This is war!

2 Kings 7; Psalm 119:25–48; Daniel 11; 1 Timothy 4

In my battles to live according to truth, the Liar has proved his subtle ability to throw ideas that either sound like my own ideas, or sound good, or appeal to fulfilling a legitimate human desire in the wrong way. These battles sometimes start without being recognized as instigated by my spiritual enemies and I become engaged without realizing I’m in a war.

As I observe other Christians, I realize that all of us struggle against “rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” and as Ephesians 6 also says, we need the entire armor of God to not only protect ourselves but for the victory of others over these schemes of the devil. We also need to realize that these battles are a fulfilled prophecy:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:1–5)

When a Christian falls for deception and satanic teaching, they are noticed by people whose look for a better example or who measure the value of Christ by the behavior of His followers. They might even challenge the worth of a faith that does not give believers a ‘perfect’ life. Christians also struggle with this expectation and sometimes wonder why God let us get into so much trouble.

I often wish that I could quietly live my life without any spiritual battles, but they happen. Another reading for today partly explains why God allows our enemy to be so aggressive:

And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. (Daniel 11:33–35)

Notice, the battles are for those that strive to serve God by teaching them truth. That is a comfort. This also says that those who stumble will receive a ‘little’ help. Often, that ‘little’ help is just enough as God reveals what is going on and how I can win that skirmish! But it is the last line that helps me the most — God allows even the wise to stumble because the process of engaging in spiritual war and getting smucked (at first) will refine, purify, and make white (spotless) God’s servants. I’m not saying I am wise, but God does not let me struggle without having a good reason for it; He is making me stronger!

Most of us know that a butterfly must fight its way out of its cocoon and a chick must work hard to emerge out of the egg. Without that struggle, these creatures will die. This tells me the value of my struggles and those of people in the later days. The enemy is stronger as the time nears when all liars and demonic forces will be sent to the place where they belong and will no longer have any power. God’s people need to be stronger too so we can see and avoid the traps set for us. They may start with unscriptural ideas about food and marriage, but eventually will cover every aspect of life that God describes for His people. We are to be different from the world, unique in our perspective and values. Evil forces want God’s people to depart from our faith and devote ourselves to living just like everyone else . . . with no regard for the standards that God has established.

APPLY: Beside the armor described in Ephesians 6, my arsenal is the Word of God, good Christian books, being well-informed, and praying continually for discernment. I need to fellowship with others who believe because we encourage faith and expose error in our discussions and Bible studies. A huge part of this is being aware of my weak places and by quickly dealing with sin that the Holy Spirit exposes. Spiritual disciplines do not make me a wise person but being yielded to God goes a long way toward making the devil leave.