Successful Struggles

Scripture Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20

What do you think is the worst promise that Jesus ever made? OK, I know you are thinking, “God never made any bad promises, did He?” Well, how about this one?

In this world you will have trouble. (John 16:33b, NIV)

Wow! If this was all that He promised, you would not only have trouble you would constantly be in trouble. But you have to read the rest of this verse to see the hope and encouragement that Jesus alone provides:

But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33c, NIV)

The bad news is that trouble is part of life on Planet Earth. The good news is that Jesus tells you to “take heart” – do not be afraid of what is happening or may happen in the future. The LORD Jesus has it under control. He has overcome death itself – so what trouble can come your way that Jesus cannot handle?

But why do you face struggles at all as a Christian? Keep in mind that, even though Jesus has promised to be with you at all times, you live in a sin-cursed world with sinful people. Things will get difficult and ugly at times. Your job is to work with the LORD Jesus in His mission to redeem people from their enslavement to sin and free them to love again.

What types of struggles do you face as Christian?

Temptations of all kinds … temptations that are unique traps for you.
Difficult people … Your boss, teacher, neighbor, etc.
Losing focus on your priorities
Laziness / apathy

The primary struggle in this world is good versus evil, righteousness versus wickedness.

When do you usually encounter these struggles?

When you least expect it ;-)
Daily … moment by moment
Certain times & places more than others

How can you win against your struggles? A passage in Ephesians provides some insight into how you can be successful in spite of the various ways you struggle. The Bible provides three things you can do that will help you prevail.

1. Realize that strength is not found inside but in the LORD.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. (Ephesians 6:10, NIV)

When you face a struggle, do you try and deal with it on your own? You don’t want to bother anyone. You may be embarrassed by the struggle. Trying on your own to win in your struggles is like trying to swim across the Pacific Ocean. You think you are making progress but there is no way you are going to succeed.

You cannot summon the strength to overcome from within – it is not an act of the will. While you may have conviction and good intent, God did not design you with the inner strength to win any struggle. You need Him. And the sinful nature that resides in each person is your personal “kryptonite” (this was the substance that made even Superman weak).

The LORD is the One who created the whole universe – He has the power not you. He has called us into a relationship with Him through His Son (John 14:6). And His primary command is to “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19, NIV). You need to follow Him because He has the power and strength to help you succeed in your struggles.

2. Accept that the battle continues for life.

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. (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

You encounter many types of people in the world, some good and some not so good. A few seem to delight in hurting you or making trouble. This verse makes it clear that the people in this world, in spite of their behavior, are not the “bad guys.” Every person is created by God in His image. People are in your life to be redeemed not repelled.

Yet there are “bad guys” that you must face. In many movies, there is a tension between the main character (the “good guy”) and his nemesis (the “bad guy”). It may take several attempts but eventually the “good guy” kills the bad guy and the movie is over.

The “spiritual forces of evil,” on the other hand, cannot be killed. They will be with you for life. There are certain things you will struggle with a long time – possibly all of your life.

This passage suggests different categories of spiritual forces (angelic beings) – perhaps even a hierarchy. We know that Lucifer rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven along with one-third of the angels. So they followed Lucifer in his rebellion. It would make sense that there is some kind of hierarchy.

In conducting word studies, the following analysis indicates real distinctions in the terms Paul used:

Rulers – "rulers" translates "arche" with a variety of possible meanings including a commencement, or chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank):--beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule. (Strong's Concordance) The implication of this word is one who is the head or "in charge". It also appears first in the list which could indicate its preeminence.

Authorities - "authorities" translates "exousia" (in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subj.) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (obj.) mastery (concr. magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:--authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. (Strong's Concordance) This word indicates those with powers or influence in this age where evil exists.

Powers of this dark world- "powers" translates "kosmokrator" indicating a world-ruler or an epithet of Satan. "dark" translates "skotos" indicating obscurity (literal or figurative) or darkness. "world" translates "aion" meaning an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by implication the world. (Strong's Concordance) So this phrase would indicate those who rule in this present age of darkness or evil. It seems to indicate spiritual forces with a very high stature or perhaps a wide area of responsibility.

Spiritual forces of evil - "spiritual" translates "pneumatikos" meaning non-carnal, e.g. supernatural or spiritual. "forces of evil" translates "poneria" meaning depravity or wickedness. (Strong's Concordance) Obviously, Paul is talking about spiritual beings on the side of evil.

While these terms might have been used as restatements of the general reference to demonic beings, I believe the word study shows strong distinctions in the types of references such that one is not simply a restatement of the other. They could actually be titles or positions of the demonic order. They could also be roles that are carried out by different demons. Regardless, these terms can be arranged from most to least important as follows:

Rulers - these would be the "generals" in the Army of Satan.
Powers of this dark world - these would be "commanders" or "captains."
Authorities - these might equate to "lieutenants” or even “sergeants."
Spiritual forces of evil - this phrase may refer to the "GI Joe soldiers" or the basic rank and file members.

The point here is that the demonic forces are organized in the battle. They cannot be killed. And they are against you.

Remember, though, “take heart” – Jesus has overcome the world.

3. Access all the tools that God has provided to strengthen you for the battle.

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes ... ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6:11, 13-20, NIV)

The “full armor of God” consists of various tools that you need in your daily struggles, big or small. The key is that you must access ALL of these tools or you will have vulnerabilities.

When a police officer puts on a bullet-proof vest, it covers the main part of the body. The heart, in particular, gets full cover from any harm. But imagine if a police officer put on a vest and there was a hole in the middle. The heart would be exposed and the officer in danger of being killed.

Is this how you engage in your daily struggles that are fueled by spiritual forces of evil? You may put on some of the armor and think you are OK. But you might as well be wearing a bullet-proof vest with a hole in the middle. You have key vulnerabilities that the organized spiritual forces of evil will see and exploit. Count on it.

Belt of truth (John 17:17) – Truth holds everything together in your life. God’s word is truth.
Breastplate of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) – The righteousness of Christ has been given to you.
Helmet of salvation (Col. 1:13-14) – Your forgiveness was purchased with the blood of Christ.
Shield of faith (Heb. 11:6; 1 John 5:4-5) – Without faith it is impossible to please God, much less win in your struggles. With faith, you overcome the world.
Gospel of peace (Mark 16:15) – You need to be equipped to share the gospel (shoes on) and willing/alert to share (readiness).
Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God – The word of God is the only offensive weapon in the arsenal. The word translated “sword” was used of a long knife, a dagger, rather than the large sword used by the armies. The dagger is used in close quarter combat – one on one – with precision cuts and jabs. You do not use the word of God to “clobber” people but to use with precision to deal with the issues you face.
Prayer in the Spirit (James 5:16) – Often this is not included in the list of spiritual armor. Yet it is perhaps the most important of all.

Armor is not so much for protection as it is for strength. When you put on armor, it strengthens you for a battle. It enables you to withstand more than you could on your own.

When the armor you put on is the full armor of God Almighty, you can win in your struggles.

Conclusion

Does you faith allow you to see victory even in the darkest moments of the battle?

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5, NIV)

Put on the full armor and when the dust settles from the battle, you will find yourself standing your ground. Keep your feet on the solid rock of Jesus Christ!