12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13 (NIV)

I have intended to write this blog article for the past 2 weeks, but now it just so happens that I’m writing it the day after the horrific terrorist attack in Paris, France. Today, “who is our/your enemy?” could easily be answered by many to be ISIS, the evil movement of Islamic radical terrorists. And from a”flesh and blood”, human standpoint that may very well be true. But as a Christian, I would remind other believers that the Bible clearly teaches that behind all evil is a powerful, evil being called Satan or the Devil. (Now I know that at this point some will roll their eyes and think “Man, what an unsophisticated and ignorant rube this guy is to believe that there is a devil!”) That’s OK, think what you want; our culture has successfully relegated the Devil to a harmless cartoon figure with a red suit and pitchfork. But, also realize you are calling Jesus himself ignorant and unsophisticated, since Jesus identified Satan consistently as his and our adversary. At the beginning of his earthly ministry, Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days in the wilderness, and at the end had to refute Satan’s false temptations for power and control by quoting scripture. (Luke 4:1-13) Jesus clearly taught that Satan was a powerful fallen angel who desires to discourage us and draw us away from God’s message of love and forgiveness and new life, and instead wants us to live in fear, darkness,and hatred, with his ultimate goal being our spiritual destruction and separation from God’s love for eternity! When the zealot Pharisee Saul was persecuting and killing the early Christians, Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus and called him to become his most successful missionary, telling him: 15 …’I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:15-18 (NIV)

So if Satan is real and his goal is our spiritual destruction, how do we resist him? Paul’s passage above is from the book of Ephesians, written while Paul was in a Roman prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus. Paul tells us that in every generation, there is the obvious evil in the world we see around us, but there is also a very real spiritual realm above and around us where this spiritual battle is being fought by God’s angels against Satan and his demons (fallen evil angels). The battle is for our very souls, with Satan’s goal to destroy us and keep us in the darkness, away from God and his forgiveness, hope, and new life. So Paul looks around at the familiar armor of the Roman soldier and uses that as an analogy of the “spiritual armor” God gives us:
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:13-18 (NIV)
For Christians, this spiritual battle is an an ongoing, every day battle to resist Satan and focus on God and his plans to use us. Paul tells us to “stand our ground”, which is military terminology to not retreat, but rather stand strong against great opposition! Our spiritual weapons begin with the truth of God, as opposed to Satan, whom Jesus calls a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Righteousness means that we now have a right relationship with God by accepting Jesus and his forgiveness. Peace comes from knowing that Jesus loves us and saved us, so we can face evil unafraid. Faith is trusting your whole life and future to Jesus, which allows us to effectively block the “flaming arrows” of Satan, such as doubt, lust, despair, vengeance, problems, trial and temptations, etc. Salvation, knowing we are saved from sin by Jesus, protects our thinking and helps us to be transformed daily by the renewing of our minds to think more like Jesus. The word of God is an effective offensive weapon, used by the Holy Spirit to transform us and others as we share the truth from scripture. (II Timothy 3:16-17) Finally, prayer wraps it all up and brings our lives before God daily, helping us to remember we belong to Him and don’t have to fear Satan and the evil of the world.

Finally, knowing the source of all evil in the world, how do we as Christians respond to those who perpetuate evil in our world today? First, in the material “flesh and blood” world we live in, we should join others in resisting evil, oppression and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves. We should stand with the poor and oppressed and help all to have a life of opportunity and freedom. There will always be injustice and oppression in our fallen world, and Christians should lead in helping others out of poverty and oppression. But on the second, and deeper spiritual level, we need to go farther yet. Knowing that Satan desires to keep us all away from Jesus and his offer of forgiveness and new life in the Kingdom of God forever, we need to pray for each other, and ALL people, that they would respond spiritually to God’s love through Jesus! People can have all the money and freedom in the world, but still be lost spiritually and miserable, filled with fear and hopelessness. If we only help people with the physical battles in life, but not the spiritual, they will ultimately lose. Jesus calls us to pray for and love ALL people, especially our “enemies”:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)
That means praying for the “worst of the worst”, even those under the darkness of a horrendous ideology such as ISIS. I read recently of a young ISIS fighter who went to a refugee camp with the intent of coming to Europe or America to cause destruction. The camp was run by Christian people who treated him with compassion and love. He had never experienced anything like that before, and it changed his life and he became a follower of Jesus! Now he prays for protection from other ISIS fighters who wish to kill him. Remember, Jesus loves EVERY human being on earth, and our calling is to pray for them and introduce them to Jesus. Certainly many will not respond, and will be lost to Satan. But our job is to reach as many as possible with the good news of Jesus’ love and forgiveness, inviting others into the Kingdom of God. Stand strong, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. And Jesus calls us to fearlessly help others and invite them to join in God’s Kingdom of love and light. Will you respond to God’s call to live fearlessly, and boldly reach out to others lost in the darkness?