Freedom
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.” Eph 6:12
My sister told me a story about an adventure her friend had as a little girl. She and her siblings grew up in Perryton, Texas and had sweet family dogs. One day the kids and the dogs were out in the front yard playing. The dog catcher pulled up in the truck and whistled for the dogs. The unsuspecting dogs ran to her whistle and she locked them in the truck and took them to doggy jail. The children were devastated, but the family did not have enough money to bail the dogs out. The pound in Perryton had a fenced run for the dogs so the family could visit and pet the dogs, but not get to them. The dad was fond of alcohol and the night before the scheduled execution for the dogs, he was fueled up. At midnight, he turned on the lights in the house and said, “Kids, let’s go get them dogs!” He loaded the kids up in the pickup and drove to the pound. He attached a logging chain to the gate and pulled it off its hinges, setting free not only their dogs, but all the dogs in Ochiltree County. The next morning, the dogcatcher was at their door asking if they knew anything about a break in (and break out) at the pound. They steadfastly denied any knowledge of it and said that the dogs had just showed up.
Have you struggled to free yourself from damaging thought patterns or habits? Do you have a loved one who is in need of deliverance from a spiritual struggle? Maybe you have tried to use logic, threats, bribery or will power to deal with these issues. These may have been successful for a while, but more than likely, the issues crept back in before long. These efforts are ineffective because they are not aimed at the root of the problem. Would it have been successful if the children had tried to break one chain link at a time in the fence? How about if they had tried to burrow through the concrete in the dog run? What if they had tried to plead with the dogs to come out or threatened them if they didn’t? Even though it was technically a bad idea to tear the gate off the dog pound, it was effective because it addressed the underlying cause of the problem.
Ephesians talks about the struggle we endure in our spiritual life. In Ephesians 6:12 we read, “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.” Is it any wonder that our best human efforts are ineffective in this battle? Fortunately, Ephesians does not leave us there. It goes on to tell us about the armor we have to protect us, including the belt of truth and the shield of faith. It also tells us about the very powerful weapons that we have at our disposal- prayer, and the sword of the spirit. Don’t go into battle for yourself or your loved ones without your armor or your weapons. The final instruction in Ephesians 6 says, “Then having done all, stand. Let’s remember today to fight the right battle with the right weapons and the right commander.
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