After many years in ministry, I remain concerned about how easily we can confess faith in Jesus Christ while allowing our loyalties to lead us away from His teachings. We recognize evil when it comes from someone we oppose. It becomes harder to recognize when it comes from someone we admire.
That is one reason we must take spiritual warfare seriously. Deception works by persuading us to accept something false as true and something sinful as necessary or righteous.
Paul warns us:
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” — Ephesians 6:11
He then explains:
“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.” — Ephesians 6:12
There is a spiritual conflict behind the struggles we see in human life. Its influence can become visible through lies, hatred, exploitation, injustice, and the corruption of authority. Human beings remain responsible for their choices, but Paul tells us that the struggle reaches beyond human beings.
We must understand both the seriousness of the enemy and the responsibility of the believer.
I understand Psalm 82 as describing spiritual beings held accountable by God for their failure to uphold justice. On that reading, their rebellion had consequences for people on earth. God’s charge against them concerns the wicked they favored and the vulnerable they failed to defend:
“Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” — Psalm 82:3–4
Consider what that means. God judges these powers for abandoning people who needed protection. Their failure concerns the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted, and the needy.
If these are the very failures God condemns, Christians should be deeply troubled when we find ourselves excusing them.
How can we claim to oppose spiritual darkness while defending its works? How can we speak of righteousness while overlooking cruelty? How can we pray for God’s blessing while refusing to hear the cries of those suffering under injustice?
Our allegiance to Christ must govern every other allegiance.
John tells us that the spirit of antichrist was already in the world in his day. I understand this as an ongoing spiritual opposition to Christ, His truth, and His authority. John gives specific warnings about denying who Jesus is. He also makes clear that a profession of faith must be accompanied by obedience:
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” — 1 John 2:4
Jesus Himself asks:
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46
Those words should cause every one of us to examine our lives.
Calling ourselves Christians carries a responsibility. We bear the name of the Lord before our families, our neighbors, and the world. When we knowingly use His name to defend conduct He condemns, we dishonor that name. In that sense, we bear it in vain.
There is a difference between a believer who falls into sin and repents, and a person who insists that sin should be accepted and defended. John acknowledges our need for confession and forgiveness. Faithfulness includes receiving correction, admitting wrongdoing, and returning to obedience.
The danger comes when we stop allowing Scripture to correct us.
We may begin by excusing one lie because it helps our cause. Then we overlook cruelty because we believe it serves a necessary purpose. Eventually, we may find ourselves defending behavior we once recognized as sinful.
Spiritual deception can work through those small concessions.
Paul gives us a responsibility toward the works of darkness:
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” — Ephesians 5:11
We must expose wrongdoing truthfully. We must refuse to participate in it. We must defend those who are harmed and call those responsible to account.
That requires care. Before repeating an accusation, we should establish whether it is true. We must apply the same standard to our friends that we apply to our opponents. Exposing sin does not give us permission to spread rumors, judge hidden motives, or treat people with contempt.
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. People are accountable for their actions, but they are also people for whom we should pray and whose repentance we should desire.
There are times when speaking requires courage. There are also times when we need to listen, learn, and determine how best to help. Yet persistent silence in the face of known injustice can leave the suffering abandoned and the wrongdoer unchallenged.
We should ask ourselves: Am I silent because I lack the facts, or because the truth would make me uncomfortable? Am I protecting someone who is vulnerable, or protecting my place among people whose approval I want?
The armour of God prepares us to answer those questions faithfully.
We must be girded with truth. We need honesty in what we believe, what we say, and what we share. A convenient falsehood still serves deception. We must allow God’s Word to examine our assumptions.
We must wear the breastplate of righteousness. Our own conduct matters. We cannot effectively call others to integrity while deliberately harboring dishonesty, bitterness, or cruelty in our lives.
Our feet must be prepared with the gospel of peace. We carry the message of reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. Even when confronting wrongdoing, we must seek the protection of the vulnerable and the repentance of the offender. Hatred must not determine our steps.
We must take the shield of faith. Fear can tempt us to compromise. We may fear rejection, loss, or the disapproval of people we respect. Faith enables us to trust the Lord enough to obey Him when obedience is costly.
We must wear the helmet of salvation. Our hope rests in Christ. Remembering whose we are helps guard our minds against despair and against promises that demand we surrender our conscience for the sake of security.
We must take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Scripture must govern our judgment. We need to read it faithfully and receive its correction, rather than search for a verse to excuse what we have already decided to support.
And we must pray:
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” — Ephesians 6:18
We need prayer for discernment, courage, humility, and endurance. We need to pray for those who suffer, for those in authority, for our fellow believers, and for those who oppose us. We also need to pray that the Lord will expose deception in our own hearts.
This armour is for daily living. We wear it in our conversations, our decisions, our treatment of others, and our response to the news. Faithfulness is expressed when we refuse a lie, confess a wrong, help a neighbor, defend someone mistreated, or choose mercy when resentment would be easier.
We should take the spiritual war seriously without becoming consumed by fear. Christ has triumphed over the powers, and our confidence rests in Him. We do not need to discover the name of every spiritual being to obey the commands God has already given us.
We know we are called to truth. We know we are called to righteousness. We know we are called to love our neighbors, show mercy, and defend the weak.
Each morning, we would do well to pray: “Lord, help me recognize deception, beginning with any deception I have accepted myself. Give me courage to expose wrongdoing, compassion for those who suffer, and humility to receive correction. Clothe me with Thy armour, and help me follow Thee today.”
The seriousness of this war calls for daily faithfulness. May the name we bear be honored by the lives we live.
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