Spiritual Wrestling

The once gray skies have cleared, and the dome above me is bright blue. I look away from the mirror-like lake, up at the trees. The thin white branches dotted with their remaining yellow leaves highlight the brightness of the blue autumn sky: a 65 degree treat on a mid-November day. Lying on my back, I watch as high, thin clouds move rapidly across my line of vision. The blue sky is marbled with white, the clouds showing evidence of upper atmospheric turbulence and wind. White terns soar high overhead, gliding effortlessly on the wind. I hear a nearby splash—of fish?—I hear but never see them. I wonder what life lies beneath the glassy surface. The ducks have already flown to warmer climates, but the occasional splash and the ever-widening ripples tell me that life teems just below the surface.

Isn’t this the way of the spiritual world? We see just a ripple, hear an occasional splash to remind us, but we are typically oblivious to the spiritual life all around us. We are oblivious to the spiritual battles being fought for us, oblivious to the spiritual turmoil within the lives of people all around us.

In Ephesians 6:11-12 (NKJ) we are warned to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” A similar warning can be found in I Peter 5:8: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Just as there is unseen life beneath the surface of the lake, so there is unseen spiritual life. Just because we cannot see Satan or the other “spiritual hosts of wickedness” does not mean that they do not exist. Just because we cannot see them does not mean they are not actively working to win our souls or the souls of our loved ones. We “wrestle” against these unseen enemies Satan and his followers have declared war!

The battle rages, yet we often sit complacently on the sidelines, blissfully ignorant that our souls are threatened. Do we approach our lives as if we are preparing for battle? If not, then we may be overcome by the enemy.

Almighty God, open my eyes to the spiritual battles raging around me. Assist me as I don Your armor. Give me strength to fight this war that I might win glory for you.

I John 4:1 “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”