For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
There has been a revival in our day of interest in the spirit world. While there has always been interest in the supernatural, with the rise of Rationalism that interest was somewhat diminished, at least in our culture. But Rationalism does not have all the answers, and along with this realization has come a renewed interest in the unseen realm.
The role of the supernatural has been given great publicity by the New Age Movement. There has also been a rise of occultic and satanic cults in society. There is an organization for those who practice witchcraft. From magazines to movies, the subject is constantly being raised. You can even dial a hot-line number to be instantly placed in touch with your own "personal" psychic advisor.
What about the supernatural? Is there an unseen realm populated by spirit beings? Who are these spirit beings? Are they the souls of people who have died? Are they angels and demons, followers of God and Satan?
The Bible teaches clearly that there is a spirit world. This world is populated, not by ghosts, but by spirit beings which have been created by God. We know them as angels and demons. These spirit beings were created by God to serve Him and to do His bidding.
Satan, who was originally one of the chief angels, led a rebellion against God. In Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:11-19, and Revelation 12:3-4 we read how this beautiful and anointed angel wanted to be like God. He became exalted in his own pride and was thrown out of heaven. As he was cast down he took a third of the angels with him. These followers of Satan are the demonic enemy.
From the Scripture, we know a number of things about these spirit beings. They were created by God. Colossians 1:16 says, "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created by Him and for Him." The invisible spirit beings refer to angels. God created them.
These beings are sexless. Speaking of angelic beings, Jesus says in Matthew 22:30, "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." Angels are neither male nor female.
These beings never die, they are eternal. In Luke 20:36 we read, "For neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels." Angels have no limit to their existence.
These beings, though they are eternal, are not omniscient. Jesus, speaking of His return, says in Mark 13:32, "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even angels in heaven." Concerning the gospel, in 1 Peter 1:12 we read that there are "Things into which angels long to look." In other words, there are things angels do not know.
But these beings are powerful. We read in Isaiah 37:36 how one angel killed 185,000 men in one night. Psalm 103:20 says, "Bless the Lord, you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!" They are not omnipotent like God, but are far more powerful than any man.
Angels are active in the lives of believers. In Daniel 6:22 we read that God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths and save Daniel from certain death. In 1 Kings 19:5 we read of the angel ministering to Elijah when he was in the midst of despair and distress. In Acts 5:19 and 12:8-11 we read of how an angel twice delivered Peter from prison.
And we also find in Scripture that the numbers of angels are huge. There are millions, if not billions of angelic beings in existence all over this world.
We also know from Scripture that there is both rank and organization of angelic beings. Our Scripture today talks about "rulers . . . powers . . . world forces of this darkness . . . spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Rulers and powers refer to different ranks of angelic beings.
There are far too many references in Scripture to these spirit beings than we are able to share in this brief overview. I encourage you to do your own study of angelic and demonic beings.
With all emphasis in Scripture, however, we should be more than superficially acquainted with these beings. With perhaps billions of unseen entities encircling us at all times, we should not only be aware of their presence, but also aware of their activity in our midst. You see, none of them are neutral towards us. There are some who are friendly towards us. But there are others who are not. In fact, they are extremely hostile. They are our enemies. We must understand who they are, how they work, and how to combat their influence in our lives.
From Scripture we understand that there is a spirit world. We have seen that there are unseen forces that do good and others that do evil. We have also seen that none of these spirits are neutral. Herein lies our problem.
The reality of the spirit world brings us face to face with another reality. It is the reality of spiritual warfare. It is important to think biblically about demons because all of us, without exception, must endure the attack demons.
Our text emphasizes this warfare: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
We are in a struggle. Our struggle is not against other humans, but it is against spiritual forces of wickedness, which are demonic powers. This conflict is a warfare. It is a struggle against these forces. And we, like it or not, are placed in the role as a spiritual soldier. Indeed, the choice is between becoming an effective soldier or becoming a defeated casualty.
It should be obvious from our text that these demon spirits are set against us as well. Their purpose, like their leader Satan’s, is to fight against God and His work. Satan is a liar, so are they. Satan is a deceiver, so are they. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), so do they. This is their purpose.
How do they accomplish this purpose? What is their strategy? What are their schemes? Well, insofar as their attack against Christians is concerned, the Scripture reveals that the primary place of their assault is on our minds.
Demons seek to influence the way we think. When they can accomplish that, they can then control our behavior. Proverbs 23:7 says concerning our behavior, "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." If Satan and his subordinates can get us to believe a lie, if he can deceive us, he can then make us live our lives on the basis of that lie.
This is a powerful strategy indeed. If demonic influence can convince that we cannot overcome a particular sin, for instance, then we will continue to live in that sin. If demonic influence can convince that a certain circumstance will surely defeat us, then we will program ourselves to be defeated.
Expectations count for so very much in anyone’s life. Very often we receive what we expect, because those expectations control how we respond and how we act. If you believe you are a failure, then you will act like a failure, and become a failure. Expectations. You might use another word — faith. The two are very similar.
How are we to combat the demonic activity which comes against us? If we are in a warfare, are there any weapons we can use to defeat the enemy? Since we are engaged in a supernatural conflict, what are the supernatural weapons available to us?
The supernatural weapons available to us consist of two powerful offensive weapons and a number of defensive pieces of armor. In the verses both before and after Ephesians 6:12, the armor of God is mentioned. There are a number of pieces of armor which are given to protect us. There is a girdle of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, a shield of faith, and a helmet of salvation. Additionally, there are gospel boots. These are all defensive in nature. Then there is the sword of the Spirit. This offensive weapon is defined as "the Word of God." And finally, there is another offensive weapon — "all prayer and petition."
We attack the enemy through prayer and a use of the Word of God. We rebuff his attacks by being clothed in the armor of God. What is in view here is a lifestyle in which we live for Jesus and rely on His Word and on prayer.
The function of His Word and prayer is to change our minds, to transform them into minds that think biblically. The function of the armor is to cause our lives to be such that there is no place for Satan to strike. When we are walking in truth, righteousness, salvation, and faith, the flaming missiles of the evil one simply bounce off. There are no gaps in that armor.
But there is one overriding reason why all of this supernatural weaponry is utilized. The reason is "that you may be able to resist." The main method which brings us success against the attack of demonic powers is to resist.
In James 4:7 we read, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Our strategy in using the armor and weaponry of God is to submit to God and to resist the devil. We are given the promise that if we will do these things then the devil will flee. This is the truth of God.
We must remember that one of the devil’s biggest lies is that he can do more to us than he really can. Demons are real. Then can do terrible things. We must not make the mistake of acting like they don’t exist. But we also must not make the mistake of assigning to them more power than they have. While we cannot defeat them in our own strength, as we resist them in the power of God they must flee.
This does not mean that our struggle is any less a real conflict. Sometimes the battle is difficult. There are times when we must work hard at prayer. There are times when we must labor long and hard at diligently searching the Scriptures. There are times when we must discipline our own lives to live in obedience, careful obedience, to the Word of God. But as we stand against the enemy, and resist his attack in this way, then he has no choice but to leave us alone.
When we do find ourselves under the attack of the enemy, there may be times, however, when we need the help of other believers. While I find absolutely no evidence in Scripture that a Christian can be possessed, there is ample evidence that a Christian can be under such attack that he is so oppressed that his condition could be called bondage. This oppression may require the assistance of other believers to help. They may need to pray for you and encourage you and keep standing with you over time for you to find total freedom. If the influence over your mind is severe and ingrained, it may take the positive, prayerful intervention of other believers to set you free, and it may take some time. After all, you didn’t develop the patterns of thought overnight, and you will not retrain your mind overnight.
The spirit world is a reality. Spiritual warfare is a reality. In Christ, victory can be a reality. But we must clothe ourselves in the armor of God, and we must use the powerful weapons that are provided by God.
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