Many of us have grown up only ever knowing peacetime … yet God says, we are at war. We follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, yet he calls us to fight. And the battle that rages is not just for a time – no, it’s the fight of our lives.
In Ephesians 6 we hit these realities head on, with talk of strength and struggle, of standing firm and standing your ground, of armour, power, shields and swords.
Our greatest battle is not against a pandemic and our greatest enemy is not a bunch of people. No, “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” (Ephesians 6:12). Put simply, our great enemy is the devil and the forces of evil that work alongside him (6:11).
When the allied forces were preparing for the D-Day landings, they famously installed a decoy army of inflatable tanks and dummy landing craft. They were placed along the coast in South East England, to make the enemy think the invasion would be attempted via Calais. The diversion worked and the enemy wasn’t clear from where the attack would come.
Yet in the battle we fight as believers, there is no great surprise about how the devil will attack us. One of the great themes of Ephesians is that God is building a new humanity (2:14, 15). The result is a church, a people (3:10), who will, by living in unity and living distinctively, make known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm the manifold wisdom of God.
“It’s as if Satan, defeated by the blood of Jesus on the cross, looks at the church and in seeing a picture of the future, realises that his days are numbered.”
Simon Austen writes: “It’s as if Satan, defeated by the blood of Jesus on the cross, looks at the church and in seeing a picture of the future, realises that his days are numbered.”1
Of course he hates that, and so as the devil schemes against God’s people (6:11), this is where he will attack.
First, he will attack our unity – how we love one another.
In Ephesians 4:3-6, Paul urges us to make every effort to maintain the unity that is ours in Christ Jesus. The devil hates our expressions of unity! They speak to the world about the transforming power of the gospel, so he will do everything to tear you apart from your brothers and sisters.
Be on your guard! He would love to divide your church or mission team. It might not take much – someone upset when their preference for Covid rules or a church refurb doesn’t get the nod; someone taking great offence at a misguided comment.
As many of you know too well, the devil is really, really good at this. One of the hardest and saddest parts of my role is watching this happen: relationships destroyed; time and attention distracted; witness to the lost side-lined.
Secondly, he will attack how we live – our new humanity.
The Christian, Paul says, being found in Christ Jesus, is to live like Jesus. We’re to put off the old self and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (4:24).
This battle isn’t just happening in our Christian activities – on the mission team, at the preacher training, or at the kids’ club. No, the battle is raging in our hearts. The devil longs that we’d put the old self – marked by impurity and greed, anger and falsehood, immorality and foolish talk – back on.
It is a battle that plays out in our bedrooms and our boardrooms as much as in our Bible studies; on our smartphones and in our staff rooms, as much as on our special times of mission.
Let’s not be complacent – we’re fighting a battle; we’re waging a war. May God help us and those we support in mission, to keep putting on the full armour of God, 6:13, “so that when then the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Article by Michael Prest, Director, UFM Worldwide