Spiritual warfare is something we all experience \u2013 and it happens more often than we think. The battle can involve the world, the flesh, and even the devil himself (see Ephesians 2:1-3). But the struggle doesn\u2019t always happen out in the mysterious spiritual realm, somewhere far away and hard to see. In fact, when it comes to battling with the world, spiritual warfare is more ordinary than you might have realized.
\nWhen we talk about \u201cthe world\u201d in the context of warfare, we\u2019re not talking about the earth or even the people who inhabit it. The world, aka \u201cthe world system,\u201d is an organized system in opposition and rebellion against God. Ephesians 2 warns about \u201cthe course of this world.\u201d Think of the world system as a current that carries you away from God\u2019s will.
\nFrom the time Adam and Eve first sinned, the world has been working against God\u2019s purposes for humanity. Satan himself is behind the world system, as Paul points out:
\n2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don\u2019t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don\u2019t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
\nMost people are oblivious to the spiritual side of this world and the dangers thereof. If you want to win at spiritual warfare, you need to be aware of the dangerous pull of the world in all of its varied forms.
\nThe world establishes a foothold by putting ideas in your head that go against God\u2019s Word. Over time, the more you buy into it, it becomes a stronghold \u2013 a place from which the enemy can set up a defensive position. Paul warns us to guard against this:
\nColossians 2:8 (NLT) Don\u2019t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
\nWorldly thinking dominates secular institutions and even infiltrates the church. Here are a few examples of bad ideas that are introduced to us through the world:
\nThis list is just scratching the surface. Add to this list or create your own. There are countless examples of bad ideas planted in our head from the world around us. And this isn\u2019t just high-sounding nonsense, it\u2019s actually spiritual warfare! James gave this warning:
\nJames 4:4 You adulterers! Don\u2019t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
\nThe Bible teaches that the battle against the world is already won in Christ (Colossians 2:14-15). But how do we appropriate the victory for our lives? How do we tap into the victory when the world comes at us hard? We win the war with the world by exercising spiritual discernment in our everyday lives. Paul said it this way:
\nRomans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
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