What Does it Mean to “Wrestle” Against Spiritual Forces?

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.

Ephesians 6:12, AMPC

As tempting as it is to allow our time to be dominated by the issues on the headlines, there is more going on than what meets the eye. It’s not an overstatement to say that anyone with half an ounce of spiritual sensitivity can tell that there is a depraved, widespread deception that has engulfed literally the whole world. The idea that ‘God is in control’ is a religious illusion; a lie of the enemy, Satan, who is in fact the “god of this world” (see 2 Corinthians 4:4), and is meant to throw people off track with their perceptions of Who God is.

God is a good God! The things He does are only good!

The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].

Psalm 145:9, AMPC

Today, I want to point out what the Bible says about the real battle that we are facing. We are not against God; He is not the one doling out wickedness on the earth today. As the Holy Spirit teaches us in Ephesians 6, we “wrestle not against flesh and blood.” As wicked as some people are, it is important that we recognize that Satan is ultimately behind all the sin in the world, and he is the one working behind the scenes in the world’s leaders who are the target of so many headlines today. 

Don’t be fooled by the headlines! 

We are not fighting against flesh and blood, no matter how wicked they may be, or how sinister their policies are! My encouragement today is to dive deeper into the Word of God so you are equipped with powerful prayer so that you may wage a ferocious warfare against the evil spirits of darkness that are wreaking havoc on the earth today. Your social media rants–justified or not–aren’t going to strike at the heart of the problem. Complaining about a government leader will not strike Satan where it counts; in fact, that’s right where he wants Christians to be!

Satan knows that the only thing powerful enough on earth that can stop him is the “earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man [which] makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].” (James 5:16)

The prayers of the Church on the earth today (AKA, the Body of Jesus Christ) is the power that keeps Satan at bay.

Although Jesus died and rose again, forever defeating Satan and his demons, the responsibility of enforcing Jesus’ victory remains with the Body of Christ–that’s you and me, if you are a Blood-bought and redeemed child of God. That’s us! 

Jesus said, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” (Luke 10:19)

We are to walk in absolute confidence, power, and authority over all the principalities, the powers, world rulers of this present darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly sphere. 

Let’s take a brief look at what it means to wrestle against these foes of darkness. I believe you will be strengthened after learning what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in vivid, graphic detail through His choice of words in Ephesians 6:12. 

“Wrestling” is an Intense Conflict

The Greek word translated “wrestle” is the word pale. This small word carries a huge amount of information in it, and by studying this word and the historical context from which Paul wrote, we can gain incredible insight into the realities of spiritual warfare.

I won’t take time on this blog post to go into great detail, but I will outline some of the high points of this study.

First, the word pale, which occurs only here in the New Testament, describes struggling, wrestling, or hand-to-hand combat. Allow me to share an excerpt from Rick Renner’s book, Sparkling Gems From the Greek, Volume I, where he teaches in detail what this word pale means and it’s historical significance.

… the word pale is also the Greek word from which the Greeks derived their name for the Palaestra–a huge place of combat sports that was situated in the center of most larger, ancient cities.

Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems From the Greek Volume 1, page 395

Rick goes on to explain the three main sports that athletes would train for in the Palaestra–boxing, wrestling, and pankration.

When Paul penned this letter to the Ephesian church, “boxing” was nothing like the sport that shares its name today. The kind of boxing Paul was referring to by using this word pale was so violent, that most boxers died in the fighting ring–very few of them lived to retire!

Boxers’ gloves were studded with steel and spiked with nails. Even with the protection offered by the mandatory helmets, athletes in this brutal sport still never left the ring the same. According to one source, “the games were so violent that some participants were left permanently maimed or dead. One boxing match ended with all the fingers in both hands of a participant broken. One Olympian Damoxenes once pierced through his opponent’s rib cage and ripped out his intestines.” ¹

The next sport that athletes prepared for in the Palaestra was known as “wrestling,” but like boxing, was a completely different sport altogether than what comes to mind today.

Rick Renner explains ancient Greek wrestling in his book, Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Volume 1:

Although not quite as ugly and bloody as the other two combat sports, combat wrestling was still very aggressive and dangerous. Certain rules applied to the competitions of this combat sport. For instance, some of the most violent fighting techniques weren’t allowed in wrestling, such as blows, kicks, thrusts, throttle holds, twisting of the joints, and fighting on the ground. ²

The third, and most brutal of the three sports that athletes trained for in the Palaestra–remember, we are studying the Greek word pale so that we can gain a deeper understanding into spiritual warfare–was called pankration.

The sport of pankration was so violent, nothing like it exists in the civilized world today. Pankration was a no-holds-barred, all out fight. The name Pankration literally means, “all powerful.” One source describes this sport in the following paragraph:

In ancient Greek and Roman times wrestling was often combined with boxing into a sport call Pankration, meaning “with all might/force.” In ancient times there were no rounds, no boxing gloves and no time limit to the contest between the two naked men. The contest was over when one man raised his index finger or it became obvious that one could not win and the other was proclaimed the winner. There were only three rules: you could not gouge out the eyes of your opponent nor could you bite him or attack the genitals. All else was fair game. There was a referee with a switch to make sure no one violated the rules or died and a judge to oversee the fight and declare a winner.¹

Rick Renner sums up the main idea that the Holy Spirit was trying to convey to us by using the word pale in his interpretive version of Ephesians 6:12:

By using the word “wrestle” from the Greek word pale, Paul was telling every reader (and us) that spiritual warfare can be a bitter struggle and an intense conflict. The first phrase in Ephesians 6:12 really carries this idea:

“For our wrestling–that is, our intense struggle, fierce combat, contest, challenge, and ongoing conflict–is not really with flesh and blood, but with…” ²

What Ought to Be Our Response?

I wanted to share this with you today for two reasons:

1. That you would recognize the author and perpetrator behind the wickedness in the news, the politics, and the insurrections and wicked activity going on around the world.
2. That you would be infused with a fresh, powerful vigor to protect yourself, your family, and your country by renewing your mind to the Word of God and by walking in your authority as a believer.

Understanding that Satan is behind the wickedness of the earth, not God, is the first step in protecting your mind from the onslaught of the enemy’s attacks. If the devil can get you to believe that evil rulers and the darkness on the earth is from God, you will never be able to stand against those things–otherwise you would find yourself fighting against God.

We need to renew our minds to the Word of God, first and foremost, to see Him as He is. God is the Author of good, not evil. God’s will on earth is to be carried out by the prayers of His saints, for we are praying, “on earth as it is in Heaven.” In the end, we are the harvesters going out into the field of the world to reap a grand harvest of souls into the Kingdom of God.

In this day, the forces of wickedness are more active and apparent than ever before. While it’s true that the Holy Spirit prophesied that “in the last days, perilous times shall come,” it is not God’s intention that we (who know better) would sit and watch the world crumble around us “because it was destined to happen anyway.”

No, we have directions on what to do. After we “put on” the whole armor of God, (explained in Ephesians 6:13-17, we are to:

Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God’s consecrated people).

Ephesians 6:18, AMPC

“Praying in the Spirit”

Praying in the Spirit means praying in the supernatural language of tongues that you receive when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, and it also means to pray out in your native tongue (mine is English) as the Holy Spirit gives me utterance.

Over the last nine years of praying much in tongues, I’ve found that I see more results, receive more revelation, and have more spiritual insight and understanding after praying in tongues than when praying in my native language. We are, of course, to pray both “with the spirit and with the understanding,” (1 Corinthians 14:15)

Tongues and their scriptural use and benefits are the subject of an upcoming podcast. But for now, I want you to be encouraged to get into the Word of God, renew your mind to His Word, and pray in tongues as a daily routine. We, the Body of Christ, must continue to press forward. We are in the combat zone!

Like it or not, we are engaged in a ferocious battle with the spirits of wickedness that are controlling many of the political, social, and economic systems of the earth. We, the Body of Christ, have the answer to the world’s most dire problems–we are vessels of Almighty God Himself! God Himself lives in us, and we who are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit can release the perfect will of God through our supernatural prayer language, interceding for the lost, and glorifying God. (1 Corinthians 14:2).

If you are not born again, that is, if you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, the Messiah, then please check out this “Give Your Life to Jesus” page. There’s no time to waste! God has brought you to read this blog at this very time for a reason. He wants you in His family! Don’t wait another moment. He has been drawing you your whole life to relationship with Him. It is only after accepting Jesus that you can begin to walk in the power and authority delegated by Christ to the Church and experience total victory through the power of the Holy Spirit over every circumstance in this hour.

If you have not received the Gift of the Holy Spirit (sometimes called “The Baptism of the Holy Spirit”), and you are already born again, please contact a spiritual leader in your life who is walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, or contact me. Have someone pray with you and you can receive the full power of the Holy Spirit in your life today! (Stay tuned for more teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues)

Sources

1. Ancient Roman Boxing. earlychurchhistory.org/entertainment/boxing-in-ancient-roman-world/.
2. Renner, Rick. Sparkling Gems from the Greek : 365 New Gems to Equip and Empower You for Victory Every Day of the Year. Tulsa, Okla., Institute Books, 2016.