We Do Not Face the Enemy Alone
I wanted to wrestle him so badly.
But Coach Lukridge would not let me. He insisted I move from the 151-pound weight class to the 167-pound match so that our team might be able to get a few points. It’s no fun wrestling guys that weigh almost 20 pounds more than you, but I had to listen to my coach.
Even as Brian, the second-string wrestler at 151, headed out to the mat, I still wished it was me. But when Brian was pinned by his opponent only 8 seconds after the whistle was blown, I was thankful that Coach knew better than me!
The other wrestler was a state champion in our age group and my weight class. As a second-year wrestler, I never would have stood a chance. I was not strong enough, experienced enough, or wise enough in terms of moves and countermeasures to have made it any longer than those few seconds.
The Apostle Paul makes a crystal-clear statement in Ephesians 6:12. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (ESV)
And guess what? Those spiritual forces of evil have more experience, knowledge and moves than you or I do because they have been oppressing people for thousands of years. Wrestling them in your own strength would be like taking on a state champion as a second-year wrestler. Take it from me: don’t do it. You’ll be flat on your back in seconds.
The good news is that we do not face the enemy on our own!
In the verses surrounding Ephesians 6:12, Paul tells us that we are only strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. It is only when we stand in Him and gear up for the battle with the weapons and tools He has provided that we are able to stand firm.
The Apostle John gives us more good news in 1 John 4. He states, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (ESV) It is Christ in us who is greater and more powerful than the spirits and prophets who oppose Christ (see verses 1-3).
The biblical language for being saved is being “in Christ” and having “Christ in us.” Just read Ephesians chapter 1 for more than 15 mentions of this concept.
The good news of the gospel is that we are not left on our own to face this mortal enemy. Christ, the One who defeated the spiritual forces of evil through His death and resurrection (see Colossians 2:15), is in us and we are in Him! In addition, God has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Jesus (see Colossians 1:13). God has even seated us in the heavenlies with Christ (see Ephesians 2:6).
But there’s more. One of the very last things that Jesus says to his disciples before he ascends into heaven is “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). Before He commissions His disciples to go out into the world and make disciples (what we know as The Great Commission), Jesus assures His followers that He has complete authority over anything and everything in heaven or on earth. Since Christ has all authority—and we are in Christ and He in us— we too have Jesus’ authority as we submit to and rely on Him. By His Holy Spirit living inside of us, we are to “submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7, ESV)
So, the question for us today is, “Why should I allow Satan (or the spiritual forces of evil in general) control or influence over my life when He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world?”
Sin, unresolved emotions, and lack of forgiveness give the spiritual forces of evil legal ground in your life. This means Satan has the right to influence you—yes, even as a saved believer in Christ.
Do you know how to take back that ground? The answer is through repentance of sin and submission to Christ. Jesus has won the victory. Your freedom depends on whether you accept your responsibility to walk in obedience and submission to Him. When you do sin, you are called to repent and claim the forgiveness Christ has provided. This is how we apply the accomplished work of Christ in our lives so that the enemy loses the right to influence you.
Dear Saints, no matter what you are facing today, no matter how the enemy of our souls may have laid you out and pinned you in, you can get back up and stand firm in Christ by his strength and authority. If you need help doing this, check out our resources at www.ficm.org, or read and pray through our free, interactive eBook here: RESTORED: Experience Life With Jesus. Here at FICM, we teach you how to get out from under the oppression of the enemy, claim your identity as God’s child, and live free in Christ.