The Battle You Can’t Win Alone
By Family Minister, Dr. Brandon Steenbock
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.
We tend to think our problems can be solved by our own efforts. I can solve my personal problems by a little bit of exercise, practice, force of will. I can influence my friends and neighbors by posting the right stuff on social media and the right signs on my lawn. I can fix the issues in our culture by voting for the right person, supporting the right candidates, and the right ballot measures.
“One side talks about ‘winning,’ the other about ‘resisting.’ In four years, they’ll switch sides and the fear will still be there. Those fears will not dissolve because we elect the right person, convince the online masses of our perspective, or even just do a little better at home.
Do you realize what you’re up against? There are spiritual beings who have existed since the dawn of time. They have studied and influenced human behavior since before the history books were written. Since before there was writing. And they’re not afraid of you, or your voice, or your vote, or your willpower.
But there is something they are afraid of. Someone they are afraid of. His name is Jesus. The man who walked up to a man possessed by a legion of demons and left the demons begging for mercy (Mark 5:6–13). The man whose name was powerful enough that his disciples could drive out demons just by saying the name, even when Jesus was not bodily there (Luke 10:17–20). The demons who shudder at the knowledge that God is real (James 2:19). And all this for one simple reason: Jesus beat them. His death and resurrection took away all the power they had over you, and sealed their fate for eternity. Jesus wins, they lose, our fight isn’t to end the war, it’s to reclaim the captives until Jesus gets back.
If our battle is against demons, and demons fear the name of Jesus, then the solution is simple: Use the name of Jesus. Pray – out loud – in the name of Jesus and rebuke the powers at war against us. Use the name of Jesus when talking to friends and family and people about what is true. Let the name of Jesus be as natural on your tongue as your best friend’s name, and even more so.
Okay, but there’s a little more to it. Jesus tells us that anything we ask in his name, he will give us. But to ask something “in his name” means more than using his name as a magic spell. It means trusting his promises, knowing his truth, and obeying his will. The big word for that is “theology,” and it means knowing God by knowing Jesus. If our battle is against demons, then the best skill you can develop is theology – knowing God well by knowing his Word.
And there’s a little more to it. You can’t win a war on your own. The only one-man army on this battlefield is Jesus. You need to be close with the people of God. That means living in community with them: attending worship, gathering for study and prayer, supporting and helping one another, working together to advance the Gospel.
This is the “armor of God” Paul talks about in the verses following Ephesians 6:12. His metaphor points to these three essentials: Pray in the name of Jesus. Know your theology. Be in and with the Church. This is how we fight. This is how we win. Because Jesus already has.