Hold!!!

Ephesians 6:10-17

This reminds me of every war movie I've ever seen: Dig in. Hold fast. Stand firm. Over and over, Paul entreats the reader to stand: "take your stand against the devil's schemes" "stand your ground" "after you have done everything, to stand" "stand firm"
Paul reminds us that our struggle is not against people but against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. I think I need to remember that people as individuals and people as groups are not the enemy. They have been affected by the curse of sin just like I was and while they may be fighting against everything that I love and think is important (seeing me and Christianity as the enemy at times), my job is not to fight against them but fight against the spiritual forces that are blinding them to the reality of the gospel of Christ. I think it is ok to debate ideas and philosophies because sometimes ideas and philosophies are what Satan uses to blind people to the truth but I always need to keep in mind that the person I am debating is not the real enemy. It is not my job to crush them or defeat them but to show them the way to the kingdom of heaven.
What I do need to remember is that my work as a youth leader (and yours as youth leaders) is a spiritual battle. Satan is trying to keep their eyes blinded to the fullness of God in Christ. This means that I need to pray like crazy... but I'm getting ahead of myself. That's tomorrows verse.