For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. —Ephesians 6:12.
We are at war! We face daily battles, and those struggles are not just with sin and temptation. We have a real foe who desires our destruction. But, our enemy has already been defeated, and his angels stand rebuked. So, let’s keep our spiritual vigor, knowing that we’re not playing church, but we are fighting for the Kingdom. No wonder Jesus taught us to pray the following in the Lord‘s model prayer: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Yes, we are at war with the evil one — against his lies, and his desire to destroy us. But we can be confidently courageous and joyous because our Lord has overcome the evil one and his malevolent grip on our world (John 16:33; Colossians 2:15).