wrestle pt.1

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I greet you ALL in the Name of Jesus.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places [Eph. 6:12]."

Let us not lose thought for a moment to the nature of the
war that is raging. Here Paul lays all on the table. He does
not underrate the fierceness of the struggle nor the strength
of our foe. In this he is unlike Satan, who dares not let sinners
know the true character of God, but must draw them on
to the field with false reports and keep them there with lies
and subterfuge. Paul, on the other hand, is not afraid to show
the saints their enemy in all his power, the weakness of God
being stronger than all the powers of hell. Let's look now at
the nature of the war in three particulars: the sharpness of
combat, the universality of combat, and the duration of combat.

1. The sharpness of combat
Your state in this life is set out by the word "wrestling."
Though sometimes it is used to define a form of recreational
sport, here it describes the sharpness of your encounter with
the enemy. Paul uses it to convey the notion of a bloody and
lasting war between the Christian and his implacable opponent.
Two things make wrestling a sharper combat than others.

First, it is a single combat. Strictly speaking, wrestling is
not a team sport, but primarily a 'one-on-one' contest where
one opponent singles out another and enters the arena with him,
as with David and Goliath. Each wrestler exerts his whole force
and strength against the other. Such combat is much fiercer than
fighting in an army where, though the battle is sharp and long,
the soldier is not always fighting. He can stop occasionally to
get his breath. In fact, he may escape without a scratch, because
in war the enemy's aim is not at one man in particular but at
the whole regiment. In wrestling, however, each contestant is
the sole object of his challenger's fury, and must be shaken and
tried until one or the other is proclaimed victorious.

Whether you like it or not, you must go into the ring with Satan
and his host's. He has not only a general malice against the army
of saints, but a particular spite against every single child of God.
As our Lord delights to have private communion with His saint,
so the devil delights to challenge the Christian when he gets them
alone. The whole issue of your spiritual destiny is personal and
particular. You give Satan a dangerous advantage if you see his
wrath and fury bent in general against the saints, and not against
you specifically: Satan hates me; Satan accuses me; Satan tempts me.
Conversely, you lose much comfort when you fail to see the promises
and providences of God as available for your own specific needs:
God loves me; God pardons me; God takes care of me. The water supply
for the town will do you no personal good unless you have a pip[e
that carries it to your own house. Let it serve as both a caution
and a comfort to know your spiritual combat is singular.

Second, wrestling is a close combat. Armies fight at some distance;
wrestlers grapple hand-to-hand. You may be able to dodge an arrow
shot from a distance, but when the enemy actually has hold of you,
you must either resist manfully or fall shamefully at his feet.
When Satan comes after you, he moves in close, takes hold of your
very flesh and corrupt nature, and by this shakes you.