Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For 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 6:11-12 (ESV)

 

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds us that the real opposition we face is not merely human, but the cosmic powers of this present darkness and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. We have all we need to live in freedom and in victory. However, many of us underestimate spiritual warfare, and while we are fully equipped with the armour of God, we are unprepared to defeat what the devil is doing in our world right now.

The Ephesians understood spiritual warfare well. They were occultic and idolatrous, but after receiving Christ, they publicly burnt all scrolls of magic as a sign of repentance. In his letter, Paul praised the Ephesians for their exemplary faith in Christ and encouraged them to maintain their unwavering stance by praying against the devil’s scheme.

Praying keeps us spiritually sharp.

Too often, however, we are distracted by things that takes our attention away from more serious spiritual matters. Much of the frustration of first-world Christians stems from first world inconveniences. Our prayer meetings sometimes serve as a complaint department, where we air our grievances to the Lord about everything that annoys us. The internet is too slow, the traffic is too congested and the chirping of birds in the early morning is too noisy.

When our prayers are solely concerned with our comforts, entitlements and self-interests, we miss out on the greater reality of the Kingdom’s transforming presence and power. Then it becomes easy for us to fall prey to the devil’s lies and deceptions. When we choose to surrender to God and move with the power of His Spirit, we become overcomers through the victory Christ won for us.