The Real Enemy

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

For many years medical researchers thought that stomach ulcers were caused by stress and spicy foods. Then, in 1982, two Australian researchers discovered the helicobacter pylori bacterium and proved that it was the cause of some stomach ulcers. In 1994, the National Institutes of Health agreed and recommended treating ulcers with antibiotics instead of with milk.

In medicine, the enemy has to be identified before the proper defense can be used. And the same is true in the spiritual life. Many Christians, while believing in the devil generally, have not identified him as being the enemy of their personal lives. The apostle Paul wrote that the Christian’s struggle in life is against spiritual powers under the control of Satan. To fail to identify one’s true enemy is to fail to defeat him. It takes spiritual defenses to defeat a spiritual enemy.

When you find yourself in a soul-sick state, make sure you identify the cause. If it is spiritual in nature, only God’s spiritual remedies will cure you.

Jesus invited us not to a picnic, but to a pilgrimage; not to a frolic, but to a fight.

BILLY GRAHAM