Here in America right now we are seeing a battle rage on between many factions. This morning I was reminded WHO we are truly battling. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

“In every area of our lives, we must recognize that the authority under which we operate goes far beyond any human authority. God operates His Kingdom by His Word. The Bible is the divine blueprint by which all of life is to be lived. It is the benchmark by which all decisions should be made. If we are going to advance God’s kingdom, we must recognize and submit to the divine authority of His Word. What was the first thing Satan got Adam and Eve to do in the garden? He got them to question the authority of God’s Word.” (Dr. Tony Evans) 

I am watching hate-filled women and men coming against other men in an unprecedented way in this country. These people are not guided by God’s Word. We must know that no matter what the face looks like, it is not the person in front of us with whom we are wrestling–it is the dark spiritual forces of the prince of this earth–Satan himself.

The battle begins in the spiritual realm. And because you are a believer, you are already victorious in that realm even when everything around you in the visible, physical realm is telling you you’re defeated. If you want to access and walk in the victory that is already yours, you must address the physical spiritually. If you do not address the physical spiritually, you will continue to experience the effects of the physical realm’s domination.

Paul gives us the secret for how we can do this. After instructing us to put on the full armor of God, he goes to the next step in the process of battling in spiritual warfare when he says in Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”

Prayer isn’t the preparation for the battle, prayer IS the battle. We are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) and to “Put on the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:11). When we do both of these, we are submitting to God and recognizing that He is in control, and we are not. And then we “will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11); “and having done everything, to stand firm” (Eph. 6:13) and “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

We won’t be able to fight the devil’s schemes in our own power or by using the same weapons that our enemies do. The Lord has already won the war. But it is up to us to pray without ceasing and stand firm against the devil’s schemes. We will win this battle on our knees and in God’s might!