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"God blesses those people who..." (Ps 1:1 CEV).

So, starts the book of Psalms, according to the Contemporary English Version. I like that because it reminds us where blessings come from. They don\u2019t just show up. Being blessed is a gift from God. This is the introduction to Israel\u2019s song book. So, its worth paying extra attention to.

Psalm 1 observes that wise people ensure they are influenced by the Word of God rather than by those who mock God. Its a wonderful psalm; encouraging; ending with the promise that God watches over the way of the righteous. When Christians read this psalm, they tend to agree with it, nod their heads and recommit themselves to reading the Bible.

Psalm 2 is a continuation of Psalm 1. But its tone is altogether different. It is a war psalm. The sinners of Psalm 1, the ones Christians ought not to be influenced by, are now warriors. They are pictured huddled together in their war room, devising plans to overthrow God.

Suddenly, the people we should not be inspired by are not naive, mild mannered unbelievers minding their own business. Rather, they are part of an international conspiracy against God. If we are followers of God, then they are out to get us. While we pray for God's kingdom to come, they pray for it to be demolished.

Even though this warfare is not always openly experienced, in the psalms this deep conflict between the things of God and the things of evil is never far from the surface. Meditating on the things of God is not just a nice thing to do, it is absolutely necessary.

Notice that the Bible doesn\u2019t ask how much we have read or how long. Mediating. That is what the Bible wants us to do with it. Rolling it over in your minds. Letting it influence our decisions, our thinking our reactions.

Its an essential tool for staying in the fight, for not getting conquered. In Ephesians 6 Paul writes, "We are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places" (6:12). So remember, people are not the problem, not the enemy.

Then he coaches us on getting into the armour that is necessary for to "stand". We don't want to get knocked over; we don't want to get knocked out of the fight. We need to stand.

Why does Paul tell us to stand firm, rather than fight? Paul is well versed in the Psalms. He knows Psalm 2 which declares unequivocally that God has won. This battle belongs to our Lord and He has won. When Christ rose from the grave, he nailed shut the devil's coffin.

One of Paul\u2019s main contentions to the Ephesians is that Christ has disarmed the power. He has conquered over them and is sitting over them (ruling over them) in the heavenlies.

The devil can still make a mess of this world; he can still ruin many a Christian life, but he cannot win. He is defeated, chained. And so, we need to stand. But we need to be dressed for the fight, for that, we need the Word. And Paul adds that we need to pray. Paul also knew Jesus, who had said, "Pray that you are not led into temptation" (Matt 26:41).

When we meditate on the Word and when we pray, we engage in spiritual warfare. When we do these things, we grab hold of the armour that enables us to stand. The devil is always at work. We should be too.