bible study
title: it's not nothing
key passage: ephesians 6:10-19
for we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world (ephesians 6:12, nlt).
have you seen the neverending story? it was a movie released a number of years ago based on a book by the same name. the story is about the mythical land of fantasia which is slowly being eaten away by the violent nothing. one by one, the creatures of fantasia are swallowed into the nothing.
they try to fight back, but how do you fight "nothing"? of course in the story, the characters find a way to defeat the nothing, but not without experiencing loss and hopelessness.
many people today feel like they're in the fight of their lives. but if you ask them what they're fighting, they have no answer. it feels like "nothing" but it's still there. and they're frustrated. if they could define it, they could fight it. but they can't, so everyday feels like they're boxing the shadows, hoping something goes right. maybe you can relate.
the apostle paul could relate too, as well as all the people of ephesus to whom paul wrote the letter known as ephesians. near the end of the letter paul encourages them to remember, "we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world" (ephesians 6:12, nlt).
ok. this is starting to sound like an episode of "charmed" or "supernatural" and those are fictional stories, right? well, what you see on tv is a very glamorized depiction of supernatural realities. but the bible is very clear: there are spirits, both good and bad, in the world today.
but that shouldn't be a surprise. we know god is a spirit. we know of angels, too. angels are mentioned over 250 times in the bible. and in the book of hebrews, the author tells us they are "spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation" (hebrews 1:14, nlt).
the bible's not silent about evil spirits either. demons are mentioned about 100 times in the bible along with satan, the ruler of the evil spirits. it's all there in the bible, to ignore it would be wrong.
but a lot of people make the mistake of believing that good and evil, god and satan, are equal but opposite forces in the universe. if that were the case, we'd have no hope of overcoming the influence of the unseen evil spirits in this world.
but God is utterly powerful over evil. you can see it in the bible from genesis 3, where satan first shows up, to revelation 20 where satan is cast into hell forever at the end of time. so let's look at how God will help us fight these unseen forces.
consider it
read through ephesians 6:10-19 and consider the following questions:
why does paul use a suit of armor to describe our defenses?
what is the purpose of putting on the armor of God?
what are the pieces of armor and what are their functions?
how can you train to use of the sword of the spirit, the bible?
apply it
thinking about spiritual forces can be scary, especially if you've experienced something that can only be described as supernatural. one of the devil's tricks is convince us that we're powerless against him. and that would be true, if we didn't have god on our side.
romans 8:31-39 is a wonderful reminder of God's power and love for us. write this passage in your journal or on index card, your hand or wherever it will remind yourself that god is there…always. if you want to do a little additional reading, try the screwtape letters by c.s. lewis, one of the best books out there on overcoming the dark forces in this world.
express it
as you pray, praise God that he has saved you and redeemed you from the penalty of your sins. praise him that nothing will ever separate you from God's love. ask him to help you to put on the spiritual armor on a daily basis