"Put
on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's
schemes." – Ephesians 6:11
Today, so few people realize that Satan is the god of
this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).
This occurred when Adam and Eve surrendered their dominion over the earth to
Satan (John 12:31, 14:31, 16:11; 1 John 5:19). He rules the world through deception and temptation (Matthew
4:8-9; Revelation 12:9).
He transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is the lawless one and the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; 8-10); a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44), the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4); a fallen angel (Revelation 9:1); the serpent of old (Revelation 12:9); the tempter (Matthew 4:3); the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16); the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).
He transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He is the lawless one and the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; 8-10); a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44), the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4); a fallen angel (Revelation 9:1); the serpent of old (Revelation 12:9); the tempter (Matthew 4:3); the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16); the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).
Satan is well versed in the art of deception. He magnifies minor inconveniences in a marriage until they grow to paramount proportions in a couple’s mind, which destroys the home. If that does not work, he sends seductive lovers to lure one of the mates away from the family. He also employs his obliging agitators to disrupt the unity in churches. He distracts Christians from God’s purpose for their day with disruptions and roadblocks. He lures unsuspecting victims into reckless behavior and immerses them in addictive vices, which ravage their life.
As their future lies in ruin at his feet, he observes their demise with glee and celebrates.
We do not have to succumb to
Satan’s trickery, however. Christ
lives in every Believer and He is more powerful than Satan (1 John
4:4). Jesus defeated Satan by his
crucifixion and resurrection (Genesis 3:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15: 57; Revelation 12:11). If we live by the Spirit of
God, and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), we will not be so easily swayed by Satan’s wiles.
God calls us to grow into maturity in the faith and to have discernment, so we are not blown here and there by every charlatan’s wind of teaching that sounds good to our carnal ears (Ephesians 4:14). He also exhorts us to be self-controlled and alert, to be aware that our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
God calls us to grow into maturity in the faith and to have discernment, so we are not blown here and there by every charlatan’s wind of teaching that sounds good to our carnal ears (Ephesians 4:14). He also exhorts us to be self-controlled and alert, to be aware that our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
We can resist Satan by standing firm in the faith and realizing that Christians all over the world are undergoing the same kind of temptations (1 Peter 5:9). James gives us a two-part piece of advice in dealing with Satan: 1. Submit yourselves to God. 2. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Paul warns us of the severity of the spiritual battle we face each day; but he gives us directions for how to prepare for the encounter.
First, he encourages us to be strong in the Lord and mighty in His power. He reminds us that we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers, mighty powers and evil spirits and authorities of the unseen spirit world. Then he instructs to put on every piece of God’s armor to be able to resist the enemy’s evil suggestions to us, and to stand firm in the battle against all the strategies of the devil (Ephesians 6:14-17).
The first piece of armor is to accept Jesus as our Savior. He is the Truth, and he is the belt that holds our lives together. Then, we put on the breastplate of holy living, which protects all the vital aspects of our life. We walk in peace, which comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This fully prepares us for the fight. In addition to all of these, we hold up the shield of faith in Christ to stop the fiery arrows of deception and temptation, which Satan shoots at us throughout the day.
We put on the mind of Christ as our helmet. Finally, we take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; and we quote scripture to Satan when he tries to deceive us, just like Jesus did on the pinnacle of His temptation by the father of lies (John 8:44; Matthew 4:8-9).
Prayer:
Thought
for the Day:
The
night of a godless society is nearly over; the day of Christ’s return is almost
here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- Romans 13:12