Defiantly, Unashamedly, Generously — Worship Defiantly - Monday
TODAY’S VERSE
Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (NLT)
I’m a huge fan of Marvel Comics. To put this in perspective, I’ve been going to watch the movies since the first Iron Man movie came out in 2008, and I was also an avid comic reader between 2013 and 2020.
Over the course of nearly twenty years, Marvel has released 38 movies. But my all-time favorite is Captain America: Civil War. Hang with me for a second…
One of the many reasons I love this movie is because of the villain. Most Marvel villains are pretty straightforward. They’re often a bad version of the good guy, a mirror held up to the hero. But in Captain America: Civil War, our heroes fight an enemy they can’t see. In fact, they don’t even fight the villain at all! What they end up doing is allowing the villain to influence them to fight each other.
The villain, Baron Zemo, has this iconic line where he says, “I knew I couldn't kill them. More powerful men than me have tried. But if I could get them to kill each other..." The movie then cuts to a shot of Captain America and Iron Man (our two beloved Marvel heroes) duking it out in a fight against each other.
Here’s the truth: Like it or not, the reality is we’re also in a fight. But in order to boldly stand against and defy our real enemy, we must first learn to discern who the true adversary actually is. As Scott said on Sunday, “Defiance without discernment is dangerous.”
We have an enemy like Baron Zemo who would love to convince us to wage war against flesh-and-blood enemies — against people. But as Paul wrote to a church in a place called Ephesus, “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
Our struggle isn't with people, and our battle isn't against Goliath. When we forget who the real enemy is, we end up wasting our strength by fighting the wrong battle with the wrong weapons, turning against the wrong people, like Captain America and Iron Man. Instead, we’re called to boldly take a stand against evil itself and the forces aligned with the prince of darkness, in Jesus’ name.
APPLICATION
Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons. Take some time today to pray and discern if you’re caught up in battles against flesh and blood, or if you’re fighting alongside God in the battle against the powers and prince of darkness.
PRAYER
God, give me the discernment to recognize the difference between who I see as my enemies and who You see as Your enemies. Help me to fight the right battles in the right way.