We Do Not Wrestle Against Flesh And Blood
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.
We know that God created us with a purpose and He will use us to accomplish His plansThe Bible doesn’t tell us everything we need to know about the spiritual realm. It only gives us a glimpse of what is out there and why it matters. The Bible also doesn’t give specific instructions on how to “fight back” against the forces of darkness. But it does provide some clues:.
For Our Struggle Is Not Against Flesh And Blood
This is a powerful statement of truth, which can be applied to every area of our lives. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but we do wrestle against rulers and authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness and against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. We are called to carry on a spiritual fight that involves an invisible dimension.
In this world we often act as if we only have two options: 1) fight or 2) run away. But Jesus’ words teach us something different—that there is another way that looks like love instead of hate; hope instead of fear; forgiveness instead of revenge; gentleness instead of violence; selflessness instead of selfishness.
The Bible uses the term “principalities and powers” to describe these unseen forces of darkness. In Ephesians 6:12, for example, Paul instructed Christians to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” He explained that their struggle isn’t against flesh-and-blood enemies, but rather against spiritual forces who are working behind the scenesIt is also important to note that, in the original language, this passage is written in present tense. It says “we wrestle” rather than “we wrestled.” Paul is not talking about something that happened long ago, but something that is still going on today!.
Our enemies are not flesh-and-blood people, but rather spiritual forces at work behind the scenes.
For We Do Not Wrestle Against Flesh And Blood
As you read through this passage, it’s important to remember that Paul is speaking to Christians. He is addressing his audience as those who are being persecuted by the authorities and rulers of the Roman Empire. They were enduring abuse by those with power over them because they were Christians—but Paul assures them that this does not mean God has forsaken them!
In fact, he tells us exactly what we are up against: We wrestle against the rulers and authorities of darkness; we wrestle against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places (Eph 6:12). The Greek word translated “spiritual” here can also be translated “spirits,” so it is more accurate to say that we wrestle against evil spirits rather than just one spirit. This explains why these beings want YOUR SOUL! They want YOUR SOUL because they don’t have one themselves (Luke 8:30-31).
This spiritual fight may not be as visible as a physical battle, but it is just as real. Jesus taught us that what we believe about God and the world affects how we live in them. When we have a right understanding of God and His purposes for our lives, then we will live according to those truths.
In other words, we are called to live as people of God, who are not afraid to fight evil in all its disguises. But we can’t do it without the One who gives us strength and courageFor instance, Christians know that God is good and He created us to be good as well. Therefore, we will not live a life of sin because it goes against His nature (James 1:13-15). We also know that God loves us—so we can trust Him with our lives (Psalm 147:11; John 3:16)..
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.
You are not fighting against this world or the next, but rather the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers that operate in both. Those who are in high places may be considered “rulers” of this world. But Jesus said that there is a higher realm of power at work behind them all:
Flesh-and-blood enemies can be seen and touched, but spiritual adversaries cannot be seen with human eyes nor touched by human hands—they are invisible forces working behind the scenes to wreak havoc upon your life.
We can win this fight. We are not alone in our struggle against the powers of darkness. But, as St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians, we must be careful not to fall into temptation. The enemy is out there, trying to trick us into giving up our faith by telling ourselves that there is no evil and no one who wants us dead or hurt. We must remember what Jesus said about this world: “Do not be afraid; I am with you.”