by Scott McClelland

Ephesians 6:12 reads, "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

These are the forces that are opposing us.  Our focus of opposition should be against the spiritual forces of wickedness, not people.  Our victory is not complete until the forces that hold people bound and that withstand the truth of God are displaced over the lives of people, cities and nations.  This is our objective.  Getting focused on the opposition that people provide is a decoy and causes us to lower our aim.  In this way we are shooting at people and destroying them.  This is a classic strategy of our enemy, to get us wrestling against flesh and blood.  If we wrestle the redeemed, the church is destroyed.  If we wrestle the lost, those whom Jesus came to save are pushed further from the cross.  We cannot afford to lose sight of our objective.  We must push back the enemies that oppose us in the realm of the spirit.

This will be possible as we take our place in the realm of the spirit, as spiritual people.  Carnality keeps us from even realizing that a realm of the spirit actually exists.  The natural man does not perceive the things of God (and the things of the spirit as spiritual), neither can he.  He has no capacity to interpret such things, as they are of a different order.

Humility is such a weapon in the spirit.  It engages the vengeance of God upon our enemies.  Romans 12:19 says, "As it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord."  When we don't take vengeance into our own hands, our enemies are left to deal with God.  This is far superior and more effective in the destruction of their strongholds.  Those that are used as instruments of the enemy are confronted with the Lord himself.  "Paul, why are you persecuting ME?" (Acts 9:4)

When we refuse to wrestle or fight in the natural realm, the Lord fights for us in the spirit realm.  When the Lord fights and the religious spirit is left to its own defense, God always wins out.  This is why we see the religious taking a vow to destroy the servants of the Lord, because their territory is being spoiled.  This will be a large battle in the last days.  Who owns the ground of truth, the religious systems of the world, or God?  This is the ground that will be fought over, and the ground over which many will be slain.  The religious will attempt to, and succeed in part, in killing those who spoil what they so foolishly call the truth "their" ground.  How prideful, how arrogant, and how foolish can man be to think that the truth belongs to him.  Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.  No man comes to the Father, except by Him.

"Holy Spirit, help us to see the things that are happening in the natural realm that have their origin in the realm of the spirit.  Give us discerning of spirits.  Help us to discern the spiritual activity that is from God, and the spiritual activity that comes in opposition of God.  And help us focus our efforts of wrestling on those who attempt to withstand God's authority in the heavens."

If we displace the enemies of God, freedom will come to those who are bound by those same spirits.  Light eradicates darkness.  You are light, and in you there is no darkness at all!

2 Cor. 4:1-12 (KJV) "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; [2] 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. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. [8] We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [9] Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; [10] Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. [11] For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. [12] So then death worketh in us, but life in you."