Ephesians 6:12 (CSB)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
Have you ever found yourself at a place in life where you were fighting to resolve a certain issue, but everything you did just made things worse? It might just be that you’re applying your energy to the wrong fights and the wrong strategies, and that can be extremely frustrating.
For first-century Jewish readers, the baptism of Jesus, followed by Him going into the wilderness for 40 days, was a reenactment of the Exodus story of Israel. So following the story line after the 40-year wilderness wandering, Joshua (the Old Testament name for Jesus) leads the nation of Israel into Jericho to battle the enemies of God’s people. Anyone who reads this would see that Jesus, the Messianic leader of Israel, is about to go into battle. And the question is, with whom exactly is He going to battle?
The first-century Jews assumed Rome. They had occupied God’s Promised Land and were oppressing His people. So when the Messiah, the ruler of Israel, arrives on the scene, surely he will fight Rome and drive them out of the Promised Land, bringing God’s children into a time of peace and prosperity. But Jesus doesn’t go to battle with Rome; rather, He picks a fight with the Kingdom of Darkness.
When the Jews expected Jesus to storm a Roman fort or some pagan temple, He went in the opposite direction to the place of Jewish worship, a synagogue. And as usual, Jesus does the opposite of what everyone expects from Him, for He confronts not a sinister foreign enemy but a Jewish man in a Jewish place of worship. Their Roman oppression infuriated the people who had gathered in this synagogue to worship God. All the while, their real enemy had come in unnoticed, had taken ground among them, and was oppressing one of them.
No one expected this. They thought their enemy was Rome, a human physical problem, when the real enemy was in a whole different dimension. Jesus steps on the scene and exposes the real enemy. The one that has been sneaking in and destroying humanity from the beginning in Genesis chapter three. Many people got angry with Jesus when He didn’t label Rome as the bad guy. But Rome was the wrong enemy, and fighting the kingdom of Rome was a waste of time and effort.
At times, we do the same thing. We fight the wrong enemy. When we’re attacked by someone or mistreated, our natural inclination is to see them as the enemy and fight back with physical force to take back our rightful ground. It might just be that at your job or in your marriage, you’ve been duking it out with the wrong person.
Your fight is not against another person. It’s not about who’s right or who’s the strongest. The real battle is taking place in another dimension, where your real enemy has weaseled his way in unnoticed and is pulling the strings of pride, anger, and self-entitlement. All to get you focused on yourself, how you’ve been wronged, and what you deserve. Because your enemy knows when he can get you focused on yourself, he can influence you to go on the attack and fight his battle for him.
I’m not suggesting you do nothing when you’ve been wronged. You definitely need to fight. But you must keep in mind who your real enemy is, as it says in Ephesians 6:12 (CSB), “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.” And following the description of what God has provided you with for your battle, the Bible informs you on how to fight. “Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints,” Ephesians 6:18 (CSB). And that is how you fight; you fight on your knees. It’s not by your strength; it’s not for your rights. It’s for God’s Kingdom, His power, and His glory.
So take your position in Christ and “stand, therefore” (v. 14). And don’t seek your personal wants and expectations, but “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33, NLT). “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:7 (CSB).