I was riding a city bus and talking to the lady seated in the row in front of me when, for some unknown reason, I decided to look behind me. I gasped. I was staring at a man whose face was so distorted with hate that he looked like a gargoyle. His fiery eyes stared straight at me with such intensity that they seemed to be ignited by the pit of hell itself. I can still see them in my mind as if it happened yesterday. 

Shocked, I shifted to the empty seat next to me to put more distance between the man and me. He looked away but started speaking to himself in a low, raspy voice that sounded straight out of an exorcism movie. I could hear enough to understand he was cursing me and the lady I was talking to. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I got off the bus. 

Not knowing the man, I can’t speak with 100 percent certainty, but I’m pretty sure that the hate emanating from his eyes wasn’t human. Why would he hate with such intensity someone he didn’t even know? On the other hand, Satan and his demons despise humanity with a passion—especially believers. 

Thinking back on this experience, I see it as an example of Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10-12. There is a hostile spiritual world around us that we cannot see, which influences the people with whom we come in contact. What percentage of them? I don’t know, but we must consider it possible whenever we face opposition. 

So, how should we react? Paul encourages us to put on the whole armor of God, which will provide the protection we need. The recent pandemic has given me an excellent way to illustrate the truth that Paul is presenting. Just like viruses and bacteria are all around us, in the same way, demons surround us. But instead of panicking or trembling with fear, the solution is to build up our spiritual immune system, which is where the armor of God comes in. With it in place, we can operate in confidence and victory.