day no. 16,849: spiritual wickedness and physical confrontation

"Our Father in Heaven, before we go into battle every soldier among us will approach You, each in his own way. Our enemies too, according to their own understanding, will ask for protection and for victory. And so we bow before Your infinite wisdom. We offer our prayers as best we can. I pray that You watch over the young men that I lead into battle; You use me as Your instrument in this awful hell of war, to watch over them. Especially if they are men like this one beside me deserving of a future in Your blessing and good will… and one more thing, dear Lord — about our enemies: Ignore their heathen prayers and help us blow those little bastards straight to hell. Amen." — We Were Soldiers

Heathen prayers are not humble. Crying out to a false god may be a sign of weakness, but it is not a sign of meekness. It only increases the crier's wickedness.

Psalm 109:7

When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

Those who call out to Christ to bless their sins are committing an additional sin, but not covering any of them. 

Proverbs 15:29

The Lord is far from the wicked:but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.

God hears the prayers of His people when they pray in Christ's Name. This does not mean that adding a, "in Jesus' Name," post script to any prayer promotes it to God's presence and good will. It means that prayers offered in Christ's Name according to His Spirit are near to the Father's heart, but those offered outside of Christ or outside of His clear will are far from Him.

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Spiritual wickedness in high places must be fought in physical places down here. We do not fight as the world fights, but we do fight the world. Our weapons are not carnal, but they are weapons. They are not according to the flesh, but they are against the flesh. They are not from the world, but they are opposed to it.

Spiritual darkness requires physical confrontation. Heresy and apostasy must be met in the material world. False doctrines do not show up at your front door disembodied. We do not wage war against ghosts. We pray for the Father's kingdom to come and we do not expect its tangibility to go. Christ did not become flesh in order to do away with the material. He redeemed every last atom and each one will be brought under His headship. Every last atom out there... and in you. Amen.