Our Struggle Is Not
Against Flesh
And Blood
Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so
that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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
Lord’s people.
Ephesians
6:10-18
No amount of effort
can compensate for the power of the inner ear to disrupt and disturb. When our
inner ear is unbalanced, we are unbalanced. This can be frustrating and
frightening.
But life is like that
too. Something unexpected happens and it throws our routine off. It might be
bad news about our job, or our health. It may be caused by our spiritual enemy.
In each case, our emotional equilibrium is hammered, and we feel as if we
cannot stand.
Those moments should
cause us to turn to God. When we feel we are losing our balance, He can help.
When life knocks us
off our feet, we don’t have to be frustrated. With God’s strength lifting us up
and God’s armor protecting us, we can still stand strong.
We can
endure anything if we depend on God for everything.
Our Daily Bread –