There are three sections to Part 1.
As soldiers of Christ, we not only need to be ready for our ongoing battle with Satan, but we also have several responsibilities that we must fulfill if we are going to hold on to our inheritance and fight from victory, not for victory. Our responsibilities are threefold: (1) We must know our enemies; (2) we must use the equipment; and (3) we must depend on the energy that God provides.
Who is the Enemy? Ephesians 6:11 tells us, "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Paul then went on to describe the Enemy we are fighting: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). Satan is not merely a flesh-and-blood human or a concept of evil; he is a living, personal, literal being with the power to control people and to perform many evil deeds.
It is important to note that the phrase "in high places" in verse 12 may also be translated "in the heavenlies." As we have already noted, because of Christ's grace, those who accept Him are seated with Him in the heavenlies. God has blessed us with every spiritual resource and blessing because of our position in Christ. Yet here we learn that Satan also has access to the same heavenlies. How? By his wiles, devices, strategies and craftiness. He attacks believers, trying to get us to doubt God's Word and to divide our allegiance to Him. Satan knows that if he can cause us to become fearful, then he can rob us of all the riches we have inherited. Knowing that we are seated on Christ's throne is worthless if we are afraid of the Enemy. Our fear enables the Devil to rob us of the enjoyment of our blessed position in Jesus Christ.
We have three spiritual enemies —the world, the flesh and the Devil. Paul made it clear in Ephesians 6:12 that our problem is not people: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood." When strife and problems exist, our trouble is not with the person but with Satan, who is working in and through that person. Satan can even use a believer. He used Peter. When the apostle was trying to divert Jesus from His plan for mankind, Jesus said to Peter, "Get thee behind me, Satan" (Matt. 16:23).
The Devil used Ananias and Sapphira, filling them with greed and lies (Read Acts 5:1-11). The Enemy loves to control us, causing us to do and say things we shouldn't.
Satan is not an abstraction. He is a real person, and he uses people, including people in the Church. Ephesians 6 was not written to idol worshipers and unbelievers; it was written to people in the church at Ephesus. Satan wants to work in the Church, using it for his evil purposes. He is strong and powerful. In the Bible he is described as a lion, a dragon and a destroyer.
(Read I Peter. 5:8; Revelation. 20:2; 1 Corinthians. 10:10; Psalm. 17:4; Jeremiah.4:7).
His strategies and wiles are subtle and deadly. He is well organized; he has a whole army of demonic forces at his command. There-fore, we must know our Enemy, use the armor we have been given and depend on the energy and strength that God alone can provide if we are to win our war with Satan.
We have finished Part 1, I hope you enjoyed reading these devotionals. I will continue releasing more parts to this devotional theme. Please continue reading the series.
I pray these devotionals will help you become a stronger Christian.
I would love for you to comment on or share this devotion.
All verses are KJV.
See past posts to find previous parts and sections.
Until Next Time………
Sincerely,
Nataly Russell
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