More Than Meets the Eye

Life sure can feel chaotic and unpredictable. One minute you are experiencing joy, contentment, and maybe a little success and the next moment you feel like you were punched in the gut with some life-altering news. At face value, all these ups and downs of life appear to be coincidental, unpredictable, and random.

But did you know that the Bible paints a very different picture of our world? According to scripture, our lives are part of a much bigger story – a cosmic drama playing out since before time began between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness. The Bible repeatedly describes the leader of the Kingdom of Darkness – Satan, a name meaning “adversary.” From the opening pages of the Bible, he appeared as a serpent and lied to deceive Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree in an effort to separate them from God. And to this day, he still continues to deceive us into believing lies about God.

The Apostle Paul describes this cosmic battle in Ephesians 6:12 by saying, “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.” It is true that we cannot see these spiritual forces, but if we acknowledge their existence and combat them through prayer and a life connected to the power of God, then we can begin to make a lot more sense out of the seemingly disjointed events of our lives.

Now I’m not saying that there is a demon behind every troubling event in your life. But for many Christians, we have been lulled into a false sense of believing that we don’t actually have an adversary who is trying to make our lives miserable. But the truth presented in the Bible is clear that we do. When I begin to believe that there is more than meets the eye in this world and that there is a spiritual battle for my very soul, then I better understand the true source behind the trials of life. Rather than blaming God for causing me harm or believing everything is just the result of random events, I instead see that challenges in my life are the result of a spiritual battle. As a result, I can engage the battle through spiritual means: through prayer and a faith in the power of God.

I know many of you may be skeptical reading what the Bible says about these matters. It is scary to admit we live in the midst of a spiritual battle. Yet, it also seems to offer clarity and an explanation to the constant evil we read about in the news and the challenges we experience in life. Fortunately, the Bible offers some really good news on this subject. We know who will win this battle as “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world .” (1 John 4:4) So live a life of prayer, relying on the power of God to lead you safely through this world.