The Cardinal Battle

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (NAS)

Each spring there is a cardinal in our yard who flies furiously against our windows, pecking with his beak and scratching with his claws. He attacks the mirrors of our cars as well as the brass plate on our door. Anything shiny enough to bear his reflection is in for a fight. From daybreak until sunset he is in combat with himself.

One afternoon I noticed blood splattered and swirled in with the scratch and peck marks on the mirror and windshield of my car. Though injured, he was not deterred in a battle that he would never win. The reason for his defeat each day is simply because he does not recognize whom he struggles against.

We are in a similar conflict, but it is one that we can emerge from victoriously. First, we must recognize the enemy. It is Satan. Only the spiritual weapons that Christ has supplied for us can defeat him, those spoken of in Ephesians 6:10-11. When we put on the full armor of God, it is He who fights for us. The battle belongs to the Lord. We were not created to futilely wound ourselves, but to be victors, emerging with the banner of Christ held high. We are to rise from the dust not battered and bleeding but strong in the Lord.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for supplying all that we need to defeat Satan in our everyday struggles against the darkness. We praise you for going before us and girding us with your strength for life's cardinal battle. Amen.

 © 2012 Bonnie Mae Evans