Resist the enemy. The who? Scripture is unabashed in describing what we’re up against as Christians. Ephesian 6:10-12 says, “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our …
Series Archives:
32824 Warfare Prayer
Put on the armor of God and pray. The armor is God’s gracious gift for protection which is put on with prayer. But, it is to be used in the context of our personal relationship with Him. God does not want putting on His armor to become a mechanical exercise. “With every prayer and petition, …
32823 The Armor of God
Spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons. When we put on God’s armor we can resist Satan and stand against evil. Can you imagine how foolish it would be for soldiers to go out on the battlefield without any weapons or defensive gear? And yet, that is exactly what many believers do every day. As Christians we …
32822 The Hedge of Protection
“The angel of the Lord camps around the Lord’s loyal followers and delivers them.” – Psalm 34:7 God is our protector. “He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.” – Psalm 91:4 “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the …
32827 Satan’s Schemes
Satan has several different tactics that he uses to prevent Christians from fulfilling their God-given destiny. These are some of the tools of his trade. Satan tries to control your perspective, manipulate your thinking and exploit your foundational desires. (Jesus praying to the Father) “I am not asking you to take them out of the …
32826 Three Avenues of Temptations
1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world – the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions …
32825 Temptation is Satan’s Bait
In Matthew 26:41 Jesus warned His disciples— “Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each …
32815 Resisting Temptation
Poof! Wouldn’t it be nice if once we were Christians temptations suddenly lost all their appeal? If Satan simply disappeared? If we didn’t have to struggle? We often pray, “Lord, take this struggle away from me.” But reality is like King David writes in Psalm 18:39, “You give me strength for battle.” David, though he depended on …
32814 Resisting Satanic Condemnation
There is a great scene in the children’s book Ramona the Pest [1] where the kindergarten namesake of the book is reveling in her new red rain boots, invincible against the wetness and mud of the outside world. Superior to anything she might encounter, she stomps through a muddy construction site, brashly ignoring the older (and wiser) kids who …
32813 Resisting Isolation
Westerners are conditioned to love the rugged hero. Whether superhero, Jedi knight, cowboy, soldier, or politician our heroes are individuals who have had courage to single-handedly defeat their foes. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of courage, but we import that mentality into our Christian life. We easily assume that if we are “real Christians,” then …