For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
— Ephesians 6:12
"We wage war not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities."
Amen. And those powers and principalities utilize and influence flesh and blood for their warfare. Jesus fought with people influenced by the enemy and sin, both physically and spiritually.
So What Does That Mean We Do?
It means that we recognize that there is evil in this world and call it what it is. If you can't paint the target, then you can't call in an air strike. If you can't alert the rest of the battalion as to the location of the threat, then your friends are going to get smoked.
This is a massive calling of pastors. If they are going to be faithful, they must shepherd the sheep by pointing out the wolves and other threats.
This is also the calling of fathers and heads of household. Point out evil in the world and use it to instruct your children.
If You Aren't in Prayer, You're Doing It Wrong
It also means if you aren't going to war in prayer you're doing it wrong. You might as well be the seven sons of Sceva. You're about to be whooped and mastered in the worst way possible.
Christ is king, he is the head, and it's he who has defeated death and hell. Our banner is his, and thus we need to be on the comms with command.
But How Do We Pray?
When we pray, we pray for victory, and we pray imprecatory psalms.
God smashes out the teeth of his enemies. God reduces unrepentant nations to rubble. If the world doesn't kiss the Son, he will be angry. Why does this matter? One reason — the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Imprecatory psalms are a part of God's gospel plan. Imprecatory psalms pray for God to demonstrate his righteous judgement so that the world may know that he is God. If we are going to pray according to God's will, then we can't leave out the psalms of God's wrath.
If you want the world to be saved, then we ought to want them to be reminded of his wrath and power. We only care about the love of God after realizing how wretched and undeserving of it we really are.
We were God's enemies first. That's what makes the gospel so radical.
Repent and Believe
We also pray that those who would see God's wrath poured out would repent and believe. Jethro's epiphany moment of God's grace and goodness was how God delivered Israel from Egypt — through his judgement (Ex 12).
Great fear of God — and thus wisdom — filled the New Testament church when Ananias and Sapphira were killed by God for their failure to obey him (Acts 5).
The fear of God's wrath drives people to Jesus. I know it drove me. The separation of God's love from his wrath is one of the greatest losses of our current Christian culture.
It is his wrath we deserve. It is his wrath he poured out on Christ. And it is the realization of those truths that awaken love within us.
We love because he first loved us, by pouring out the wrath that we deserve — and we know we deserve — on Jesus.
Again — So What Do We Do?
We should be patient with the pawns of the enemy, insofar as patience is possible. If they are a threat to a sheep then at the very least they need to be pointed out as a threat — but they may need to be dealt with more directly. But if they are just duped, suckered into the lie of neutrality or some other falsehood, work with them. Fight to win them. Pray for them. And maybe dust off your imprecatory psalms while you're at it.
