Ephesians 2.2 “…in
which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient.” – St. Paul
There is one thing for sure: air, at least the air about
this earth, is a place. Air is that
place between earth, and space (where there is no air). The difference between
the place of air, and that of, perhaps, terra
firma, is density. Paul tells us there is a kingdom of the air, and a ruler
of a kingdom from there.
When is the last time you scooped up a whole bucket full of
air? You’ll actually be surprised that there isn’t much to it. Any old bucket
or pail sitting around in your garage or shed is full of air. You can’t grasp
it, you can’t hoard it; you can’t see it, taste it or even feel it. Air is air.
Air is permanent yet unstable. Air is driven by changes
in the climate and temperature. But no matter how hard the wind blows, air is
never driven away. And Paul said “the ways of this world” are driven by a
ruler of the kingdom of the air. Unstable, but present. Present but not
omnipresent.
Air is something God designed for our need and our
protection. We didn’t get a say-so in whether there was air, or no air. But
consider, just for a moment what our last moments would be if gravity lost its
pull, and the air went ‘out there’. And air for all it’s positive qualities, is
not substantive – at least to the point where it amounts to much. But air is
the habitation of a prince whose power is: of the air.
Now, what would we think of this dark enemy if he was merely
a ruler of the kingdom of air? Not of
the air, but of air. What do we think of a world leader whose policies and plans
hold no air? Which would we rather: a substantive
leader… or one whose words are wind?
A couple weeks ago, a man spoke at our church making
the statement: the devil will beat you
with whatever stick you hand him. Satan may only of the air, but the damage
he inflicts is in an even more ethereal spot: the grey matter betwixt our ears –
the realm of the mind. If the air is
both permanent and unstable, think about the atmosphere of the mind. It’s in
the mind that the prince does some of his dirtiest
work… he knows humans are gullible fools.
Therefore, our minds must be retrained, our thoughts must
be guarded; the battles we fight are not with worldly weapons, but with
weapons of truth and trust; of focus and faith. Our fight is against all the crap we learned in high school
and everywhere else. Our battlefield is a place where the winds of untruth blow
to take root. Remember, we are beaten by whatever stick we offer.
The devil has only the power we give him. St. James said,
resist him and he’ll flee (James 4).
The devil is no match for truth, but oh how he’ll twist it with the untaught
and unguarded to serve his destructive agenda. The disobedient, says Paul, are
willing vassals of Satan and his devices; and his biggest hustle has always
been: to convince the saved, that they
aren’t; and the unsaved, that they are…
Father, You have
placed me in a place where if I’m not careful, I’ll get sucked into a vortex of
falsehood from which it is almost impossible to escape. Help me to guard my
thoughts, and to let the air be the air; but to resist the ruler whose devilish
agenda comes from there… amen
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