Ephesians 6:12 For 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.
“Fourscore and seven years ago…”
The source of human conflict began much earlier than Abraham Lincoln’s eloquent beginning to the Gettysburg Address.
Wars of all kinds plague human history. We can view conflict in every corner of the world, from the most civilized to the least. Every century offers new hot spots of war-related devastation. We cry out for peace, but if the UN peace-keeping efforts indicate anything, lasting peace doesn’t exist. Oppression and hostility toward others mark our fallen nature. And therein lies the root of the issue. Our struggle against flesh and blood pales next to the ongoing spiritual battle we face against the enemies of our soul.
I use the Gettysburg Address in an exercise to help my public speaking students develop better eye contact. Consequently, I’ve heard the speech hundreds of times and could probably recite the whole thing by heart at this point! Recently one particular line triggered my thoughts about spiritual warfare.
Lincoln said: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”
I paraphrased it like this: Now we are engaged in a great spiritual war, testing whether we as believers, conceived and dedicated by Jesus Christ, can long endure.
Paul warned believers to remember the great supernatural battle we face. I think it’s easy to forget we’re not fighting against flesh and blood. It’s not about that person who rejects us or about people who hurt and manipulate others. And it’s definitely not about people who have different political opinions. As long as we focus on the outer behavior, the more difficult it will be to prevail.
We will never be able to endure unless we recognize this great spiritual war. A conflict that requires us to lean completely on Jesus and use a different kind of armor (Eph 6:13-17).
So let’s walk in lasting peace and highly resolve to dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work of advancing this new birth of freedom …in Jesus Christ.