Truly, God exists: only that believers must fight His battle

By Emeka Asinugo, PhD., KSC

A few days ago, I confessed in one of my writings that at some point in my journey of faith, I was tempted to doubt if God actually existed. I had always believed, and perhaps thought I had known, that from time immemorial, faith in God was the foundation upon which humanity built its moral compass. Like so many other young people, I had been taught from childhood to believe in a just and loving God who rewarded the righteous and punished the wicked. I had been taught that God heard the prayers of the innocent, protected them from harm, and ensured that justice prevailed in their dealings, and in their lives. But when I eventually observed the harsh realities of the life we said we lived, I found myself struggling with deep doubts about the real existence of this God of Justice.

My mind was troubled by the glaring contradictions between what I had been taught about God's loving nature, and the reality and frequency with which evil thrived in the world today, our contemporary world. How could a just God sit back and watch innocent men, women, and children brutalized, displaced from their ancestral homes and made refugees in their own country, or even killed without reason while the perpetrators of those despicable acts thrived and enjoyed the fruits of their crimes with pride?

In fact, it was not just the successful existence of evil that raised doubts in my mind about the presence of God in our world; it was the apparent lack of consequences for those who deliberately committed evil. Good people kept suffering every day from poverty, from disease, from injustice, and untimely death, while those who engaged in nefarious practices and inhumane behaviour rose to positions of authority, wealth and influence. Why should a loving and all-powerful God allow such blatant injustice to persist? Why did He seem to close His eyes to the suffering of the righteous and the triumph of the wicked?

But no, I was wrong. And yes, now I know that God actually and practically exists. My confusion, I now realise, stemmed primarily from my concept of God as a loving Father who sat up there dispensing justice to the good and bad, according to their works on earth. And I am sure that I am not alone in this misconception, and that many Christians thought the same way. But in the Gospel of John  4 verse 24, we learn differently. We learn that "God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth." This means that God is not our Father the same way as we know fathers in our mortal world. God is not a physical entity definable by human perception but an omnipresent, omnipotent Force that influences the lifestyles and values of those who invite Him into their lives. But even then, God is not the only spirit vying for control over the life of man. In Ephesians 2:2, the Bible refers to Satan as "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4, the Bible refers to Satan as "the god of the world who has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 

So, God is Spirit and Satan is also a spirit. Both God and Satan are spirits that can dwell within the human body and mind and they have continued to struggle to direct man's actions. These two spirits have a capacity to live in man the same way as the man lives in a house, and motivate him to do good or evil. When the Spirit of God resides in a person, it propels the one to be kind, loving, patient, compassionate, empathic, forgiving, accommodating and understanding. On the other hand, when the spirit of Satan resides in a person, it leads to wickedness, destruction, divisiveness, cruelty, impatience, selfishness, and an obsession with worldly pleasures and values. This constant battle between God and Satan, between good and evil, always determines the course of human lives and the destiny of societies.

Between these two opposing forces, the Spirit of God and the spirit of Satan, stands the Word, which explains lucidly to us, the nature of Spirit Beings. The words we speak are not themselves visible, yet they carry immense power. They can inspire action, evoke emotions, and shape destinies. The word we speak is intangible. We cannot see it with our eyes. We cannot touch it with our hands. We can only hear it with our ears. But it has a capacity to move us into action, make us laugh, make us sad, make us fight, make us sober, make us run or walk and generally motivate us into action or inaction. The Word we speak is a typical example of Spirit at work.

 And that is why in John 1:1-5 we learn that "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not."  This passage highlights for believers the divine power of the Word, which is the primary weapon in spiritual warfare. Therefore, to understand God and his nature, believers must continuously immerse themselves in his Word to be able at all times to combat the deceptions of Satan and so, strengthen their own faith in God. God, in His infinite wisdom, granted man that free will.

So, in effect, there are two forces contending  for the soul of man while he lives here on earth - the Spirit of God on the one hand and the spirit of Satan on the other hand. In seeming confirmation of this hypothesis, in Genesis 1 verses 26 to 31, God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." ." Who were the "us" in this Scripture, if not the spirit of Goodness and the spirit of Evil?

This means that for God’s presence to be evident in Believers' lives, they must make a conscious effort to seek and activate His Spirit through prayer, praise, and worship. Without this commitment, God’s influence remains dormant, allowing Satan to possibly take control. That is one thing common in the relationship between man and spirit. If man does not energise the spirit, it cannot act. Because God has given man the free will to choose to do good or evil, to choose life or death, to choose God or Satan, man must energise the spirit of his choice for it to work in his life.

For believers in God, that desire for the Spirit of God to control their lives must be consummated in their commitment to praise and worship him. The battle is for the believers, the witnesses to the marvellous care of a living God. The "dominion" referred to in the passage comes with a corresponding responsibility—the duty to choose between good and evil, life and death, given the free will from God. But in Deuteronomy 30:19, God makes it even clearer when he says: "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

The battle between God and Satan is not a physical confrontation but a spiritual struggle that manifests in the lives of individuals, communities, and nations. Ephesians 6:12 reminds believers: "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." This verse clarifies that believers are engaged in an ongoing war that requires spiritual weapons. These weapons include faith, prayer, fasting, the Word of God, and righteous living. Victory in this battle does not come from mere religious identification but from an active, dedicated relationship with God. So, the truth is that God exists, but believers must fight the battle for His presence to manifest powerfully in their lives and society. God’s existence is undeniable to those who have experienced His power and grace. Believers must actively engage in spiritual warfare to keep His presence alive in their own lives. The forces of darkness will always seek to dominate, but with faith and commitment, believers will always overcome.

To be sure, the battle is not for God to fight. It is for those who believe in Him to stand firm, spread His Word, and live in righteousness. By doing so, they will ensure that God's light continues to shine in a world that is often engulfed by darkness and the forces that thrive in it. May God help us in Jesus' name. Amen.