Jan
27
Not Always Heroic
Filed Under Devotional
“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.” Ephesians 6:12
This sounds like the tagline for a summer blockbuster with a supernatural theme. It sounds like the otherwise normal humans here on earth need to stand firm against these mystical demons and amorphous evil. It makes us sound so heroic and dramatic. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe that we do fight against three primary enemies: the world, the flesh, and Satan. So, that dramatic verse is accurate. But, don’t let your own pride misdirect you.
It’s easy for our prideful nature to drive us to believe that every bad event or trial in our lives is due to the enemy being personally involved in trying to knock us off track. Sometimes, we’re just tripping over our own feet. Sometimes, it’s not the enemy causing you to fight with your wife, you’re just being a jerk.
My point here is that while we certainly do fight unseen foes and stand firm with the armor of God, we cannot believe that this is the only fight. We must be willing to admit our own shortcomings and our own prideful desires that distract us. Sometimes, it’s just me screwing up and having to repent before God.
Admit it. Repent of it. Then, get back up and be heroic again.