Victory in Existential Struggles

UV730/10,000 Victory in Existential Struggles “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 v 12 Life admittedly is a struggle. It is not just a physical struggle for existence. Jacob wrestled with an angel of the Lord and did not let go till the latter blessed him. But, we as a species struggle against the entire hierarchy of spiritual forces of evil that are bent on keeping us from fulfilling the Will of God or fulfilling our purpose or potential. As one believer explained to me many years ago, “ The physical world is not the real world. What we see around us are the props. The real world is the spiritual world. The physical world is just a shadow or reflection of the spiritual world. Things first happen in the spiritual world and then it is manifested or reflected in the physical world.” When we engage in prayer, we wrestle with the spiritual forces. Our prayer backed by the power of faith releases the power of God against the spiritual forces of darkness that operate in the heavenly realms. By faith in the Word, and in the shed blood of Jesus, we can claim immediate victory, continuing victory and ultimate victory over the forces of darkness. Before we take a stand against the devil’s wily schemes of deceit and violence, we need to strengthen ourselves with the might and power of the Lord. We need to wear a spiritual helmet of being fully convinced in our minds that we are saved by the power of the gospel. This will protect our thoughts from being assailed by both doubts and fears. We need to tighten our hold on the truths taught to us from the Word and the Word’s hold on us just as a belt is adjusted and buckled around our waists. This will keep us from having our testimonies or our characters tarnished. The breastplate of righteousness refers to a life of integrity and uprightness as far as it depends on us. In addition, we need to use faith as a shield to put out the burning arrows the enemy fires at us. These are all defensive measures but to pray in the spirit using the Word is the offensive sword of the Spirit. A willingness and readiness to share the gospel with others takes us places like our shoes. Just as we have a variety of footwear or shoes like running shoes, walking shoes and boots, we must use a variety of styles and methods to share the gospel according to the context and the audience. There should be no chinks or gaping holes in our spiritual armour. Knowledge is the leader’s edge. Knowledge of the Word is the spiritual leader’s edge. That edge should always be sharpened and honed. By faith we call into being that which is not as if it already existed. Even if the situation looks adverse, we can call into being victory. The different elements or parts of our spiritual armour protects different aspects of our life as we walk in faith. Prateep V Philip