What Are We Up Against

As I am walking through this Covenant Study by Kay Arthur, I have to restrain myself from running to the computer to type through all my excitement over new "discoveries."

You see, writing is the one way I express emotion best.

9 times out of 10, if I share what God is doing in my life, I don't get the cartwheels and sheer excitement I was looking for out of people, which is understandable. 

However, when I write, I get to at least hold out hope that somewhere, someone on the other side of the computer screen is resonating with what I am saying  : )

And if not, I will never know.

It's a win/win situation.

Today, however, as soon as I finished Day 4 of Week 2 I made a B line for the computer.

Kay (we're on a first name basis now) addressed an issue in today's lesson that I feel is often labeled as 'tabu' in church culture today, and I find it to be....irking at times.

When I experience times of spiritual defeat, I now know what I am up against. But I spent WAY to many years of my Christian life unaware of the "cosmic battle" (Ephesians 6) that we are facing.

Here is where the "tabu topic" begins. 

Many Christians want to hear nothing of "evil forces," "cosmic powers," "spiritual forces," or anything of that nature.

But God said it, not me, not your preacher, not your best friend, God Himself.

And I believe if He took the time to address it, we should too.

Spiritual defeat, I have learned, is far more than just a season of "bad feelings" and so forth.

We are in a war, every single day of our lives as Christians. 

We have an enemy, who is the ruler of this world, the father of lies.

As Ephesians 6 describes, there are in fact spiritual forces waging war in and around you.

Why?

Because just as God has promised and assured you that He has a plan for your life, so too does the ruler of this world.

However, one plan brings life and the other, death.

I say all of this for a reason.

There is an action that we, as Christians, are called to every single day, and that is to "put on the whole armor of God," so that we can take a stand against the "schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11).

One piece of that armor, among many, is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Word of God is a powerful piece of weaponry and we cannot walk onto the battleground without it.

So be strong, stand firm, and put on the whole armor of God.