You might be asking why I must engage the enemy. It is apparent from scripture that he is already engaging you and if you do not learn how to stand firm against him then you will live a defeated life. You will suffer the consequences. Clearly Satan’s mission is to destroy the church and to convince you that you have no need of it; that you are quite capable of standing alone on your own spiritual journey.

Friends, this is a lie of the devil because once he separates you from the church then his mission is to cause chaos in your life and to attack you at every weak point. You will soon discover that it is Satan or his henchmen that can cause doubt, confusion, anxiety, depression, fear, and temptation to sin. It is he that can bring forth evil thoughts, such as thoughts of suicide, or cast you into a bed of sickness. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

Furthermore, Satan can use structures, traditions, and institutions in the world for his evil purposes. This has become quite evident throughout history that traditions and evil institutions have caused spiritual bondage, slavery, and mass murder. It is clear from Romans 13 that the social, political, judicial, and economic structures were meant to be a minister of God to keep lawlessness and all manner of evil in check. Therefore, God’s holy children were advised to be subject to those in authority. Yet by the time we get to Revelation 13 it is evident that these same institutions have become demonic while the state has become an ally of the devil. Because of this we must keep reminding our self that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers that are behind much of what we see in our world today. For the most part, they have been taken captive to do the will of Satan to wreck havoc in the world. It is up to the church as God’s new society to question the standards and values of contemporary society, challenge them, and demonstrate a viable alternative. At the same time, we must continue to bring our fight to the real enemy that stands behind the evil in our world who is manipulating and using those in power to accomplish his purpose.

Obviously we cannot stand on our own strength. We are very small and insignificant in our struggle against one so powerful, so why are we called to join the battle? Evidently the first reason is we are being attacked, which should give us reason enough to throw ourselves completely into the fray. Secondly, we are members of God’s holy church and fellow citizens of the Kingdom that’s under siege by Satan himself. To stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow brothers and sisters in our struggle against the enemy will not only bring relief to ourselves but will help deliver those caught in the snare of the devil. It will put the enemy to flight as God’s Kingdom steadily advances to every corner of our world.

Taken from my new book: “Stand Firm” (page 144-145)

Copyright © 2012 Rev. Daniel W. Blair – All content (blog articles) have been published in my new book: “Revelation Truth” available in our bookstore or at a bookstore near you.