For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
??Ephesians? ?6:12? ?
Growing up, I was involved in martial arts. I trained for hours upon hours, learning how to physically defend myself and others from anything with mal-intent. Eventually, under the instruction of the older and much wiser Master James, I became a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. After approximately ten years of training, I had forged my body into a weapon. (A skinny rail of a weapon, but still a weapon.) By the grace of God, I have not been in a situation that requires me to physically defend someone. However, I have been in many fights. Now, I know you’re asking yourself, “He just said that he’s never been in a fight with someone, so what does he mean?” I mean that God has made me a double edged sword.
One side of me is the physical side. It’s easy to know that side of me, because it’s what we can see. The other side of me is the more subtle side: the spiritual. This side is unseen, but it’s there. God trained this side of me. (I would go into what he used to train me, but that’s for a different time.) Through Jesus, God has given me authority to fight and defeat any and all evil spirits that come to steal, kill, and destroy. I may not have ever been in a physical fight, but I have to battle the evil spirits that plague this broken world daily.
I have been encountering what I call “spiritual darkness” for years now. I’ve had to fight it everywhere I have gone in the world. (Suriname, Mexico, Panama, U.S.A.) It manifests in different ways everywhere I go, but one thing remains the same. If I do not turn to God and seek his help, I will lose the spiritual battle. I will lose it badly. For example, here in Malawi, I have run into a lot of spiritual warfare. Some of it has been attacks on me and my spirit, and some of it has been attacks on my squad mates. (I will not go into specifics because I do not know who is reading this, and I do not want the stories to be misunderstood or misconstrued.) I have been praying a lot, and Jesus has been winning. That is the take away of this blog. I am in heavy spiritual warfare right now, but Jesus has already won. I just need to call on his name. Do not forget that you too are in spiritual warfare. It most likely looks different than mine, but it has the same solution: Jesus.
Post Script: Hello all! I’m doing well right now, and not much has changed since I wrote my last blog. This will likely be my last blog here in Malawi. In two weeks from today, I will head to Ecuador, my last country. Please pray for safety and headache free travels. I love y’all, and you’re in my prayers. Hopefully, I’ll talk to y’all soon! Buh-bye!
