Daily Encouragement: Day 347

Adapted from Handbook to Spiritual Growth

THREE FRONTS OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE

As followers of Christ, we are engaged in a cosmic conflict, whether we know it or not. From the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament, the Bible clearly reveals the existence of a vast, highly ordered, and complex spiritual world that exists between God and us. Instead of a rigid dichotomy between the natural and the supernatural, the Scriptures disclose the direct involvement of the supernatural in the natural realm. A careful analysis of the Bible reveals a pervasive “supranatural” warfare dimension in reality that involves a present cosmic-earthly conflict. Those who ignore or reject this reality are ill-equipped to deal with spiritual powers of evil in the world.

Scripture clearly teaches the dynamics of this warfare on three fronts: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The worldly and demonic systems are external to believers, but they entice and provide opportunities for the flesh, which is the capacity for sin within us. Christ has already won the victory, but until He returns, the battle still rages on. In this battle, we don’t fight alone but with the protection of God’s spiritual armor.