On Spiritual Combat: Identifying The AdversarySample

Rulers of Darkness

“We wrestle not with flesh and blood.” Thus we are told, and thus we establish from the very beginning, without any doubt or hesitation, that we are in a spiritual battle against supernatural forces of unspeakable evil and depravity. To firmly establish the baseline between the villain and the hero in our story of life, look at Derek Prince’s work Spiritual Warfare for the End Times: How to Defeat the Enemy. Prince tells us: “The thief here is the person of satan. The role is contrasted clearly with Jesus’ role: satan is the life-taker; Jesus is the life-giver.”

As Christians, we understand the enemy is satan. But in our modern world, how do we identify him? The enemy, satan, is a thief. He is here to take life, to steal, to kill, to destroy. This is evident in the untold number of massacres on religious, school, and business properties in recent history. This is evident in the violent crimes across our nation. We can also see it in the murderous, tyrannical, and oppressive governments of many nations across the globe.

While we understand and accept that the enemy is satan, we must also recognize that he regularly uses human beings to execute his plan to take innocent lives. Jesus said as much when he spoke to individuals who were plotting to kill him: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I speak the truth, you do not believe me!” (John 8:44 NIV). We only have to scan the daily news to find proof that the evil one will use mortal tools, human beings engaging in horrendous evil acts that can daunt and paralyze us. We must prepare to defend what we love in the mortal realm, just like we prepare for fire with smoke alarms, fire codes, fire extinguishers, and fire exits. But it is absolutely essential that we always remember this: ultimately, the battle will be won or lost in the spiritual realm.

Identifying the enemy allows us to prepare our minds and hearts to overcome the overwhelming fear of deadly encounters with evil, both physically and spiritually. Becoming a spiritual warrior will make us vastly better in physical combat. But the lessons of physical combat can also assist us in our spiritual endeavors.

We must accept this challenge to fight evil, physically and spiritually. We must choose to be the light, in the darkness of a fallen world.