Wrestling with Evil

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age.

Ephesians 6:11-12

When wrestlers compete, they rely on both strength and strategy to overcome their opponent. Even before the match begins, a wrestler takes a moment to size up his opponent, looking for his opponent's potential vulnerabilities, while remaining fully aware of his own. The passage in Ephesians uses the image of a wrestling match to convey the ongoing struggle and preparation that standing strong against evil entails - and it reminds you to be sure that you are fighting the right opponent.

People may do evil things, but your battle is not with individuals. Your battle is with evil itself. The Ephesians were well-acquainted with principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness - different kinds of evil spirits. The society was heavily involved in sorcery and magic. Even those who chose not to follow God were aware there was some kind of spiritual battle going on behind the scenes of their everyday lives. Ephesians 6 provides readers with God's guidelines on how to effectively fight that battle.

Mixing metaphors between wrestling and fighting a battle, Ephesians 6 instructs you to cover yourself with God-given armor. This protective gear is described in more detail in subsequent verses, but it includes things such as truth, righteousness, God's Spirit, God's Word, and prayer. As you choose to don God's armor each day and remind yourself who your opponent really is, you'll find yourself well prepared to hold your ground against evil.

Being prepared to encounter evil and focusing on it are two different things. Stay focused on God. His Spirit will make you aware of any battles you need to face.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for his guidance and strength in your personal spiritual fight against evil. It is not flesh to flesh, fist to fist battle that we prepare for but a spiritual battle against the enemy. God's truths are the armor he has given us to protect us through the journey. Let us not take it lightly that we need to prepare daily through prayer and time with scripture to feed our body, mind and spirit with all the goodness God provides us. Let us not be spiritually starved or else the enemy will take away our victory. ~ MME Team

Battle Plan

Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

The devil is referred to by many names throughout the Bible - accuser, tempter, deceiver, slanderer, enemy, Satan. One thing the Bible never calls him is a mythical creature. He is as real as God himself. There's no point in resisting someone who isn't there.

You need to know more, however, than that Satan exists. You need to know exactly what to do to defeat Satan. On the same day you aligned yourself with God, you gained this "adversary," which is what the word Satan literally means. Satan has no personal interest in you. His only aim is to hurt God. One way he tries to do that is by trying to hurt the ones whom God loves. Satan is only a prideful, fallen angel. He isn't all-knowing or all-powerful. Yet he can still wreak havoc, causing you to doubt God's love or tempting you to go down the wrong road.

But you can stop Satan in his tracks. First, submit to God. In the original language, submit is a military command that means "to get your proper rank." That's accomplished by humbly putting every aspect of your life under God's loving authority. Only then are you prepared to defeat the devil. Resist is also a military command that means "to stand bravely against." Stand against your adversary by recalling the biblical truths. Strengthen your resolve through prayer. Turn your back on anything that entices you to turn away from God. Satan will flee from the battle before it has even begun.

Satan has no future. Jesus assured Satan's ultimate defeat by dying on the cross. The potential skirmishes that James alludes to are nothing more than diversionary tactics from an opponent who is destined to lose.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God for courage and strength to fight the good fight until your last breath. ~ MME Team