Spiritual Warfare
How often do we forget that we're in a spiritual war? Our enemy is deceptively cunning. If we lose the sense of immediacy to his threats, the danger appears gone. Nevertheless, he's always there, lurking in the shadows. Remember that Jesus' battle with the evil one during his temptations was only the beginning of his spiritual battles. Luke ends his account of the Lord's temptations with these ominous words: "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13) We never know when the evil one's "opportune time" will come for us. So rather than trying to guess when, Paul reminds us to take up the tools God has given us, NOW. That way, no matter when, where or how the enemy comes against us, we will have the power to stand.
