The Battlefield

The scripture says; "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but (instead) against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places."

Instead of wrestle it should say "war". We do not war, or battle against the adversity that faces us in this life in the physical realm. We battle it in the realm of the Spirit. How? Through prayer! Now, let me be a little blunt with you: If you think prayer is anything less than supernatural (nevertheless a privilege) conversation with the living God.. then you might want to check what God you're serving.

Now, Paul put an emphasis on the fact that we do not battle against "flesh & blood." Why? Well, he wants the reader to comprehend that we don't place our faith in the things that are seen in this world. Then he goes on the explain that we must direct our fight against the dark forces (in short). This is where knowing how to pray comes in handy.

First of all you can't let your church, your pastor, or anyone else convince you that God is unobtainable. You have to come your own personal conclusion that God is real, and that He loves you. How do you know that He loves you? He died for you. You see, the blood of Christ wasn't just a physical manifestation of the love that God has.. it was the single most important act that ever took place in the entire Bible.

Let's analyze this for a moment. God created man so that He could fellowship with us. You'll notice this in Genesis when it says "He found man to be good." You'll also notice that God made us in His image (or literally "likeness" in the original Hebrew text.) so He has to like us. At the fall of man, in the garden, God was deeply saddened by our falling away because He was no longer able to fellowship with us. This wasn't His fault.. it was ours. Adam quickly realized that he was no longer in fellowship with God and ran in shame (which seems to be the perpetual state of the Church) because he could no longer bare (emotionally, or physically) the Glory of God. (It is literally a tangible thing) God was pissed. His perfect creation had a flaw.. so, in order to redeem His creation and prove that He is the one true infallible God, He decided to pay us a little visit. We know this PERSON to be JESUS.. but what most people don't understand, or aren't able to wrap their head around.. is that this PERSON, is 100% GOD. So, when GOD came down and died on the cross for us ( you need to understand the Jewish sacrificial system. There is a reason Jesus is called the LAMB of GOD) His blood was shed for the entire human race, forever (yes, really.. forever). Now, the blood of Jesus saves us, but salvation entails a lot more than us just getting in the pearly gates. The blood of Christ makes us righteous before God! Hmm. You don't hear that taught every day do you? Check out 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.

Now in Christ, you have the same authority that Jesus has to cast our demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, and pray to God as one of His sons or daughters. This is literally how God views you. If you'll look at the book of Romans, Paul references this several times. Romans 5:1-21 talks about how we as people, through Christ, are reconciled to the Father in heaven.. this is the acceptance of the finished work of Jesus. And God see's our work as useless, when it comes to "being good" or "doing the right thing." Why? Because Jesus did the ultimate right thing so that when we enter into the New covenant with God we are able to partake, without condemnation, in the fullness of everything He created us to be. Check out Romans 8:12-17. Like, I mentioned earlier God see's you as a glorious Son or Daughter. Only He has the power to do that. Not anything you're able to do. The only thing you did was say "Yes, I believe in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, and that only through my faith in those events am I able to enter into a very personal, and intimate relationship with God."

Now, back to my original statement; In order to do battle against the dark forces of the world you have to pray with the authority that God has given you. When Paul says in Eph. 6:12, "in the heavenly places" he is not referring to those dark forces being in heavenly places but instead he is saying that is where we do battle. That's our staging area. That's where your prayers go to God, and He releases angles on our behalf.. alls we're doing is saying "Hey, God, because You've given me the authority, and I'm backing it up with Your Word.. do Your thing, Big Baby!" (just a little emphasis added there :D). That's all it is. You have to come to understand that the Devil has no authority over your life, unless you give it to him. It's completely necessary to understand that by your faith in Christ you have the fullness of God in you. Receive the Holy Spirit, and do battle in those heavenly places. Heaven is your war room! Now, get up there and kick some satanic tail!

Created about 2 years ago