"We know that we are children of God, but the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." I John 5:21-22

 The Kingdom of God, Jesus told Pilate, is not of this world. Our life in the LORD is one of near constant struggle because we have an enemy, and he is assaulting our minds with lies. Though indeed Christ won the battle on the cross, and sealed it with resurrection, the world is yet under the influence of the devil. He knows that he has been evicted, but as long as men don't know this, and claim God's promises, Satan's marching orders are delayed. 

We are watching the fall of Western culture these days. Traditional values are openly mocked on college campuses. Main stream media outlets follow their lead. To our amazement, some want to redefine gender to suit their preferences. Nothing is absolutely true, except of course, that there is no absolute truth! We in the Church are watching all this, but from whence does it come, and is there hope?

Hebrews 2:8 tells us that though indeed everything has legally been put under Christ's feet, this is not yet visible to everyone. Satan no longer owns this world but he has not yet been cast down to Earth (Revelation 12:10). Thus, effectively, from the second Heaven, he controls what is going on in the world. He is however an usurper. He has no legal ground to stand on. The gates of Hell are vulnerable to the church's army. Sadly, few in the church know this, though. We believe his lies, and the accusations he makes against us stick. He is a thief, a liar and a murderer. 

But is there hope? There is always hope. Without hope, we would not be able to live even a minute. "Let there be hope on earth, and let it begin with me" to paraphrase the old song. Though the prince of this world is not yet cast down, we don't need to listen to him. Instead, we can "take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). We are given five defensive weapons, and one offensive weapon to fight that deceiving spirit. The helmet of salvation covers our minds, so we can cling to what is true, and spit out the rest. The shield of faith stands in front of us to quench the fiery lies he spits at us. The breastplate of righteousness covers our new heart, and grants us the confidence we need to petition Father. The shoes of the gospel of peace put a barrier between us and the world. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God that assures us that we can stand against the lies of the evil one. Finally, the belt of truth pulls it altogether.