The Spirit That Surrounds Us
From personal experience, I think we forget what we are facing when making the decision for Christ to be his follower and desiring the gifts the spirit has to offer. We forget what exactly happens in the spiritual realm when we say yes to him. We are not ever against flesh and blood.
Isn’t that crazy to think about?
When we disagree with someone, it’s not against who they are, but it’s against the devil or the spirit inside them or even us. The spirit has come against us to act against the way of love that Jesus intended. We should yearn to be like Jesus and to be so consumed with what Jesus is about that we recognize the moment darkness comes to destroy us. I want to share a dream I had almost 2 years ago and paint a picture for you of what God showed me about this verse.
“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 6:12
A Vivid Dream
I had dreamed in detail a fight that was brewing between my daughter's father and his ex-girlfriend. In the dream, I was there to protect her father against his ex. My physical body was arguing with her when our spirits suddenly came out, and we were fighting above our heads. We had swords, and we were attacking one another, stabbing at each other, trying to tear the other person apart in the spiritual realm. I remember waking up thankful that I finally had understanding for what it meant to know no argument on this earth is ever flesh and blood. I might’ve been arguing with her in the reality of the dream, but my spirit was fighting hers for whatever darkness was over both of us. We didn’t recognize the devil; we only recognized a disagreement against one another.
Related Post: What Distracts You or Knocks You Off Track?
We have to be aware. It’s so easy to blame your disagreement with your spouse on them, but the truth is that your spouse is not who you are at war with. You and your spouse stand on the same side against the devil. When we are for God, we are against the devil, and when your marriage or friendships are with God, that means they too are against the devil. He wants nothing more than to play you against aga another to make you believe that person is against you when the truth is the devil is standing there laughing as you fight. He’s getting so excited that you’ve confused your battle to being against flesh rather than being against him.
Acting Out
Whenever I think back, I can think of how the devil or a spiritual presence (not of the Lord) came over me and made me say something I don’t actually think or feel. In a fight, maybe you’ve told your spouse, “we should just get a divorce.” Maybe you’ve even cussed at your kid because you’re frustrated about other things going on around you, and you accidentally take it out on your kid. (Goodness, no good Christian would ever do that, right?)
Well, let me tell you, I’ve said these things *GASP*.
I can tell you that, at the moment, I was not the woman who loves Jesus. Instead, I was lost and broken listening to the wrong voice. I know that I’m not alone in the moments of saying things that I would never say when I’m in complete intimacy with the father because the woman who is intimate with the father is the one I strive and desire to be always. We are not against our family, our friends, our children, or our spouse. We stand next to them against the devil. Do not get that confused.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:2
Prayer Changes Things
My family is Disney Annual pass-holders, and we have to be reminded how to renew our minds often in the heat of the lines in the grumpy parents and the annoyed person who didn’t get their way. It’s a reminder of how grateful I am for grace. A few weekends ago, we were visiting for my daughter's early birthday celebration when we ended up behind a man for about a minute and a half who was cussing up a storm about how ridiculous the lines were and how hot it was outside. I started to pray in my head for this man to calm down, so he would enjoy Disney. It wasn’t until we got home that I realized this man's words were a spiritual attack.
How so?
The Devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy any fun. He wants to pervert the image of anything he can to make it seem miserable or wrong. God delights in our happiness, so we cannot allow the devil to scheme against what makes us happy.The renewal of our minds happens when we begin to think like Jesus and love like Jesus. I never see Jesus point his finger to get his point across. But, I see Jesus get on his knees to the level of the person hurting. I see Jesus defending the lost to the point of death. Jesus was in such intimacy with the father that he could always recognize what the devil was doing. We should want that we should be transformed that when we see broken people, we recognize their hurt and get to their level rather than judge them.Remember, we are not fighting against people. We are fighting against something so much bigger than we must recognize our place as Christians to be love.