We Do Not War With Mortals

Christian, we do not war with mortals. We do not wrestle with "flesh and blood" (Eph. 6:12). Our enemies are not those of Adam's race. Our enemies are not those we share a street or a pew with. They are not those with whom we disagree on politics or personal convictions. The battle we fight is not with humanity.

Ours is a greater battle. It is a more intense fight. The war we wage is cosmic, spanning not just the visible plain but the heavenly realms as well. It is transcendent, beyond the comprehension of the natural man. And it is spiritual, untouched by, yet touching, the physical world. The enemies we fight are the princes, the powers, and the evil forces of the heavenly realm. They are the demons, the kind that Jesus rebuked. Their leader, the devil, stands as our chief opposition. He has done so since the beginning. The weapons we guard against are spiritual. The devil and his army fling the fiery arrows of temptation, lies, and fear at us.

So, do not wage war against your neighbor as if he was your enemy. He is a sinner and perhaps a great one too. He is broken. He may even be a pagan. But he is not your enemy. He is only flesh and blood. Your enemies are the forces that cause him to sin. They are the evil spirits who bring brokenness and corruption into this world. They are the devil and his demons who stand behind false religion (1 Cor. 10:20). They are the ones who blind the minds of unbelievers, keeping them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). What we see in sinners around us and in ourselves is the influence of these spiritual powers. The demons, not men, are your enemies.

Therefore, wage war against the devil and demons. But show compassion to those possessed and oppressed by them. Was this not Jesus's response to a people oppressed and sometimes possessed by spiritual evil? He had compassion on them as a sheep without a shepherd, and he wept over them. Is this how you respond when you see sin and brokenness? Does your soul break when you see what the Enemy has caused in another person's life? Do you respond with compassion? Or do you war against flesh and blood? It is not a war we are called to wage.