For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done (fully accomplishing) all, to stand.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. Our fight is not with our brother, our sister, our neighbor, our co-worker, or our spouse. They are not the real enemy. We must learn to look past the hostile behavior of people and begin to stand against the powers and wicked entities that are using people and provoking the behavior.
The word "wiles," tends to conjure up cartoon images of the Road Runner and Wiley coyote, at least in some.That is not necessarily a bad thing if it helps keep us aware that our enemy is relentlessly hatching plots to destroy us--but all other comparisons should stop right there. Because no matter how hard Wiley Coyote tried to destroy Road Runner, he never succeeded.
On the other hand, our enemy, Satan, is very good at accomplishing the destruction he sets out to inflict. Unless the one he is attacking knows how to put on God's armor and how to use it.
The Greek word translated "wiles," in Ephesians 6:11, is translated from the Greek word "methodeia" (pronounced Method-i-ah). Does that word have a familiar ring to it? It should. Does it sound anything like our English word "method?"
Hmmm....The methods of the devil....
Combine the word methodeia with the word "trickery," which is part of the meaning methodeia, and we begin to see a clear picture of an enemy who not only uses trickery to trap and destroy, but he is extremely organized and systematic about it.
It is no hit and miss operation that Satan is running. Because of this, we cannot afford to be lackadaisical in our attitudes about an enemy that we are warned in scripture to be vigilant against.
The studies in this section are designed to equip us to stand and fight victoriously against this intelligent, well organized, and powerful, spiritual enemy. This series of articles contains no spiritual platitudes--no feel good stuff. Instead, readers may find themselves dealing uncomfortably with more reality than they are accustomed to.
This study is not for the faint of heart. Persevere.
Hungry for more? Link to podcast of Armor p2 (not a transcript of this post)
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