About our war against the spiritual forces of evil…

Ephesians 6:12 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. [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. (NIV)

As persons of faith, we do not wage this spiritual war between good and evil with bullets, knives, guns, and bombs. As soldiers of Christ, we are not a war-like or fighting people in terms of the way the world thinks of fighting a war. As Christ’s foot soldiers, we are fighting against the spiritual powers of darkness and evil. How we endure and persevere in our suffering is a part of the war effort on our part. We must understand our suffering is because of who we have chosen to follow. Suffering is the result of our choosing the path of righteousness and devotion to Christ. To fight in this war we must be equipped with the armor of God. The armor of God is…

Ephesians 6:14 Stand 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 saints. (NIV)