10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:10-18
As to Paul's description of 'the enemy' arrayed against us, he speaks first of all in 11 about the wiles of the devil, then in the next verse he 'diversifies' and instances separately the powers of darkness principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places - a remarkable catalogue indeed! And it seems to indicate, for one thing, that the phrase 'wiles of the devil' is not to be mistaken as a graphic description of forces within ourselves, as described for example in the words of the hymn
And some such grievous passions tear
That only Thou canst cast them out
for Paul expressly indicates that this is not a 'flesh and blood' problem, troubling us from within, but something coming at us from the outside, with an objective reality. For another thing, the various categories mentioned in 12 seem to suggest, as one commentator puts it, that these various powers have different functions, all under the controlling direction of the devil, their commander-in-chief. One of the things that lends credence to this view is the fact that the evil one makes different approaches to the souls of men. Temptation to sin is but one of Satan's wiles - attacks on health (as in the case of Job) are another, and hindrances yet another (as is witnessed in Paul's words 'Satan hindered us', 1 Thessalonians 2:18), while the strange dark experiences that sometimes befall the children of God are evidence of another kind of approach - and all these need to be recognised for what they are. The dark world of evil is indeed a grim reality, and a reminder to us that there are forces arrayed against the people of God that can be dealt with only in the way that Paul describes in these verses before us.