Our fight is not always with the physical realities right in front of us. There are also unseen spiritual forces clashing all around. But acknowledging this spiritual warfare is not an excuse to passively play the victim. In fact, it’s a call to put our armor on so we can continue fighting the good fight.
On the one hand, we simply frustrate ourselves when we remain willfully ignorant to the spiritual forces operating in our story. When we’re blind to the thief of goodness, it’s easy to assume that we must just be blowing it ourselves when we’re faced with the different hurdles and setbacks of life. If only we would do better or be better life wouldn’t be so hard.
Of course, there are many challenges that are just part of life in this world and not directly related to spiritual warfare. Sometimes a flat tire is just a flat tire, and we simply fix it and carry on. But, at other times, the timing and nature of our difficulties seem to suggest something more is going on – as if every effort we take toward goodness is opposed.
It’s good in these moments to at least recognize we might be in the crosshairs of our enemy. All the same, recognizing is not giving up. We don’t neglect the good we’ve been called to do just because we’ve met resistance. Quite the opposite; we put our armor on and lean in.
To be sure, it’s a lack of faith and maturity to use the reality of spiritual warfare as an excuse to stop fighting for the good, or as the reason we cannot accomplish the work God has given us to do.
In the end, acknowledging spiritual warfare is a reminder we’re at war and that we need to put on the whole armor of God – standing firm advancing the good. It’s not an excuse to blame our failures on unseen spiritual forces.
Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on Unsplash
