Who are we fighting?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. – Ephesians 6.12

I think sometimes we get confused about who we are supposed to be fighting. There seems to be a tendency today to concentrate our efforts on a whole lot of flesh and blood battles. We take up arms against this or that government policy or this or that political party or this or that social agenda. We concentrate our focus  on the things we can see.

This attitude seems to have worsened in recent year. Christians in many parts of the west seem more concerned with fixing the ill of society that we forget about the needs of the lost and our really spiritual battles. In the US Christian are on the warpath against taxation and gun control and homosexuals and the president and this and that and that and this. We are fighting the people and not the problem.We are fighting the symptoms instead of the illness. 

But that isn't where our battle is supposed to be. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Our battle is spiritual. Our fight is far above this world.

Our main enemies are spiritual enemies. We fight all kinds of wickedness and evils - instead too many of us fight the people trapped in their sin. The various agencies addressed are all kinds of evil spiritual powers all around us.

Instead of fighting people and trying to bring about social change we need to focus our efforts on the spiritual battles with prayer and sharing our faith with those around. We can't fix society, but we can work for change in the hearts of men.

Let’s stop with the battle against flesh blood and focus on the battle that really counts.