Ephesians 6:12 , “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
What does it mean when the Bible says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood? Paul charged the Christian to be strong in the LORD and to put on the whole armour of God because he does not wrestle against flesh and blood. In Ephesians 6:10-11 he wrote, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
The Real Reality – “That we wrestle not against flesh and blood” is a very important observation made by the Apostle Paul. If what he has written is true, and it definitely is, then the Christian would be wasting his time and energy to focus on “flesh and blood” issues. The reality that we were used to as unbelievers was the physical realm. We were angry because of friends who betrayed us, fights with our parents over late nights and in turn parents were heartbroken by their children’s waywardness; frustrations because of retrenchment, bullies in school, wicked co-workers at work who sabotaged us, and the list goes on. These trials have broken our hearts. They appeared so real because we could see and touch them. We experienced painful events which broke our hearts. Yet the great Apostle Paul says that these are not the real realities. These are facades. The real reality is not “flesh and blood” but the spiritual realm invisible to the human naked eye.
What does it mean to say that our real reality is the spiritual realm? When we are retrenched we should not see the boss as the one who retrenched us but the higher Hand of God that has allowed us to lose our job. This biblical perspective affects our reaction. Normally we would react angrily at the boss who retrenches us, all the more so if we have given our best. But when we see the spiritual reality we know that our Heavenly Father is in control, not the boss. Losing our jobs is not a sin but our murmurs and faithless reaction is. This includes EVERYTHING we experience in this life AFTER we have become Christians. Our reality has changed dramatically one hundred and eighty degrees.
The Real Fight – Before our salvation we were dead in our sins, all of us without exception. Now that we are saved, the Bible says that we are no longer dead in sin, but alive in Christ. Before our salvation we were blind but now we see. We are imparted the God-given ability to see the Truth and the spiritual realm that we now exist in, even though we are still in the world. With this new “sight”, we understand the real fight that we are in. It is a fight for the faith which is the Word of God. It is a fight for souls, the souls of those who are bound for Hell. This includes the souls of our colleagues whom we work and rub shoulders with, our friends, uncles, aunties, fathers and mothers, grandparents, sons and daughter -.all of them who are still dead in sin and are still blind just like we were in time past. We are in a real fight for their souls to be in Heaven with Christ. It is a fight that is not fought with carnal weapons like guns and knives, bombs and missiles. These are useless and powerless in this fight.
The only weapon is the perfect Bible and prayer. The Bible commands us to pray without ceasing because our spiritual battle is without ceasing. Spiritual weapons are needed to win this fight. Putting on the whole armour of God is the spiritual preparation needed to win this fight. Prayer coupled with the Word of God is the offensive weapon needed to win this fight. We must therefore pray quietly in our closets and also corporately as a church. The attacks are spiritual both from within and without. Satan and his evil hosts will never cease in their attacks on Christians and God’s perfect Word. His minions are the fallen demons, and men and women and children who bow down to him and do his bidding. Some of them may be ignorant of the satanic wiles but that does not mean that they are not doing his satanic will. They are doing it in a deluded state whereby they sincerely believe that what they are doing is of God but in reality they are doing the devil’s bidding.. This is devious plot in execution. The men, women and children who do his satanic bidding could even be our friends and loved ones. Satan does not care, as long as he succeeds in making us sin and doubt God and His Holy and perfect Word.
The Real Battle Field – Once the Christian is truly born again, his salvation is secured. But that does not mean that the Christian will automatically bear a godly witness and will always win in the real spiritual battle. He has to walk by faith daily and have his whole armour on. The battle has been won by Christ on the cross when He died for our sins. But the daily battles that we fight are in our homes, schools, work places, churches, Bible Colleges, etc. It is not the location per se but the people and circumstances we encounter in these places that have caused many of us to sin against God and one another. To pray without ceasing is very needful.
To pray without ceasing is not an option but an indispensable privilege given to Christians only. Our prayers can move the hand of the Almighty God to our aid and also to the aid of those whom we pray for. This is the spiritual arena where the real battle is fought. Our wayward children will have their hearts transformed before God’s throne of grace and mercy when we pray. It is not by nagging them to death or by bribing them to obey. Our spousal quarrels can be mended before God’s throne of grace when hearts are softened to forgive one another with renewed agape love. Friends remain friends for life and no adversity can break the friendship because it is tied together with the unbreakable bond of prayer and love for the same Saviour, as demonstrated by David and Jonathan.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood means that we must pray, for the real battle is before God’s throne of grace and mercy. The principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world and wickedness in high places are soundly defeated when we pray for God’s strength and submit to His holy will for our lives. When we do not pray, we are helpless against the real satanic enemies. AMEN.