The more and more I learn about our common enemy, the devil, the more I am continually amazed at his deception tactics. Simply put; he will do whatever is necessary to destroy you. Now we all know that he is a liar. In fact, he is called the father of lies according to the red letters of Jesus below…
…He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44b
Satan’s foundational character at his core is to lie, and his number one job is deceiving you and me. One of my favorite authors Erwin Lutzer said this, “Though Satan is at war with all of humanity, his special attacks are aimed at those whom he knows will belong to God forever. Conceivably dialogues such as those in the book of Job are still happening today”. Look at it this way, he thinks that if he cannot keep you from heaven, then at least he can keep you from being useful on this earth.
As a result, every single day, Satan whispers in your ear because he can. Yes, he has the ability to inject thoughts into your mind that you think are your own. Lutzer also said,” Satan wants YOU to develop confidence in YOUR ability to handle the consequences of disobedience”. If he can do that, you become desensitized to hearing anything from God. When you can’t hear from God, then despair can set in and that can be Satan’s greatest weapon toward you and your family.
So what do you do?
Lutzer tells us that “a life of praise to the Lord is one of the most effective weapons against the enemy. Satan hates praises to Jesus and we can use those praises against him”. I love that. Just humming one of your favorite praise songs is a deterrent to the enemy!
Secondly, it is imperative that the power of God, or the Holy Spirit is active in you. And this happens through your faith in Him. Then…each day you can claim the assurance that the Spirit WILL be active in your life, daily. Remember, you received Christ by faith, and since then, you walk by faith, again, daily. Because of this, the Spirit can make us free and keep it that way.
Guys, it does take effort each day for you to participate. Look at your situation like this; warriors “suit up” before they go to battle. Police Officers and soldiers wear body armor. Roman soldiers wore breastplates and carried shields…all for protection from the blows or bullets from the enemy. Essentially, you must do the same thing by wearing God’s armor and protecting yourself.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Eph 6:11-12
Guys, this is just a simple reminder that our battle is for our eternal souls, and you can’t take days off from thinking about this. It requires time spent and solid effort from you every day to connect to God. That is what He asks and that is what we must do. No more and no less.
Until next time guys…
Lutzer, Erwin. (2015) Gods Devil, Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers. 162.
