Revelation

 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. I John 5:19-20

For some, Heaven is like a dream, Earth is real. Actually, only Heaven is real. Earth is like a dream. For the saints, our citizenship is not on this planet, but in the Heavenly City. 

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21

John invites to an understanding. What we experience here on Earth, al the vileness, the violence, sin, wars - fill in the blank. All of that is the result of the deception of the evil one. And it is indeed very dark. Our subjective experience lies to us. The devil tries to convince us that based on what we see on Earth, God is not good, He is not kind, He is not love. When we get into trouble, we might offer up prayers of desperation, but we inevitably give up. This is because this hideous lie is imprinted on our hearts. Thus strongholds entrap us. Unforgiveness. Bitterness. Idolatry. Vanity. All based on the lie that God is not good. How can we break free, saints?

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. 

Our victory begins first of all with a revelation of the nature of the battle. 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12.

This makes sense. You don't fight a chemical fire with water. No, firemen use firefighting foam. Water is useless. In the same way, you don't fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons. Someone may be going through a hard time. If we offer up human compassion and help, the battle might abate for a while, but the devil will be back later. If on the other hand we speak the truth, in love, we equip that person with the tools to set back the enemy's lies, rendering them useless. 

The armor of God is not some etherial myth. No. The weapons of our warfare may not be carnal, but they are very real. Once we have identified the lie that the enemy is using against us, we fight back. The helmet of salvation protects us against any thought that is not true, rejecting it immediately. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart against accusations, knowing that in reality we are His, and answering the enemy by standing on that fact. The shield of faith extinguishes the weapons thrown at us because we know they are lies, and by faith we see beyond the immediate battle to the victory Christ already won. The sword of the spirit, God's Word, tears down the strongholds of evil. The shoes of the Gospel of peace ensure that our feet are standing on Truth. And finally the belt of truth holds all the armor together. 

My greatest desire is to so pray that there be, as it were, a hole in the darkness. I would that the Light of God would pierce the darkness and show people God's true nature. He is LOVE. He is GOOD. He is KIND. He is full of compassion. He is steadfast. He is true. Because here's the thing - if only they could see, they would run TO God, not AWAY from Him. 

My friends, we should all be filled with holy indignation. The devil's future is the lake of fire and brimstone, Revelation 20:10. But we don't need to wait to undo his lies. By the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can set back the schemes of the evil one. We can see every chain broken, every stronghold smashed when we speak the Truth, in Love. Let's get started!