Wrestling Against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness

Wrestling Against Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness

You often hear of people who behave like a bear when they are in a bad mood. Murderers explain in court that they were not themselves when they committed the crime. Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, which departed from him for a time when David played the harp. At other times, it caused Saul to persecute David and cast a spear at him. The devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy.

Paul tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:12.

Everyone who has diligently sought to follow Christ knows, to a greater or lesser degree, that we are actually battling against spiritual forces of wickedness and against the rulers of the darkness of this world. When Jesus was arrested before His crucifixion, He said, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” It is written that we have passed from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. That is why we have a battle, and for this battle, we need the whole armor of God. Just when everything seems to be going well, an evil storm gathers from one direction or another, or from one person or another whom Satan has been able to use as his tool. “We are not ignorant of his devices,” said the apostle, and we surely can say the same. This evil storm can come in the form of evil suspicions, the desire to control people and jealousy or animosity toward someone. For as long as the storm rages, we should do like the sailors: pull our sou’westers firmly down over our heads and fasten our oilskin jackets tightly around our waists. We need to gather our strength in God and resist Satan steadfast in the faith until he flees from us. Terrible storms! The spiritual hosts of wickedness wage war against the saints. Yet God will hide us in His pavilion on the evil day, and His pavilion is Christ, the Rock. We can hide in Him until the storm is over. There we wait on the Lord in prayer until the storm blows itself out.

We are wrestling against principalities from the kingdom of evil. Haven’t you ever experienced being attacked by a person who has evil intent and authority? Where do such people get their authority? Is it not from the spiritual hosts of wickedness? The rulers of this world are not satisfied that you do your job dependably and correctly. They want to have control of your spirit as well. If they are unable to do this, it doesn’t matter how meticulously you do everything else. The Spirit that is in us is greater than the spirit that is in them. They cannot stand this strength, and so the battle begins. Yet the rulers of the world will always lose this battle if we are faithful and maintain our nobility in Christ Jesus. As a result, we become isolated, because the rulers of this world do not want anything to do with such people. They prefer those who flatter them and play the hypocrite. Such people get promoted to high positions, and eventually they themselves become rulers of the world, demanding the same behavior from their subordinates. A person of whom it can be said “Truly there is no guile in him” rarely advances in this world where the rulers of the world have power.

There is a covering over everything glorious, and the things God regards as glorious never get recognition in the world. That is why Jesus never had any form or comeliness that we should desire Him. Yet the Father delighted in Him, and in the presence of witnesses, He gave Him this testimony: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The powers of evil portray worldly recognition as something glamorous. These same powers hindered Daniel’s prayers. Yet his prayers eventually got through, and the angel said to him: “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”

Daniel’s prayers were heard as soon as he set his heart to understand and to humble himself. However, great princes among the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places had to be overcome before the final victory could be attained. We, too, must wait upon the Lord and continue steadfastly in prayer if we want to come to that final victory. When we are praying for a sinner that is imprisoned in Satan’s net, God has to intervene in some way against the spiritual hosts of wickedness to deliver this soul. This can require time, but through prayer and faith we can uphold God’s work with the person until he is free at last. God is not slow to hear. Daniel’s prayers were heard from the first day. On that same day God set in motion the work that led to the answer of Daniel’s prayers. God does everything according to precise laws, and for this reason things take time. But Daniel had purposed in his heart to get understanding, so he realized that he would be heard if he continued patiently and persistently in prayer.

Today many people have turned to God for forgiveness of their sins. They have received what they sought, but very few of them have set their hearts to get understanding that their prayers might be answered in the service of God. If they had done this, they would have understood why their prayers were hindered, and what they needed to cleanse out in order that souls could be set free.

It takes power to become arrogant and proud. People get this power from the spiritual hosts of wickedness. In just the same way people receive power to kill, commit adultery, lie, bear false witness, etc. Our battle is against principalities and powers. It is terrible when these powers gain access to the church of the living God through someone who has not been vigilant. It is like a snake slinking into an anthill. All attention is focused on this evil until it has been driven out. This is why every one of us is exhorted to give no “place to the devil.” Eph. 4:27.

Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, and there He met the spiritual hosts of wickedness that had driven those men who crucified Him. But He overcame all these principalities and powers in His spirit and He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them on the cross. He broke free and ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. Eph. 4:9-10. In the same way, we can also triumph over spiritual forces on the cross. Without the cross, victory is out of the question. This is our life’s great battle, and for this battle the apostle exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God. We must gird our loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness and have our feet prepared for battle with the gospel of peace. At the same time, we must take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the Spirit, while remaining constantly vigilant in prayer, for ourselves and for all the saints. Victory is only possible if we are armed in this way.

In God’s church we have had to labor incessantly with defeat on practically every side, because neither peoples’ armor nor their vigilance in prayer is of the caliber that it should be. Evil spirits sneer at us from almost every quarter. If only the wall were complete, if only there were many to repair the breaches. There are plenty of people who cry loudly about all the holes in the wall through which Satan can enter, but how many people mourn over this and are constantly occupied with repairing the breaches? Cries of “Come here!” and “Look at that!” resound in our ears from every direction. “Br. So-and-so has said such and such,” and “Sister So-and-so does this and that.” It is as if people delight in finding something they can point their finger at. This is malice, and in no way is this the mind of Christ. He says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Such people mourn over people’s personal shortcomings as well as the needs of the church as a whole. And such people shall be comforted. May many of us share in this sorrow and in this comfort.