For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. Ephesians 6:12-13
We talk at great length about the power of God in our lives. In this current culture, though, to talk about the power of the evil one is not as comfortable a topic. No one wants to point the finger at something and claim it to be the work of evil. Yet, if we believe in the Word of God, we know that evil works in the world to separate us from God at every turn. From Adam and Eve in the garden to the present day, there is evil at work in the world. To be able to face our struggles, we have to acknowledge that. Once we acknowledge that evil is present, we are more apt to understand the great necessity to protect ourselves with a firm, solid faith - to understand that God does work for good, but He is not the only one at work. If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must be vigilant in protecting that temple. It should impress upon us the need to call upon the name of Jesus with certainty in the midst of our struggles and hardships, and to do so for those around us we see immersed in the darkness of the world.
To name evil when we see it is not to be intolerant of people in our midst. There is a great fear that we will be labeled as intolerant or some type of "-ist" if we speak the Truth about darkness. We must not fear. Truth must always be spoken in charity and without labeling people as evil, but if we do not call out the darkness and bring it into the light of Christ, then we are likely to be overcome by it. We cannot battle evil on our own - as much as movies may lead us to believe we can. The strength of our spirit is great, but it is Christ's Spirit within us, not our own human strength which gives us the fortitude and wisdom to fight the battle.
Make no mistake, the battle that began in Eden continues to this day. We know the end - we know Christ wins. The question is, are we willing to call on His name and stand our ground against evil in the world today?
Let us pray that we might readily call on the Holy Spirit and bring any darkness in our lives into the light of Christ, calling on the name of Jesus to overcome the struggles and battles we (and those around us) face.
We talk at great length about the power of God in our lives. In this current culture, though, to talk about the power of the evil one is not as comfortable a topic. No one wants to point the finger at something and claim it to be the work of evil. Yet, if we believe in the Word of God, we know that evil works in the world to separate us from God at every turn. From Adam and Eve in the garden to the present day, there is evil at work in the world. To be able to face our struggles, we have to acknowledge that. Once we acknowledge that evil is present, we are more apt to understand the great necessity to protect ourselves with a firm, solid faith - to understand that God does work for good, but He is not the only one at work. If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must be vigilant in protecting that temple. It should impress upon us the need to call upon the name of Jesus with certainty in the midst of our struggles and hardships, and to do so for those around us we see immersed in the darkness of the world.
To name evil when we see it is not to be intolerant of people in our midst. There is a great fear that we will be labeled as intolerant or some type of "-ist" if we speak the Truth about darkness. We must not fear. Truth must always be spoken in charity and without labeling people as evil, but if we do not call out the darkness and bring it into the light of Christ, then we are likely to be overcome by it. We cannot battle evil on our own - as much as movies may lead us to believe we can. The strength of our spirit is great, but it is Christ's Spirit within us, not our own human strength which gives us the fortitude and wisdom to fight the battle.
Make no mistake, the battle that began in Eden continues to this day. We know the end - we know Christ wins. The question is, are we willing to call on His name and stand our ground against evil in the world today?
Let us pray that we might readily call on the Holy Spirit and bring any darkness in our lives into the light of Christ, calling on the name of Jesus to overcome the struggles and battles we (and those around us) face.
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