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The Problem is Not of This World
Our problem is described in 2 Corinthians 4:4:
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
Our minds have been blinded by Satan, infecting us with sin. As a result, we cannot see clearly when spiritual things are presented right before our eyes. This makes it difficult to evaluate spiritual issues fairly or to put them in their proper perspective.
Our struggle is defined in 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."
The stuff that seems to real to us every day is not the actual battleground at all. The battle takes place in a realm occupying other dimensional levels. These dimensional levels are invisible to the visible light spectrum which we can see. Occasionally God allows certain people a brief glimpse of this multi-dimensional reality.
Our solution is defined in 1 John 3:8:
"He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."
Jesus is the only solution to the problem of evil. No secular solution is possible. However, our problem of spiritual blindness keeps us trying to find a secular solution to the problem we feel inside.
Our duty is described in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
Our weapon is more powerful than evil.
Ephesians 6:10-19 describes the weapon we must use to win this spiritual battle:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.
"Therefore 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."
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