Week 5 of 2025

We need to understand that when the door to the spiritual realm opens, we will then deal with a force outside of the natural realm, which yet affects our physical realm.

Paul warned us about opening the door and the danger that comes from that realm. He wrote, “In your anger, do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the Devil a foothold … 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 4:26–27; 6:12 NIV).

Once we enter a “spiritual battle,” we must have an understanding of the players and their capabilities, as we go through many types of trials. We win or lose a spiritual battle based on our knowledge of our allies and our understanding of our enemy. Once we fall into the spiritual battle, we need to understand three things.

First, we need to understand the people we are dealing with as we enter this realm. Do they cause us frustration by their attitudes? Are they sensitive to the way people talk to them? Are they people of faith? Are they people of action? And we need to realize that how we speak and react to those that are involved with us will directly affect the outcome of the spiritual battle.

Second, we need to understand what our true relationship with God is. We may have an idea of what we would like it to be, but have we truly looked at the reality of that relationship? Third, we need to understand the enemy. The enemy is the one who the apostle warns us about in the gospel of John.

Why do you think we need to know this?