There are two sections to Part 2.
Do You Know Your Enemy?
Life is a battleground. The sooner you accept this truth, the easier it's going to be to win the battle.
Satan is trying to destroy us because we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. We have all the riches and resources of the resurrected Christ available to us. We are like the people of Israel when they moved into the Promised Land and claimed their victory. When the older generation died, the new generation forgot about God and lost their terri-tory. Why? They did not stand.
Grow Up.
The Christian life is a growth process. Before we can walk with Christ and run the race set before us (see Hebrews. 12:1), we must first learn how to stand 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." The word "wiles" can also be translated "methods" or "craftiness." The same word is used in Ephesians 4:14: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."
In Ephesians 4:14, Paul stressed the importance of growing up and maturing as Christians. Those who don't mature are like small children. Children are very naive. They believe anything or anyone.
They lack the experience and education to exercise discernment. Unfortunately, some of God's chi-dren have no discernment either. They will listen to a television or radio evangelist or read a book by some author and will not have the discernment to recognize false doctrine. However, when we mature as believers, we will not be tricked and led astray by Satan's cunning craftiness and methodology.
Wear All of the Armour.
How are we able to stand against Satan's strategies? By putting on the whole armor of God.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of
God" (Eph. 6:13). It is vital that we wear all of the armour God has given us and not just some of it. If we don't use all of the equipment, then Satan will attack us at some unguarded place.
The story is told of a soldier who learned this lesson the hard way. In 1586 a British soldier, Sir Philip Sidney, was fighting in the Netherlands. He saw one of his friends fighting in the battle without his leg armor on, so he took his off. He was hit in the leg and died as a result. The enemy was able to find one small spot that was left unprotected, and he attacked that area.
Often Christians fall into the trap of thinking that they don't need a certain piece of the armor. However, if we leave any piece out, we are exercising pride. We are saying, "Well, God, I don't need that part of the armor. I've got that area of my life under control."
Have you ever noticed that when the great men and women of the Bible sinned, they always fell in the areas of their greatest strength? Abraham's greatest strength was his faith. That is where he failed. He lied about his wife.
(Read Genesis. 12:10-20).
What was Moses' greatest strength? He was the meekest man on the earth. Yet he lost his temper, smote the rock instead of speaking to it and took the credit for producing the water. As a result, he lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land (see Numbers. 20:7-12). Likewise, Peter failed in his greatest area of strength, his courage. His faith and courage faltered when he was walking on the water (Read Matthew. 14:25-31), but probably his greatest failure was his denial of the Lord Jesus Christ three times (see Matthew. 14:26,69,75).
What was David's greatest strength?
His integrity. He was a man after God's own heart.
That's where he failed. He moved into duplicity, lying and leading a double life. (Read Il Sam. 11). When you begin to believe that you've conquered a certain area of your life and do not need God's protection for it, that's the very area where Satan will attack you.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood (see Ephesians. 6:12). We must remember that our conflict is not with people but with Satan, who uses people. While some people deny the existence of demonic powers, those of us who believe the Word of God know that these demonic powers exist. While Satan is not omniscient or omnipresent, he doesn't know everything and cannot be everywhere at the same time. He has such a huge army of demonic forces at his control that he can operate in many places at one time. With the help of these demonic powers, the Devil can accomplish his will.
We are wrestling against an organized demonic
conspiracy,principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places.
(See Ephesians. 6:12). Satan has access to the throne of God. (Read Job 1:6-2:8; Rev. 12). He wants to rob us of the inheritance we have in Christ. In order to successfully defend ourselves from his vicious attacks, we must learn to stand in the power of Christ and must put on all of God's armor. If we are not completely prepared and protected, he will destroy us.
I hope you are enjoying 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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