3. Be Wise!
Satan is highly intelligent. He is crafty, subtle and cunning. He knows our weaknesses and the areas in which we are vulnerable. He is always looking for an opportunity or an access point to gain a foothold in our lives. He tailors his attack and temptation to us individually.
Jesus taught and understood this. Paul did too (see 2 Cor.2:10-11). We need to understand strategic warfare tactics. Your enemy always wants to seek a way to get advantage over you so he can defeat you. What stronghold is Satan trying to form in your mind (2 Cor.10:3-6), what unresolved offense could be giving him an access point or foothold through which to gain authority over your life (Eph.4:25-27), and what area of weakness is a vulnerability for you right now?
Here’s an interesting exercise – “If you were the devil, devise a plan to defeat you?” Most of us won’t be tempted this week to rob a bank, become a terrorist, or kill somebody BUT there are other areas where we could be open to attack (e.g. busyness, temptation, discouragement, fear, etc). Satan is an undercover agent. He uses the world, the flesh (or our sinful nature) and the demonic realm to carry out his purposes.
Pray about your vulnerable or weak areas. Build defenses in these areas. Ask friends to pray for you too. We wrestle with spiritual powers not people (Eph.6). Satan hates our guts, our families, and our churches too. But we have power and weapons to defeat him.
4. Be Strong!
The power of the Spirit enabled Jesus to overcome every temptation of the enemy (See also Eph.6:10-18. Joshua 1:6-7). Sometimes we have to ACT ourselves into a different way of FEELING. Go ahead and BE strong and BE courageous and you will feel his strength and courage flowing through you. We are called to live by FAITH … not FEELINGS. Feelings come and go, while God’s Word and God’s promises remain true at all times.
5. Be Confident!
Our confidence is in God. IN HIM we have all the authority and power that we need to overcome every attack and strategy of the devil. Satan fears his conqueror, Jesus Christ, and these who stand up to him in Jesus’ name. Submit to God, resist the devil and he WILL flee from you (James 4:7). Greater is he who is within you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). We can experience overwhelming victory through him who loved us (Rom.8:31-39).
Are you feeling tired (physically), flat (emotionally), or dry (spiritually)? I pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to fill you with fresh strength, and that you may be alert, wise and confident to overcome everything that may come against you!
Thank you Mark. Excellent encouraging reminder. Yes, we do have an enemy who is a defeated foe, yet he continues to try to stumble every one who follows and loves Jesus sincerely. We all need to watch and pray to stay alert and be vigilant to resist satan and he WILL flee from us. We need not fear him for our God is greater than he! The devil only attacks those who are making a difference to the Kingdom of God or the newly converted to try and rob them of their inheritance in Christ. Anyone who is on fire for the cause of Jesus Christ and faithfully holds onto their faith in God is a target of the enemy. Remember Job? The only ones satan leaves alone are the complacent (luke warm) and compromising Christians, and unbelievers. An excellent book to read on ‘Spiritual Warefare’ is Warren Wiersbee’s “What to Wear to The War.”