BIBLE MEDITATION:
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)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
In Ephesians, when it mentions “heavenly realms”,
it is not talking about the region of heaven,
but is referring to the ‘spiritual world’ which is not visible to the human eyes.
There is a constant war raging, and we know, because it affects our own lives.
This is the reason Paul said,
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do,
but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree
that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it,
but it is sin living in me.
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do
not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on
doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this
body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus
Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:15-25)
Paul knew that no matter how strong his efforts were,
he could not win this spiritual battle in his own strength.
Just like the rest of us, Paul needed help in the form of a Savior.
He thanked God that he could achieve victory
through the deliverance of the omnipotent Lord Jesus Christ.
There are times when we have a ‘falling out’ with someone and our
inner nature wants to argue with that person, and ‘win’ the confrontation.
Instead, we should be attacking the evil one
who created the ruckus in the first place.
When our focus is on the other person and not the source of the problem, we
become frustrated, angry, and want to blame them for whatever caused an issue.
Instead of nurturing our friendship by attacking the influences of the evil one,
too often we jeopardize our relationship by
trying to blame others for an issue caused by Satan.
This is why the scriptures encourage us to realize
our battle is not with “flesh and blood”, but our battle is with Satan.
If we miss that, we are going to lose the war,
and possibly our relationship with someone else.
ACTION POINT:
The next time an issue arises, pause and consider the source of the problem.
Satan loves it when he can cause us to become frustrated with ourselves
for not being able to break the chains he has on us.
The more he can frustrate us, the more opportunities he has
to prevent us from admitting our own spiritual weaknesses,
and he can cause us to look for ways to blame others for our failures.
The more we become addicted to the sins he has placed in our lives,
the more we tend to separate ourselves from others.
Set aside your self-sufficiency and call on the One Who can
win your battles in the “heavenly realms” (aka ‘spiritual world’).
We will never develop healthy relationships with others
when our guilt causes us to isolate ourselves into our own private silos.
We see it around us every day as people become consumed with
electronic devices instead of interacting with others in group conversations.
On one occasion I saw six people at a table in a restaurant
and all of them were on their phones either playing games,
surfing the web, or texting someone else who was not there.
The more I watched, the more I thought about
the message they were communicating to each other.
When they were texting, they were basically saying to those present
that someone else in another location was more important than they were.
And when surfing the web, they were indicating
that information was more important to them than relationships.
New technology is exciting, but it can contribute to our isolationism,
and especially if we are consumed with guilt for some sin in our life.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I admit that I am not equipped for defending myself
against the attacks and influences of Satan, but You are! I pray that You
will help me to have the insight and wisdom to detect the real source of
frustrations and conflicts in my life. And when I do, I pray that You will
stand in the road between me and the efforts of Satan to influence my
thoughts and actions. I don’t want to allow him to affect me in such a
that I am quick to blame others for problems, while ignoring my own
failures to please You, due to unconquered sin in my life. Thank You
Lord for promising me victory when I depend on You and not myself.”
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