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Ephesians 6:10-20
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 Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Continue scrolling to read reflection.

By: The Rev. Dr. W. Ross Blackburn

For those who work for life (and here I speak not only of those who do so formally in particular callings or ministries, but for all who defend the fatherless and plead for the widow and care for the vulnerable, in whatever ways they do so), Paul’s words that we wrestle not against flesh and blood are both sobering and hopeful. First, the sobering. There is a battle, and there are real forces of evil that target the image of God, particularly the vulnerable. Jesus was clear-Satan is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44-45).

So are the powers and principalities that serve his desires. We don’t just deal with bad ideas or materialist philosophies, but with real personal evil that exercises real power. Secondly, the hopeful. If we wrestled against flesh and blood, it would be easy to despair. We live in a society where law, money, certain influential segments of our culture (e.g. universities) and the power of government are aligned against the protection of life, particularly the life of the vulnerable. How can we who are concerned with life match that? We can’t. And we don’t have to.

As impressive as such an alliance is, it is nevertheless flesh and blood. In the end, the question is not about the strength of flesh and blood, but the strength of the powers and principalities of the present darkness and the forces of evil. When this is understood, in light of the Lord who created the heavens and the earth, and rules over them all, then everything changes. We don’t fight in our own strength–we dare not–but rather in the Lord’s strength (6:10). And how do we fight? By seeking to live truthfully and righteously, ready to share in word and deed the gospel of peace, assured of our salvation in Christ, believing in the Lord and His word, and, last but certainly not least, we pray.