What does Ephesians 6:12 mean? Not against flesh and blood... But against spiritual forces of evil

Day 24

"For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" 

Ephesians 6:12

My Prayer

Yahweh, my Heavenly Father, thank You for this scripture.^Y I praise You for the power that is in it and thank You for what You will do through it (Isaiah 55:11). Please reveal its meaning to our minds (Psalm 119:18)...

Heavenly Father, in Ephesians 6:10-20 You have revealed the reality of life in this world. There is an invisible realm of fallen angels who serve the prince of this world in which we live.^3.1g They wage war against those who testify of Your Son (Revelation 12:17). They are in the "heavenly places". "Heavenly places" appears to be the spiritual realm of both Your kingdom and Satan's ("spiritual forces of wickedness"). Your throne is in heaven (Psalm 11:4) and Satan has at times had access to You (Job 1:6). 

The delusion is to think that politicians, corporations and the media are our adversary... Though these may be the visible manifestation of persecution by fallen angels, our true struggle is against invisible spiritual forces.

In 6:10-20, You reveal the battle and the weapons of warfare. The weapons You have provided are Your might (6:12), truth (6:14), righteousness (6:14), the Gospel (6:15), Faith (6:16), salvation (6:17), scripture (6:17), prayer (6:18) and words of the Gospel received through prayer (6:18-19). 

These are what delivered me from the domain of darkness. And daily, they still deliver. Spiritual warfare is fought in the invisible spiritual realm with very powerful spiritual weapons (2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

My Lord, You have used military symbols in 6:10-20 for these spiritual weapons: armor, shield, sword, breastplate and helmet. In the spiritual realm my spirit engages in daily spiritual war, violence and death (1 Corinthians 15:31).

Ephesians 6:10-20 helps me understand Matthew 11:12.

• "the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12).

The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence as it is assaulted by fallen angels. But fallen angels cannot "take it". Neither fallen angels nor fallen men will ever take the Kingdom of Heaven by force or by deception or by any other means. Never! (Daniel 2:44).

But Your children do "take it by force". They do enter Your Kingdom through spiritual violence, as the old self is buried with Christ (Romans 6:3-5), crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6), so that we are no longer slaves of sin (Romans 6:6-7), as Christ rips our souls out of the domain of darkness to transfer us into the kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13),  and spiritual chains (idols) are cut away in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:29-30). This is our choice and Your choice.^A7 

This is what happened in that dark night when I cried out to You, for the first time renouncing faith in myself, for the first time saying "I can't carry the burden... You have to carry it". After that violent night of the soul... I no longer belong to the prince of this world. Never again! Praise to You Father, Savior, Lord and King! I cried out to You and You answered me.^C (Romans 10:13).

It is the spiritual violence of fallen angels that assaults the Kingdom of Heaven, trying to keep the unsaved from entering the Kingdom (Matthew 23:13-15, Philippians 1:27-28). They work through religious leaders who masquerade as children of light^3.1g (2 Corinthians 11:14). By spiritual violence, they attempt to keep the saved from making disciples (1 Thessalonians 2:16,18).

In Ephesians 6:10-20, we see that Your Gospel words are spoken by us. Your words are the sword of the Spirit (6:17). They are delivered through prayer (6:18-19). 

All of Your weapons of spiritual violence are used in the spiritual realm, to bring the lost into the kingdom and to equip the saved to obey the command to make disciples^A5 (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). If we do not make disciples, we are not participating in the war for souls. If we only try not to sin, we cannot walk by the Spirit, because we are not doing what You are doing. If we only try to avoid sin, we are not fighting in Your war for the souls of mankind.^2.3

Satan is prince of this world.^3.1i But this world will be taken from him and given to the saints.^3.1j (Daniel 7:27)

Father, please open the eyes of those who read here, to see what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). Please multiply faith in those who read here... multiply faith 1000 fold, and 1000 fold, again and again and again... that Your word would spread through the whole earth, to bring about a great awakening, that those who read here would walk by the Spirit... that Your name be lifted higher and higher and higher!

Amen.

In this passage, Ephesians 6:12, You revealed the reality of spiritual warfare in our lives! Thank you for revealing this in Your word! For, how can we walk by the Spirit, if we don't understand the battle?

Heavenly Father, teach us more about the spiritual realm. By Your Spirit, lead Your children to click this link: "Spiritual Authority and the Spiritual Realm" 

You deserve all praise!

Amen.

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