The Battle Is Real

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)

Meditation

Christians spend a lot of time arguing and bickering with Christians in other churches because of differing worship styles. Sometimes it’s over the music we sing. Sometimes it’s over how or when we share Communion. Sometimes it’s something as silly as the type of building we worship in or other things that are unrelated to the message of salvation.

Our struggle is never and should never be with each other. Are there misguided or false teachers in some churches? Are there churches that are teaching false doctrine? Yes, but it’s not our responsibility to fight that battle. If their doctrine is false, God’s judgment will be upon them and eternity will not be pleasant for them. Our one and only responsibility is to share the good news of Jesus Christ!

Our struggle is and always has been against Satan and his fallen angels. Satan does everything he can to make us focus on our differences. He whispers to us that the people at the church down the street aren’t really saved because they sing contemporary songs and not traditional hymns. He tells us they’re going to hell because they don’t preach from the King James Bible. Then, he tells the other churches we’re going to hell because we do those things.

None of those things nor any number of other things has anything to do with whether or not an unbeliever hears the gospel, repents and comes to Christ. That’s exactly what Satan wants. When we present the Church of Jesus Christ to the unbelieving world as a united front, concentrating of the Gospel of Christ, Satan loses. However, if we’re going to waste our energy pointing out our differences, he wins.

The most important thing to remember about spiritual warfare is, never attempt to battle with Satan without first covering yourself and all who are with you in prayer. The struggle is never fought with earthly weapons but through the power of prayer and by being strengthened by the Word of God. Satan is a very powerful supernatural being, more powerful than you can probably imagine, let alone stand against on your own. You have nothing to worry about if you are covered in Christ, because he has your back. Satan doesn’t stand a chance against the power of Almighty God.

Prayer Time

Heavenly Father, you are the mightiest in all of creation. A simple thought is all you need to hold the whole universe together and you hold sway over all things. Even though you are so high and mighty, you still care about each and every one of us. Take from us all thoughts of division in the Body of Christ. Help us to find our common ground in your love and forget about our differences. Make sharing your gospel our one and only priority that consumes our conscious thoughts. Remind us that your second command is to love our neighbor as ourselves. We cannot do that if we are bickering over our differences. Give us the will to show the unbelieving world a united front against the power of Satan. Help us to remember we have nothing to fear when we have the God of all creation on our side. Because you are for us, who can be against us? Thank you for your faithful support and direction as we walk in your guiding light. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!