For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.- Ephesians 6:12

We have all been guilty of having a less-than perfect reaction to a situation. We fall back into setting standards for our own pleasure which can affect us in negative ways. Even the people around us might experience the same effect of pessimism and reactiveness. We could be our very own self-destructive device, harming lives right before our eyes - lives near and close to us.

Charles Swindoll, a well-known author once claimed that, “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” And controlling reactions is a struggle to many, especially people who shut out those who have done them wrong. It is feels natural to blame people who slap us in the face or stab us in the back. But how we react to our situations says a lot about who we truly are. The verse mentioned above might help remind us why we, as Christians, need to react correctly.

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

I’ve been struggling with how to deal with my emotions when someone does me wrong. As Paul reminds us in the passage from Ephesians mentioned above, managing our reactions may be more than just dealing with our physical world. Believing that our battles are more than the seen or heard is the right kind of attitude to have. It’s easy to fight back or take revenge, but it takes real courage to look pass it and deal with the real problem at hand.

As God uses people so does the devil. As children of the Light, we should know the tactics and strategies to which our enemies move for our annihilation. These tactics could be in a form of an insult from your boss, a non-renewal of your employment contract, a low score on a test on you’ve spent the whole night studying, a rejection from someone whom you asked for a date or a scold from your mother and father. And one’s destruction does not involve blood and flesh, no! It could be in a form of doubt. Low self-esteem, worry, envy, wrath, apathy and so many more.

As children of the Light, we should know the tactics and strategies to which our enemies move for our annihilation.

The next time we decide on to how we react on things, let’s consider this as a reminder- that the battle among us is more than the visible.

Discussion Question: When was the last time you looked past the people or situation that had done you wrong and how did you do it?