Pastor's Message
October 2021
The Real Enemy
One of the strangest battles of the Revolutionary War was an all-night battle between a French battleship and an island in the West Indies. The island is called “Sail Rock” and, from a distance, looks strikingly similar to a full rigged sailing ship.
One night, that island was spotted by a French battleship. Mistaking the rock for an enemy ship, the captain of the French battleship hailed the land mass. When he received no reply, he assumed it was an English warship and immediately ordered his broadside to fire. The confusion from the firing, the echo of the splashing shells, and sparks from the ricocheting rocks led the captain to believe that the perceived English ship had returned fire. So, he ordered more firing. All night long, the French crew assaulted this defenseless island rock which they had mistaken for a ship.
Soldiers often talk about the “fog of war.” Whether this is a literal fog caused by the smoke of ammunition firing, or a figurative fog that comes from the mass confusion of so many things happening at once on the battlefield, mistakes happen. In those times, friendly fire can cause substantial harm. (It’s how the Lord granted Gideon success in Judges 7.)
In our spiritual warfare, we too can be caught in a fog of confusion and can mistake the true enemy. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “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.”
Too often in our spiritual struggles, we like to blame others. “Because this person did this thing or that person didn’t do that thing, that’s why I’m up-set. That’s why my life isn’t as good as it should be. That’s why I’m discontent.” It’s easy for us to blame the government, blame our spouse, blame our boss, or blame some other relative or an ex. They are easy targets.
But the Apostle Paul reminds us that the biggest enemy is a spiritual one, and the biggest battlefield is the one that goes on in my head or my heart. Because the struggle is not against “flesh and blood,” we can conclude that “rulers,” “authorities,” and “powers” are more than just political figures. These are synonyms with “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Paul is talking about the devil and demons, evil spirits which live on the same plane as angels. This is the Tempter at his worst. This is the Deceiver seeking to deceive, the Liar telling lies, and the angel of darkness parading around as an angel of light.
There’s a famous movie quote: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” (The Usual Suspects). C.S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, writes about the devils’ desire to stay anonymous and conceal their identity. The paradox of evil is that when devils conceal their existence, people don’t believe in God (but they also don’t act directly on behalf of evil). On the other hand, if they reveal themselves, some people may ally themselves with the devil directly (usually for carnal pleasures), but more often they are turned back toward God more fervently.
With this in mind, it is important that we identify the existence and work of the devil, and that we turn to God and the spiritual armor and weapons he gives us to fight in this spiritual war: “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.” (Ephesians 6:14-17)
~ Pastor Ben Golisch
The Real Enemy
One of the strangest battles of the Revolutionary War was an all-night battle between a French battleship and an island in the West Indies. The island is called “Sail Rock” and, from a distance, looks strikingly similar to a full rigged sailing ship.
One night, that island was spotted by a French battleship. Mistaking the rock for an enemy ship, the captain of the French battleship hailed the land mass. When he received no reply, he assumed it was an English warship and immediately ordered his broadside to fire. The confusion from the firing, the echo of the splashing shells, and sparks from the ricocheting rocks led the captain to believe that the perceived English ship had returned fire. So, he ordered more firing. All night long, the French crew assaulted this defenseless island rock which they had mistaken for a ship.
Soldiers often talk about the “fog of war.” Whether this is a literal fog caused by the smoke of ammunition firing, or a figurative fog that comes from the mass confusion of so many things happening at once on the battlefield, mistakes happen. In those times, friendly fire can cause substantial harm. (It’s how the Lord granted Gideon success in Judges 7.)
In our spiritual warfare, we too can be caught in a fog of confusion and can mistake the true enemy. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “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.”
Too often in our spiritual struggles, we like to blame others. “Because this person did this thing or that person didn’t do that thing, that’s why I’m up-set. That’s why my life isn’t as good as it should be. That’s why I’m discontent.” It’s easy for us to blame the government, blame our spouse, blame our boss, or blame some other relative or an ex. They are easy targets.
But the Apostle Paul reminds us that the biggest enemy is a spiritual one, and the biggest battlefield is the one that goes on in my head or my heart. Because the struggle is not against “flesh and blood,” we can conclude that “rulers,” “authorities,” and “powers” are more than just political figures. These are synonyms with “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Paul is talking about the devil and demons, evil spirits which live on the same plane as angels. This is the Tempter at his worst. This is the Deceiver seeking to deceive, the Liar telling lies, and the angel of darkness parading around as an angel of light.
There’s a famous movie quote: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist” (The Usual Suspects). C.S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, writes about the devils’ desire to stay anonymous and conceal their identity. The paradox of evil is that when devils conceal their existence, people don’t believe in God (but they also don’t act directly on behalf of evil). On the other hand, if they reveal themselves, some people may ally themselves with the devil directly (usually for carnal pleasures), but more often they are turned back toward God more fervently.
With this in mind, it is important that we identify the existence and work of the devil, and that we turn to God and the spiritual armor and weapons he gives us to fight in this spiritual war: “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.” (Ephesians 6:14-17)
~ Pastor Ben Golisch