Paul tells us, ‘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.’ (Eph 6:12) So often, we feel thwarted by people, discouraged by opposition and put down by others. We can be preoccupied by tensions with people – in our families, in our workplace, in our neighbourhoods and even, sadly, in our churches. All division ultimately comes from the enemy who seeks to wreck the work of God by every method imaginable. If Jesus said that the world would know His disciples by love (John 13:35), it’s obvious that a lack of love is one of the methods he regularly uses to discredit the church, along with disillusionment, infighting and a critical spirit.
We need to understand who the real enemy is and pray accordingly. People are not the problem in themselves. We are in a spiritual battle. We face spiritual forces of evil who do not want to see God’s kingdom come on earth. However, we can be confident God will not let these powers triumph, for Christ has disarmed those powers and authorities and has triumphed over them by the cross. (Col 2:15)