The
Apostle Paul tells us plainly
That
this Life is a Continual, Supernatural Contention. Listen:
For
we are not wrestling with flesh and blood--
Contending
only with physical opponents--
But
against the Despotisms, against the Powers,
Against
the [master spirits who are]
THE
WORLD RULERS OF THIS PRESENT DARKNESS,
Against
the spirit Forces of Wickedness
In
the heavenly (supernatural) Sphere.
(Ephesians
6:12, AMP)
What
is our purpose in this World?
It
is the same as Christ Jesus gave to the Apostle Paul:
To
open the eyes of those who do not believe,
That
they may turn from Darkness to the Light of Christ Jesus
And
from the Power of Satan to God,
So
that they may thus receive Forgiveness
And
Release from their Sins
And
a Place and Portion among those
Who
are Consecrated and Purified by Faith in Christ Jesus. [Isa. 42:7,
16.]
(Acts
26:18, AMP)
How
do we Contend:
Be
Strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power.
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.
Stand
Firm then,
With
the Belt of Truth buckled around your waist,
With
the Breastplate of Righteousness in place,
And
with your feet fitted with the readiness
That
comes from the Gospel of Peace.
In
addition to all this,
take
up the Shield of Faith,
With
which you can extinguish all the Flaming Arrows of the Evil One.
Take
the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit,
Which
is the Word of God.
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.
(Ephesians
6:10-18)
Now
every athlete who goes into training
Conducts
himself temperately
And
restricts himself in all things,
They
do it to win a wreath that will soon wither,
But
we [do it to receive a crown of Eternal Blessedness]
That
cannot wither.
Therefore
I do not run uncertainly—without definite aim.
I
do not box as one beating the air and striking without an adversary.
But
[like a boxer] I buffet my body--
Handle
it roughly, discipline it by hardships--and subdue it,
For
Fear that after Proclaiming to others the Gospel
And
things pertaining to it,
I
myself should become unfit--
Not
stand the Test and be Unapproved—
And
rejected [as a Counterfeit].
(1
Corinthians 9:25-27, AMP)
What
is God's Purpose for His Church?
[The
Purpose is] That through the Church
The
Complicated, many-sided Wisdom of God
In
all its Infinite Variety and Innumerable aspects
Might
now be made know
To
the Angelic Rulers and Authorities
(Principalities
and powers) in the heavenly Sphere.
(Ephesians
3:10, AMP)
We
who have been brought from Death to Life in Christ.
And
you [He made alive],
When
you were Dead [slain] by [your] Trespasses and Sins
In
which at one time your walked habitually.
YOU
WERE FOLLOWING THE COURSE AND FASHION OF THIS WORLD--
Were
under the Sway of the Tendency of this Present Age--
FOLLOWING
THE PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR.
(You
were Obedient to him and were Under his Control,
THE
DEMON SPIRIT THAT STILL CONSTANTLY WORKS
IN
THE SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE--
The
Careless, the Rebellious and the Unbelieving,
WHO
GO AGAINST THE PURPOSES OF GOD.
(Ephesians
2:1, 2, AMP)
What
makes our Contention against Evil more Difficult?
It
is because Satan, and the Whole World
That
is Obedient to him, Masquerades as angels of light.
(2
Corinthians 11:13, 14)
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