Good News for Perfectionists By Kim HylandSample

Day Five

The Unseen Battle

Scripture: Ephesians 6:12

In the midst of our daily lives, it’s easy to forget we’re in a battle. Our forgetfulness may well be the most successful strategy of our enemy. 

We read the verses that are meant to prepare us for our spiritual battles, but then we set them aside for only the big trials of our lives. And we set ourselves up to be pummeled by the daily battles we face. We can spend a lifetime wrestling “against flesh and blood,” even our own, and never battle our true enemy.

But if we remember that we’re in an unseen battle every day that is more real than what we do see, both our big and small challenges begin to make more sense. Our eyes are opened to the sin that has tripped us up. We see how Satan is resisting the work of God in our lives and the lives of those we love. We see division and conflict as more than personal; they’re an attack on the unity of the body of Christ. We find a deeper motivation for life than our comfort and security. The Holy Spirit and his residence in us become the power we rely on. We embrace the battle and entrust our days and lives to God. And we join forces with Jesus in his incarnation and the eternal work it was meant to accomplish—freedom through the message of the gospel. 

I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that we don’t get a choice in the matter. If we have chosen to follow Christ, we have enlisted in spiritual battle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

The good news is that we were already in the battle before we made the choice to follow, but now we’re on the winning side. We’ve won! Embracing the battle actually helps make sense of our lives and our trials. Rather than seeing our pain, hardships, and weaknesses as places of discouragement because things aren’t working out the way we planned, we begin to see potential in them. 

Why does it make a difference in our lives when we remember that we are in a spiritual battle? Why are we more likely to remember the unseen battle during times of crisis than in daily life?