Verses. Ephesians 6: 12 - 15 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; +++
I recently reread C. S. Lewis’s THAT HIDEOUS STRENGTH. This is a novel awash in the truth of what Paul says to us in Ephesians 6. The England in that story is under attack by forces that are beyond this world. Yet, to all appearances, they initially come in the form of ordinary men with agendas, and ordinary sinful desires for control and power. But even those men are unaware of the nature of the evil entities that are actually at work, manipulating by means of those desires. And so we must also heed the words of St. Paul, for there is no other way to combat the real behind-the-scenes forces of evil than to first recognize that, visible or not, they are always there and always up to no good.
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About Jeffery D. Kooistra In my dreams I live in a world of 2 a.m. train whistles wailing in the distance, and tractor-trailers ruling the roads, abandoned tree-houses deep in the woods, the scent of burning oak leaves in the air, and squeaky windmills beside weathered barns. I am the author of over 100 stories and nonfiction pieces dealing with science, science fiction, philosophy, religion, and current events. Until retiring from it recently I wrote Alternate View columns for Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine. My background also includes teaching math and physics from middle school into college. I am also a member of SIGMA -- the Science Fiction Think Tank, an assortment of SF authors who do pro bono consulting work, usually for agencies of the government.