Recognizing the battle
This recognizing the battle is of most importance. We need to see through the physical; and look at the spiritual. Eph. 6:11-12 tell's us that it is a spirital battle. It is against Satan. In there is rulers, authorities, powers in this dark world and spiritual evil forces in heavenly places. When we are looking at the physical, we see people doing bad things, we see authorities doing bad things, even rulers doing bad things... people! Which we are also!
We need to look past people to the one or ones who influence them... Now if we go looking it always leads us to spiritual forces, which leads us to the chief force Satan. Oh yes the are demons... but the chief... is Satan.
In John 16:21-23 Jesus rebukes Peter! "21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
You see, Peter was not/ is not Satan but right then Satan was present and influencing Peter. Peter's mind... were off focus. The concern of humans/men... replaced the concerns of God. Peter was looking at the physical not the spiritual, nor was he looking at the Heavenly, nor was he listening to God ( like a few verses before), nor was he concerned with the will of God...
The reason I put this here is that Satan can use men/women when they are 'weak' , when they are 'struggling' , when there focus is more 'worldly' , when they are off guard...
You see the battle is not just about you! It also involves others who Satan is attacking... and believe it or not there are many who do not realize they are being attacked... There focus is on the wordly... not the Spiritual things of God. so we need to recognize the attacker; the real attacker, Satan.
