on earth, but our enemy with spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places makes it pretty miserable for anyone trying to live for God.

 

The Bible teaches that the source of our problems is not flesh and blood – yes, we have all heard of the boss, colleagues or in-laws from “hell” – but they are pale reflections. Our enemies are heartless – pure devilish.

 

To boot, our arch-enemy is unseen – in fact, that is what makes the pariah, our bête noire, or arch-rival so deadly. Most of the time, we cannot even see the flaming arrows of a disaster approaching.

 

Satan’s beef with God and his mighty army of angels has spilled over to earth. We choose whether to be hapless bystanders or if we are going to fight the full-scale attack against us. Satan has proved over and over that he is unrepentant and, in a way, is going to fight to the death.

 

There will be no peace on earth until those warring, mendacious factions are dealt with. We have been given a chance to choose the hill we are going to die on. The day is coming when God will avenge the devil and his vile deeds. Until then, many battles will rage in the spiritual realm and on the real battlefield of war: both with very real consequences.

 

Maimed soldiers and military funeral processions attest to the price to be paid for a physical war, but who can know the full cost of the spiritual war that has caused many to lose their place in the hereafter?

 

Prayer: Father God, we are unwittingly in a war not of our making. Our enemy is as wily as they come. Thank you for showing us so much grace and being willing to give us the life of your Son in order to be free of the devil’s tyranny. We praise you, God. Amen