By Pastor RAUL GRANILLO Growing up with siblings, being married, and even just being a part of the general public has caused me to realize that we fight a lot of different battles in our lives.
As I looked back at the many battles I’ve fought, I realized that there were more than a few that got me nowhere or even caused me to lose ground. In most of those battles, my opponent and I were fighting about two entirely different matters and didn’t even realize it. We named the war similarly, but there was no hope of resolution because even our disagreement didn’t actually have a common ground.
The others, I’m embarrassed to say, where because the person or thing I was opposing, didn’t even know we were battling. Spending years fighting a fight with someone who has no idea we are at war, is more common than we might care to admit. If we really thought about it, I bet many of us would have to admit that we have fought useless battles that cost us time, energy, relationships, money, or even peace of mind.
Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, “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 NIV). The battles we need to fight in life are not usually the ones that are right in front of our faces (flesh and blood). No, the battles that we should be focusing on are the ones that are more hidden and are truly at the root of our problems. When Paul says that we need to be battling against “authorities” or “rulers” he isn’t necessarily talking about our government. Believe it or not, they are not the primary cause of the problems in our world.
What is it that really rules you? What is it that has power over your actions, thoughts, and emotions? You see, those things are the real rulers in our lives. They often cause us to falsely interpret another person’s words or actions; they force us to ignore rhetoric that is not in perfect harmony with our own beliefs. And those rulers, those authorities, those powers of the dark word are the real enemy; and the problem we face is that they are the result of being inwardly focused and simply filled with pride. They are the result of our belief that the world must certainly revolve around us.
Jesus is the only man to have walked the earth who could legitimately claim that everything was about Him. He is God, He is the Creator, the entire universe is about Him; and yet, He demonstrated that we are to live as if it is about everything but us. He lived for others, He healed others, He encouraged others, He died for others; everything that Jesus did was the result of being outwardly focused.
Friends, we must be Christ-like if we want to find peace in our lives and in this world. But to be Christ-like, we have to first realize that our greatest enemy is usually our own pride. We have to concede that not everything is about us; nor was it meant to be. Then, and only then, can we fight battles with a hope for a resolution.
To find out more about La Vista Church, or to hear this and other messages, visit our website at www.lavistanaz.org or email me at raul@lavistanaz.org. Follow Pastor Raul on Twitter @RaulGranillo007
Please come join us as we fix our eyes on Jesus. We meet Sundays at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10 a.m. for worship. Everyone is welcome!
