The Silent Struggle

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.(Ephesians 6:12)

The 'struggle' we fight as Christians is a silent one. I believe most Christians understand that. We may complain about ways our culture has been deceived by the enemy, but we know deep down there is a spiritual battle behind it. Not everyone may see it, but we do, and we know it is important to win.

However, I often wonder if we're short-sighted in considering our strategies for the war. The obvious ways to fight the struggle, according to popular wisdom, focus on being more spiritual. For example - pray more, read the Bible, practice fasting/discipline, refrain from sin, serve others - things that please God. And these behaviors are perfect for some the enemies' tactics. But are they enough? Are they always what is needed? Isn't this close to how the Pharisees acted?

The Greek here for struggle (Strong's 3823) literally means wrestling - as in Greco-Roman style matches (not WWE). This means the 'struggle' involves more than just our behaviors. It is a down-on-the-ground test of strength, stamina, grip, agility and strategy. It is a test in which the enemy is in our hands, eye-to-eye, fighting for domination and breathing down our neck. It is a struggle for every aspects of our life, a strategic test of our entire being. Ask someone you know who wrestled in school to explain the experience to you. To win requires whole-body training, time, work and effort. It is a sport, but it is not entertaining for the participants. For them, it is a hard-fought battle of mind and body, that can be over in just a brief moment. One wrong move can cost you everything.

Therefore prayer, good-will, wishful thinking or righteous behavior is not enough to fight the battle. We must be flexing and training all aspects of our being. We must prepare our whole person - body, soul, heart and mind. We cannot believe that narrow strategies are sufficient. We cannot believe that doing what is convenient to us is sufficient. We must go further than that, and be challenged to go deeper.

Why do I make this point? Because I think many strategies of Christ's body are not focused on mental aspects of Christian development. Sure, some people may be committed to memorizing Bible passages or reading scriptures. But how many? And how deep does that take one?

Allow me to share a recent experience, which I hope demonstrates how real and present a threat the battle for our minds is. I serve as adviser to the Jr. High youth for my church. I am 1 of 4 people who help plan activities for them to be involved in - from games and movies to service projects, over-nighters and everything in between. But I am also responsible for leading Wednesday night lessons once a month. And recently, I used my monthly lesson to wrap up things I did not finish during Sunday School.

The discussion was about how the Bible compares to other books. It started off well - the kids easily grasped how people use other books to get hope, purpose and comfort - things we believe the Bible is helpful for. Moving on, they also seemed to understand the Bible's uniqueness is its message of Jesus. From there, however, it did not take long for questions to pour in. The kids were steps ahead of my lesson plan!

One after another, each of the 6 kids had their own questions - and plenty of them. Questions came up about the Bible's origins and composition. Then were some questions about the compilation (canon) of the Bible. Another kid hinted at concerns about alternative gospels. Eventually, even dating the book of Genesis came up! I was hit from all sides, and this went on for half an hour. I have never more busy in all my evenings as a teacher in church!

Did you remember these were Jr. High youth? First year students, to be specific - most aged 12. Had I not studied apologetics for 7 years, I might have preferred a quiet room to sit in! Of course, this was the kind of thing God has prepared me for. I am grateful that He truly knows how to best use his followers! But how would you have felt in the same situation? How many Sunday School teachers do you know would have been able to answer these questions? What about parents? What would the kids have learned if I had not answered the questions?

I wish I could say this was just a rare scene, a coincidence. But this was 1 of 4 such experiences - in the last month alone. Other experiences involved more serious discussions. Questions were asked about God himself - why was he harsh in the OT? What does he do for people that don't know Jesus? Each kid had their own struggles come to light - and of their own accord. The enemy had not even set foot in the arena! How I handled this had consequences for how deep these kids might go in their faith. (read what child psychologists say about the teenage years)

I can't toot my own horn - the answers to these questions are standard fair for numerous apologetic resources. But are 12-year old kids who you picture as the target audience for apologetics? Consider this - these are not kids that ignore church. They are regulars, much like their parents, and have been since childhood. They are not college rebels, or adults soured on church. They are not "too-smart-for-their-own-good" geniuses (though some are very smart) and are not looking for reasons to abandon church. They are  teenagers - testing boundaries in the adult world, learning to be a part of it. They are trying to think for themselves. They are in the church, listening to what we say, wanting to know what we think. Have you wondered about what message they are getting?

I often worry that a large part of Christ's body is focused on spirit, soul or body in our 'struggle'. The battle for our mind is not fully engaged. We see it as won when we can quote scripture, believe the right things, hold to traditions or correct attacks from the enemy. But is this enough? What are the "right things", anyway? Do we understand our beliefs? Can we teach them to others and share it as part of our witness? Have we had them challenged? When we read things we don't understand, do we seek to study them? Or do we disengage from the intellectual battle, retreating into prayer, righteous and wishful thinking?

I will re-iterate this is only one aspect of the struggle we have with our enemy. But, fearing it to be overlooked, we must make a better effort to engage it. I would dare not try to define a "one-size-fits-all" solution to the problem, but a good start is knowing where to go for answers (rather than thinking you must have them all, or ignore it completely). We must understand what we know to some degree. We may not all be Bible scholars, but we should try to figure things out and see them in context - as part of a larger picture. We should know what covenants are, what words actually mean. doesn't hurt to know how the Bible was composed, either, or what rhetoric and oral tradition are like. It  It may not affect your salvation, but it could affect your witness to others. Or, it just may be you that gets caught with a question you can't answer. What will you do then - give the enemy a foothold by retreating to the familiarity of your strengths? Or will you train yourself for a wrestling match?




If you're ready to train, consider checking out Tektonics online, or look for Josh McDowell books at  your local Christian bookstore. His work is  great for beginners, and he even publishes books aimed at teens. Beyond  that, Bible study must involve more than opinions of friends or church members. Consult experts - scholars, commentaries and the like - to get a broader view of scripture than we are capable of. We would seek medical advice from doctors after all, right?