And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

  - Revelation 12.17

He, one man alone, with God’s aid repulsed innumerable hostile bands of demons making war against him, visible to his bodily eyes, and preparing to inflict deadly diseases upon his community of monks; and they were thrust back from this our principal island.

  - Admomnán, Vita Columbae, Irish, 7th century[1]

Spiritual warfare is very real. It’s just that it’s not always very obvious.

Colum Cille had the benefit of what was called “second sight.” Like Elisha (2 Kgs. 6.8-18), he could see spiritual realities more clearly than most of us do by looking at ordinary circumstances through eyes greatly steeped in the faith of Christ. A threat of plague to the island of Iona was, to Colum, not just an historical circumstance. Colum saw anything and everything that threatened the progress of the Gospel as a demonic strategy to thwart the Kingdom of Christ. And, whenever he sensed such threats, he turned to fervent prayer and other spiritual practices to protect his monks and their work from the ravages of the devil.

In the book of Job we see how Satan used a wide range of material, personal, and economic circumstances to wage war against God and His servant. Granted, Job never quite gained the insight we the readers of that account can have, but then, isn’t that just the point? We learn from Job’s experience that the devil, who hates God and us as His people, will use whatever he can to rob us of our joy and set us back in our progress toward the promises of God.

Most Christians live in two worlds rather than one. And the one they live in most consistently is the same one they share with their unbelieving neighbors – the world of getting and spending, making a living, and trying to stay out of trouble. Christians live in the other world when they’re at church, or having their devotions, or participating in some activity with other Christians. When they go out into the world with their neighbors and co-workers, most Christians leave that spiritual world behind.

Colum lived in one world. Most of us don’t see sickness, deprivation, everyday trials, and so forth as anything other than a nuisance or an inconvenience. I wonder: If we believed these were stratagems of the devil, would we apply ourselves more earnestly in prayer and other spiritual exertions to overcome them?

Be sure of this: when we begin living like true followers of Christ – loving Jesus, professing and proclaiming His Kingdom, and living according to God’s Law – the climate of war will gather around us like never before. When that begins to happen, we’d better know how to pray, we’d better know how to persevere in obedience and witness, and we’d better have mastered the use of all the weapons of our warfare (Eph. 6.10-20).

Otherwise, we’ll just be one more casualty among many whom the devil renders ineffectual in seeking the Kingdom because we have failed to recognize his wiles for what they are.

Because, beloved, we are at war, we really are.

Psalm 46.6, 7 (St. Chrysostom: We Have not Known The As We Ought)
Kingdoms arise and rage and roar, threat’ning the earth with sore distress;
Nations may fall, earth melt away, His Word is yet our hope and stay.
God is among us, ever to bless; He is our stronghold evermore.

Lord, give us eyes of faith to see the larger picture at all times, so that, when the devil or his henchmen would thwart our witness, we may know Your presence and strength. Adapted from Vita Brendani

Thank you for your prayers and support.
Susie and I give thanks for you each day, but especially this time of the year, our hearts overflow with gratitude for your friendship, support, and collaboration in this work. God supplies our needs as we look to Him day by day, and He may be pleased to do so, at least in part, through you. Please seek Him in prayer concerning this matter. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452.

T. M. Moore
Principal
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.