When the Enemy Attacks
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Ephesians 6:10-13)."
Friends, whether you realize it our not there is a battle. The battle is real and at times can be very intense. Alone, you will never be able to defeat satan, he is way too clever and more devious than you could imagine. You must keep your armor on at all times because you never know when the enemy of your soul will strike. He waits-like a roaring lion-seeking someone to devour. Times when you are tired, times when you are sick, times when your circumstances may be overwhelming or times you just feel burned out, these are the times he will most likely attack thinking you may have your guard down. He will stop at nothing to destroy everything....your family, your marriage, your relationships, and most of all, your testimony. He will do anything to try and steal your joy; anything to take your eyes off of Jesus or cause doubt in God's promises. Do not give him any ground. This battle is spiritual-it is not, and I repeat NOT against flesh and blood (people). satan knows his time is short, so evil and warfare will continue to increase until the day Jesus returns. "For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short (Revelation 12: 10-12)."
So, how are we to fight our adversary? First of all, I want you to remember that he is a defeated foe! At the cross Jesus said, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world (satan) will be driven out (John 12:31)." And eventually after the second coming of our Lord Jesus, he will be cast into the lake of fire with all who followed him forever. "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10)."
Be prepared and keep your armor on. When you are in the middle of spiritual opposition, if you don't already have your armor on, you will not be able to stand. So what is the armor we are to put on? The belt of truth is the first element. We must know God's truth and stay in His word. Knowing His truth will also make us aware of satan's deception. The next element is the breastplate of righteousness. This is not a righteousness of our own but the righteousness that only Christ gives which guards our hearts against attacks and accusations from satan. Feet fitted with the gospel of peace. As you follow where Jesus is leading, He will give you His peace and point others to Him. Then, we have the shield of faith. Faith in none other than Jesus. Faith in God's word and knowing that He will do what He says He will do regardless of what our present circumstances may look like. The shield of faith will protect us against attacks of doubt from the enemy. Our God is faithful and is always trustworthy. The helmet of salvation protects our minds against wrong thoughts-thoughts that come against God's word and any knowledge that sets itself up against Christ. We need to guard our minds by what we listen to whether it be music or other people. We need to be careful what we watch as well. Finally, we have the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Hide His word in your heart and speak it as necessary. satan has no ground to stand on and when you resist him, he must flee.
The weapons we fight with are spiritual. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)."
Bottom line my friend is this: you need to stand your ground and know who you are in Christ. The battle is real and at times it will rage. However, you are an overcomer. You have been bought by the blood of Christ. The blood that destroyed all the evil works of satan, destroyed the barrier that was between you and God, set you free and made you righteous He has placed His Spirit within you to help you, guide you and keep you, however, you must make the choice to put the armor on and hide His word in your heart.
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 3:5)."
Friends, whether you realize it our not there is a battle. The battle is real and at times can be very intense. Alone, you will never be able to defeat satan, he is way too clever and more devious than you could imagine. You must keep your armor on at all times because you never know when the enemy of your soul will strike. He waits-like a roaring lion-seeking someone to devour. Times when you are tired, times when you are sick, times when your circumstances may be overwhelming or times you just feel burned out, these are the times he will most likely attack thinking you may have your guard down. He will stop at nothing to destroy everything....your family, your marriage, your relationships, and most of all, your testimony. He will do anything to try and steal your joy; anything to take your eyes off of Jesus or cause doubt in God's promises. Do not give him any ground. This battle is spiritual-it is not, and I repeat NOT against flesh and blood (people). satan knows his time is short, so evil and warfare will continue to increase until the day Jesus returns. "For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short (Revelation 12: 10-12)."
So, how are we to fight our adversary? First of all, I want you to remember that he is a defeated foe! At the cross Jesus said, "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world (satan) will be driven out (John 12:31)." And eventually after the second coming of our Lord Jesus, he will be cast into the lake of fire with all who followed him forever. "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10)."
Be prepared and keep your armor on. When you are in the middle of spiritual opposition, if you don't already have your armor on, you will not be able to stand. So what is the armor we are to put on? The belt of truth is the first element. We must know God's truth and stay in His word. Knowing His truth will also make us aware of satan's deception. The next element is the breastplate of righteousness. This is not a righteousness of our own but the righteousness that only Christ gives which guards our hearts against attacks and accusations from satan. Feet fitted with the gospel of peace. As you follow where Jesus is leading, He will give you His peace and point others to Him. Then, we have the shield of faith. Faith in none other than Jesus. Faith in God's word and knowing that He will do what He says He will do regardless of what our present circumstances may look like. The shield of faith will protect us against attacks of doubt from the enemy. Our God is faithful and is always trustworthy. The helmet of salvation protects our minds against wrong thoughts-thoughts that come against God's word and any knowledge that sets itself up against Christ. We need to guard our minds by what we listen to whether it be music or other people. We need to be careful what we watch as well. Finally, we have the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Hide His word in your heart and speak it as necessary. satan has no ground to stand on and when you resist him, he must flee.
The weapons we fight with are spiritual. "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)."
Bottom line my friend is this: you need to stand your ground and know who you are in Christ. The battle is real and at times it will rage. However, you are an overcomer. You have been bought by the blood of Christ. The blood that destroyed all the evil works of satan, destroyed the barrier that was between you and God, set you free and made you righteous He has placed His Spirit within you to help you, guide you and keep you, however, you must make the choice to put the armor on and hide His word in your heart.
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 3:5)."
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