Ephesians 6:12 (NASB)

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

For some the enemy is a political party. For others it’s an ideology. Perhaps it’s “the system” or “the man” or “the swamp.”  Maybe for you it’s capitalism, or socialism, or some other “ism.” There are plenty of things in the world that seem like the enemy for a Christian, but today’s verse boils that down into one critical fact: behind all of them is a dark spiritual reality.

Satan and his minions have been given a lot of latitude in the here and now of life on earth. The combination of a fallen world, sinful man, spiritual darkness, and an aggressive enemy makes for a potent war scenario. Yes, man is personally responsible for his actions, but behind his actions are years of messaging by the forces of darkness who utilize human depravity and their victim’s sin nature to ensnare them into a self-deluding fantasy where anything goes and there is no ultimate judge. Take a few moments to read the first two books of Romans if you need a refresher course!

Instead of seeing other people as your enemy, it helps to see them as people who have been offered an elaborate lie and have chosen to believe it as a way of escaping that which they actually know to be true (see Romans 1 & 2). It also helps to remember that you used to be just like them, trapped in a strong delusion that was part their making and part the lies of a vengeful former angel known as Satan. Jesus saw His “enemies” as such and was able to say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). We are called to do the same.