“Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).
Here is a topic that doesn’t get much attention these days. We are seldom warned about the reality of a battle that is being waged in the spiritual realm. We don’t see it, therefore we don’t believe it’s real.
The Whole Armor of God
But spiritual warfare is real. You really do have an enemy. The fact you can’t see him makes him more dangerous, not less. The fact is that the devil may not be wise, but he is very, very smart.
And our battle is real. That is why the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to, “put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Because if you don’t put on the “whole armor of God” you will not “be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Battle for the Mind
The battle is a fight for control of your ideas, perspectives, and attitudes. If he can control them, he can control your thoughts, words, and deeds. “For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:19).
“Be sober, be vigilant; because” you are in a battle for your soul. There is a battle all around you, that is both real and invisible. The danger is real, the casualties are real, and the result is eternal. “We know that we are God’s children and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).