“And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”
Are you aware of the fact that we are indeed at war? It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or not. The fact of the matter is that we are at war! You don’t have to believe in a thing for it to be real and the truth. Truth exists with or without our permission. It was extremely hard for me to get this at first. We have an unseen world all around us dwelling on this earth, and it has a ruler. Our enemy. The accuser of the brethren, Satan. He is known by many names: The Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and many more, but I want to call your attention to a specific title; “ruler of the kingdom of the air.”
“In which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient”
Ephesians 2:2 (NIV)
It is why the gospel of Matthew says this:
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 4:8-11 (NIV)
Satan said that he would give Jesus all the kingdoms on earth if he would bow down to him. And Jesus was tempted to do just that. It does not state in the text that it wasn’t Satan’s to give. It actually was.
“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
1 John 5:19
“The air” which Satan rules over could mean the invisible realm above the earth. The earth’s atmosphere where Satan and his demons move about.
“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 6:12
This could mean “the air” is an actual location or synonymous with “the world” meaning Satan’s domain. (gotquestions.org)
Either way in order to win battles we need to know who the enemy is and his tactics. We need to pay attention to his playbook. It isn’t that hard, with The Spirit’s help, of course.
We make a mistake if we don’t think the devil is real or if we think the opposite of that: thinking everything bad that happens to us is the devil. I’ve been guilty of the latter. I later realized what that verse above was saying. Let’s look at the Ephesians 2:2 verse again: “In which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit WHO IS NOW AT WORK IN THOSE WHO ARE DISOBEDIENT.” Do you see that? Whenever we choose our will over God’s will and give into the flesh we play right into our enemy’s hands. As we say, “giving Satan a foothold.” So, our choices make a lot of difference in the spirit world.
On the opposite side of the spectrum we can see that some of the most devout and obedient people in scripture were not exempt from suffering. One of the most popular books on suffering I wrote about in an earlier post is the book of Job. The first description of this man was: “blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” So, what’s the deal? Why did Job experience pain and suffering if he was a righteous man whom God prized as His own? This is the age old question isn’t it? Why do good people suffer? Believe me when I tell you that I do not begin to think of myself as someone qualified to answer that question but I have read and study the Bible and at the end of Job’s story I can tell you that despite all the questions and gut wrenching honesty that Job threw in God’s face about his condition, God did not answer the question of suffering for Job. No….He firmly reminded Job of who He was and is: The Almighty God! How can we question deity? But we do, don’t we? We question His deity every time we choose our will over His. I believe it’s fine to have questions for God and come to Him with those questions as to help you understand a situation. That is healthy in any relationship. It’s when we interrogate God because we have formed opinions about Him that are based on lies, demanding that He answer us is when it’s not a good idea. We need to know our place. That’s what God does for Job. He helps him to remember who is in charge, and has everything in His capable hands.
It’s so hard to trust when you are in the midst of a trial, isn’t it? But, if you’re reading this I’m sure that God has gotten you through some scraps in the past. Can you see where He was in those situations? We have to pray for the Lord to give us spiritual eyesight to be able to see the battle for what it is, just like Elisha prayed for his servant in 2 Kings 6.
“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17 (NIV)
Satan will use lies mixed carefully with a little truth, so be very careful! He often tells us what we want to hear. So, steep yourself in the truth of scripture and pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Remember that God gives us spiritual armor to put on. He doesn’t put it on us, we have to put it on ourselves. He gives us everything we need, but we must be proactive. Keep building on the promises of God so that all the powers of darkness will tremble.
PRAYER
Father, I pray that you will surround your child with favor. I pray that they would take up their spiritual armor that you gave to them. Help them to be able to stand against any scheme of the enemy, that they would find peace in you. Give the assurance that you are for them and not against them even in the midst of the trials they find theirselves going through. You are their very great reward. Amen.
Small Beginnings blog post #9
Small Beginnings Blog 