Something on my mind and heart today is this-
Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Prior to this verse Paul goes through several different types of relationships- read more here
Husbands & Wives
Children & Parents
Slaves & Masters ( aka: employee and employer)
After speaking on these important relationships - He instructs us -
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God,so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes"
Then v6 reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh & blood!
We must be aware that there is a very real spiritual battle going on all around us- all of the time-- it's not just an action movie sort of thing! It's real! It's happening!
It is interesting that Paul goes through some of the most important relationships in our lives and then makes it clear that our struggle is not against flesh & blood.
Maybe he understood that at times we will struggle in these relationships with these people...that at times we may engage in the wrong battle.
We all experience conflict - it's normal, it's going to happen.. with God's help and His wisdom we can resolve these issues. At other times, it truly is not a people problem- it is a spiritual problem!
The enemy would love to get us distracted, for us to lash out on people and fight it out in the natural and not fight in out in the the Spirit by prayer.
Sometimes it is just not personal! Yes, it may feel very personal and your flesh may want to react & say things you may regret... but it's not personal!!
Only with God's help & His Holy Spirit can we navigate relationships in our lives. God created us for relationship - they can be such a blessing to us!
Relationships can be messy sometimes, we can put ourselves out there and experience rejection, abandonment, abuse, neglect and many other hurtful things.
Saying that it's not a people problem does not excuse the wrongdoing of another person & does not negate the pain & wounds. It also does not mean that we need to subject ourselves to people that are not safe in our lives.
But God is the God who sees and we can be sure that Justice is His!
Today may we put on the Full Armor of God & be aware of the devils schemes. Remember, our adversary is sneaky and sly. He is an opportunist and if he can get us to focus our attention on conflict with others and holding onto offense- then we will not be aware of much else. The bible says to
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We must keep our hearts soft!
May we walk by the Spirit and not our flesh.
I pray for eyes to see and ears to hear.. for a greater revelation to understand the things around us. May we react in prayer and "...be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."(James 1:19)
God can & will give us the courage to forgive! Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice and it is ongoing.
Aren't you thankful that God sees us & knows us? He knows what we need and only He can truly satisfy us!
We are loved. He is our Comforter, our Counselor and our Healer.
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