Spiritual Warfare
Nations fight nations; people fight other people, their parents, the system. However, we are all participants in a greater war whether we realize it or not and this war will continue throughout our life on earth. This spiritual war goes on whether we realize it or not and determines our eternal destiny.
The good news is that we have the opportunity to choose which side we will be on. We are by default on the side of Satan and are already judged and condemned to eternal separation from God. We can choose to make peace with God and be declared righteous, John 3:18-19. God provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him and end the separation. Jesus Christ, His only son, gave his life to pay for our disobedience. Again the Apostle John explains it to us, John 3:16. Then the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:1 that when we have made peace with God and are in Christ Jesus we are no longer under condemnation.
Mankind is at war, a spiritual war, with the devil, the flesh, and the world. We can make peace with God and with His help we can then have victory over over these three enemies. If one does not make peace with God there is no hope for an eternal life of peace and happiness and they lose this spiritual war. The good news is that the end of this war will bring eternal life, a life without suffering or problems, that is - if we make peace with God. God has provided a way through Jesus Christ for all people on earth to have peace with God if they so desire.
One of the enemies in this spiritual war is the devil, known as Satan, who is an external enemy. He is the enemy of all mankind whether they have made peace with God or not. Many people assume the devil is only the enemy of those who have made peace with God but this is not true. Satan intends to destroy all mankind, no matter their standing with God. This means there can be no comfort for those who turn away from God and ignore Him or reject Him.
One might think they can disregard Satan and all will be well, but such thinking will allow Satan to destroy them. The only way we can stand against Satan is to have peace with God. It is only through peace with God that we can have the armor to stand against Satan, Ephesians 6:10-18. This war with the devil and his demons can only be defeated with spiritual weapons, not with physical or carnal weapons.
Through the devil and his demons, evil runs rampant in the world today. However, God restrains the devil and prevents a lot of the evil in the world, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-11. God has a restrainer, the Holy Spirit, and He will restrain evil until the Spirit is taken out of the way, 2 Thessalonians 2:7. When the restrainer is removed during the tribulation we will see the full manifestation of the devil and his demons since evil will no longer be restrained.
Another enemy in this spiritual war is an internal enemy, the flesh. The desires of the flesh are opposed to the things of God. If we follow the desires of the flesh we will be at war with God. The desires of the flesh are immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, envy, drunkenness, and other similar things. Even if one has made peace with God they will still have a problem with the flesh. Through Jesus Christ, God made a way for all mankind to have peace with Him and overcome the flesh.
The flesh is at war with the Spirit and the two are in a continual conflict, Galatians 5:13-21. This warfare between the Spirit and the flesh is the chief source of conflict in the life of a Christian. When it comes to sin the devil didn't make us do it as many claim. The devil through the flesh enticed us into showing what is in our hearts, Matthew 15:19. James tells us that the source of our sin is giving in to our lusts, James 1:13-15. When we yield to the lusts of our hearts sin is conceived. We are enticed by the lusts of our own flesh and not by the lusts of the devil, his demons, or anyone else.
The third enemy in this spiritual war is the world. We need God's help to overcome this enemy, 1 John 2:15. Satan is the God of this world and blinds the minds of those who do not know of Jesus. If you have not made peace with God you should be aware that Satan uses this world system, which he controls, to blind the minds of those who do not believe, to destroy and damn souls, to entice Christians to sin. If you have made peace with God this world will do everything possible to hinder your Christian life.
If we fail to make peace with God the hostilities between man and God will continue and we lose this spiritual war. In addition we will have no help with our other enemies, Satan, the flesh and the world. If we make peace with God we will then be able to be victorious in the battle of life and overcome the Satan, the flesh, and the world. We will still experience tribulation, evil and suffering in this life but for those who chose God there is a day coming when there will be a separation from tribulation, sin, evil, and suffering.
All mankind has eternal life but the question is, where will we spend eternity after this brief life here on earth? Unlike other world religions, Christianity teaches there are only two destinations after one leaves this life, to be with God or to be eternally separated from him in a lake of fire. There are no other opportunities to change our destiny after death. The apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews 9:27, that we are appointed once to die and after that the judgment.
