Rev (Dr) Quek Suan Yew

WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD

Ephesians 6:12, “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.”

We thank God for enabling us to plan another annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) and Church Family Camp in 2017. They are both a joyous time of blessed Christian fellowship and fellowship with our heavenly Father through the study of God’s Word. In the midst of the busyness of planning and making all the physical arrangements, let us not forget that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against principalities in the spiritual realm. We need to pray for ourselves and one another. We must pray for travelling mercies for the children attending the VBS and to the camp site and back. We must pray for the speakers and teachers of God’s Word to all. We must pray without ceasing. We are in a spiritual warfare!

What does the Bible mean that we wrestle not against flesh and blood? Paul charged the Christian to be strong in the LORD and to put on the whole armour of God because he does not wrestle against flesh and blood. He wrote in Ephesians 6:10-11, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Any obstacle, including persons, that tries to prevent these events and all the participants of these events from attending is part of this wrestling. The thing or obstacle or person is not the one we must be worried about. What concerns us is the spiritual situation that we find ourselves in. As Christians, we must remember that we are spiritual people and everything that we touch and do and say has a spiritual significance that was not there before salvation.

The Real Reality – “That we wrestle not against flesh and blood” is a very important observation made by the Apostle Paul. If what he has written is true, and it definitely is, then we would be wasting our time and energy to focus on “flesh and blood” issues. The reality that we were used to as unbelievers was the physical realm. We were angry because of friends who betrayed us, fights with our parents over late nights, and in turn parents were heartbroken by their children’s waywardness; we felt frustrated because of retrenchment, bullies in school, wicked co-workers at work who sabotaged us, sickness that plagued and weakened us when we desired health and strength; and the list goes on. These trials have broken our spirits and hearts. They appear so real because we can see and touch them. We experienced painful events that seem to imply that God has left us alone to fend for ourselves. Yet the great Apostle Paul says that these are not the real realities. These are facades. The real reality is not “flesh and blood” but the spiritual realm invisible to the human naked eye.

What does it mean to say that our real reality is the spiritual realm? When the Christian is retrenched, he should not see the boss as the one who retrenched him but the higher Hand of God that has allowed him to lose his job. This biblical perspective of our heavenly Father as the Almighty God affects our response to the situation. Normally we would react angrily at the boss who retrenched us, all the more so if we have given our best. But when we see the spiritual reality, we know that our Heavenly Father is in absolute control, not the boss. We stop worrying and keep on trusting. We stop murmuring and repent of our faithlessness and keep praying. Losing our jobs is not a sin but our murmurs and faithless reactions are. This includes EVERYTHING we experience in this life AFTER we have become Christians whereby our reality has changed dramatically one hundred and eighty degrees. The cancer we are going through is the best way for us to witness for God, therefore we do not complain but smile at the storm! When we think of the impending near future whereby our young children will grow up without us, we feel the overwhelming sadness and tears will probably flow. But when we think of our all-powerful heavenly Father, and know that He knows best, and that our children are precious gifts (lives) entrusted to us by HIM and He has already given us these years with them, for these we are thankful and grateful. He loves them more than we can ever love them. He will continue to take care of them even in our absence. If this is the way that our loving heavenly Father wants to mould them to become His servants, then we trust Him to do all things well for us and for our children. Our heavenly Father has promised us that He will never leave us and never forsake us. Not even death can separate us from Him and our children as long as they are also in Christ Jesus. Therefore if there is a parting it is temporary and not eternal. One day there will be the blessed reunion that awaits us as a family, not based upon our blood, but the blood of Jesus Christ who has cleansed and saved us all. THIS IS OUR REAL REALITY!

The Real Fight – Before salvation we were dead in sin, all of us without exception were in this spiritual condition of deadness and condemnation. Now that we are saved, the Bible says that we are no longer dead in sin, but alive in Christ. Before our salvation we were blind, but now we see. We have died with Christ. We are risen with Christ and have a new life in Christ. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” We are imparted with the God-given ability to see the Truth and the spiritual realm that we exist in, even though we are still in the world. With this new “sight”, we understand the real fight as we live for Christ. It is a fight for the faith which is the Word of God. It is a fight for souls, the souls of those who are bound for Hell. This includes the souls of our colleagues whom we work and rub shoulders with, our friends, uncles, aunties, fathers and mothers, grandparents, sons and daughters - all of them who are still dead in sin and are still blind just like we were in time past. We are in a real fight for their souls to be in Heaven with Christ. It is a fight that is not fought with carnal weapons like guns and knives, bombs and missiles. These are useless and powerless in this fight.

We also fight against spiritual forces that seek to destroy the holy witness of Christians by deceiving them into sinning against God and one another. Other than witnessing to sinners for Christ, we are to serve other believers in a local church through the spiritual gifts that God has given to all His children. God has equipped all His children with at least one spiritual gift. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” [Emphasis added] God has revealed that the Spirit of God has divided out of all the spiritual gifts “to every man [Christians only] severally as he will.” When there is no unity but discord among us, Satan wins. There must be forgiveness and repentance among us as Christians. This is a battle that is not flesh and blood but a spiritual one. Pray for a forgiving heart to forgive others, no matter how painful the hurt is. The church of Christ is a battle ground as well as a home away from home for all of us as God’s children! We need to equip ourselves to fight this battle and keep our “home” safe.

The spiritual weapons given to us by God are the perfect Bible and prayer. We need to study the Bible with a heart of obedience so that we become more and more Christ-like through a more developed mind of Christ. The Bible commands us to pray without ceasing because our spiritual battle is without ceasing. It is more than just having an attitude of prayer but we are to actually pray all the time. Spiritual weapons are needed to win this fight. Putting on the whole armour of God is the spiritual preparation needed to win this fight. Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

We must therefore pray quietly in our “closets” and also corporately as a church. The attacks are spiritual both from within and without. Satan and his evil hosts will never cease in their attacks on Christians and God’s perfect Word. His minions are the fallen demons, and men and women including children who bow down to him and do his bidding. Some of them may be ignorant of the satanic wiles but that does not mean that they are not doing his satanic will. They are doing it in a deluded state whereby they sincerely believe that what they are doing is of God, but in reality they are doing the devil’s bidding. This is his devious plot in execution. The men, women and children who do his satanic bidding could even be our friends and loved ones. Satan does not care, as long as he succeeds in making us sin and doubt God and His Holy and perfect Word. He has blinded the world to do his bidding. As Christians we have had our eyes opened by God through Christ. We must not do Satan’s bidding and must repudiate all that is false and carnal in our lives. 2 Corinthians 4:2-4, “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” We must expose Satan’s will and ways with patience and long-suffering.

The Real Battle Field – Once we are truly born again, our salvation is secured. But that does not mean that we will automatically bear a godly witness and will always win in the real spiritual battle. We have to walk by faith daily and have our whole armour on. The battle has been won by Christ on the cross when He died for our sins. But the daily battles that we fight are in our homes, schools, work places, churches, Bible Colleges, etc. It is not the location per se but the people and circumstances we encounter in these places that have caused many of us to sin against God and one another. To pray without ceasing is very needful. Christ lived and died for us to save us. Now we are required to live and die for Christ to save others.

To pray without ceasing is not an option but an indispensable privilege given to us only. Only our prayers can move the hand of the Almighty God to our aid and also to the aid of those whom we pray for. This is the spiritual arena where the real battle is fought. Our wayward children will have their hearts transformed before God’s throne of grace and mercy when we pray. It is not by nagging them to death or by enticing them to obey. Our spousal quarrels can be mended before God’s throne of grace when hearts are softened to forgive one another with renewed agape love. Friends remain friends for life and no adversity can break the brotherly love because it is tied together with the unbreakable bond of the blood of Christ, and through incessant prayer, and agape love for the same Saviour, as demonstrated by David and Jonathan.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood means that we must pray, for the real battle is before God’s throne of grace and mercy. The principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world and wickedness in high places are soundly defeated when we pray for God’s strength and submit to His holy will for our lives. When we do not pray, we are helpless against the real satanic enemies. AMEN.