Making it Impersonal
It is not always easy to tell who is right and who is wrong, who is evil and who is good.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. - Ephesians 6:10-13
Paul tells us we must be ready to do battle, armed with the strength and power of God, with truth and faith, and the word of God as our armament.
But he warns us against doing battle with each other.
It is not the flesh and blood, he tells us, that we must fight, but the forces of evil that control them.
He takes his cue from Jesus who freed people from the spirits and demons that possessed them. Jesus spoke to the evil and sent it away, leaving the person intact.
Can we do that? Can we fight against evil without making it personal?
I'm not sure we can. I'm not sure we want to. It is far easier to see people as evil and fight against them, than to do battle with the evil that possesses them, allowing them to be saved and freed.
The true enemy, the force of evil that is at work in the world, wants us to make it personal, to see each other as demons, feeding us hatred and fear to keep us in conflict with each other.
If we fail to make it personal, though, the evil loses its power.
How do we do that? How do we look beyond the person?
When someone is doing things that are hurtful and filled with anger, it is hard to see God in them. God can see the good in them, but we are not so well equipped.
But if we try to remember that God loves them, we may be able to seek help from the Holy Spirit to know what to do and how to deal with them.
We may not be able to free them from the evil, but we can pray that God can do that, and perhaps we will be able to treat them as His children.
When we make evil impersonal, we make good personal.
Isn't that a better way to see the world?
Let us pray.
More to come...