Strong in the Lord
Most of the mission work I’ve done over the last twenty years has been in parts of the “majority world” where there is a sincere belief in the unseen spiritual realm. I’ve had dozens of people talk openly with me about spirits, demons, and other-worldly experiences that they attribute to them. I’m not sure that I believe everything I’ve been told, but I do believe there are things that exist that we cannot see, and I believe that those whose writings and testimonies are collected in the Bible were led by the Spirit of God to write those things. So, yes, I do believe that our visible world exists within a larger spiritual realm where good and evil both exist—and where they are in constant conflict.
I cannot defend all my beliefs with empirical proof any more than a scientist can defend hers. We all live by a measure of faith based on evidence and the reliable testimony of others. When Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, I believe that he was. When scripture talks about demonic possession and the influence of evil spirits, I believe those things were happening when those accounts were written. And when Paul the Apostle tells the first-century church in Ephesus that they needed to prepare for their spiritual battle with unseen powers and the malicious schemes of the devil, I believe Paul meant it.
We, too, need to come to grips with the reality that we are living in an ongoing conflict between good and evil, whether we sense it or not. A life of faith is a battle, and it’s one we know we will win if we put on the armor God provides and stand firm in our own times of trial. As we continue through this series on the Armor of God, we’ll talk more about how we live on the side of the victor—the side of God.
— Patrick Barber – Stay strong in the Lord
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