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.
The battle we face is not a physical one. It is not one against other people, even if they hold us as enemies. Our battle is part of our war with powers that we cannot easily see, yet which are powerful and pervasive. We must not dismiss this spiritual battle as an imaginary, irrelevant, or outdated. Just as clearly as Satan was crouching at Cain’s door, desiring to have him, so he crouches at our door as well (Genesis 4:7). Just as the evil one tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), he will use his demonic forces of evil to do all he can to defeat, destroy, or corrupt us personally. We must take this war seriously and recognize the power of our evil foe. However, we must not fear this battle or the evil one behind it. We shared in Jesus’ ultimate victory over the evil one and his minions on the cross and through his resurrection when we were baptized in faith and raised with him in the power of God (Colossians 2:12-15). Our lives are now hidden with Christ in God, and we will share in his glorious victory when he returns (Colossians 3:1-4). Until then, let’s recognize the struggle we face and enter that battle to win in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord!