Fight the Spiritual War
But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:13
Satan has all his power of deception to destroy God’s people by his lies and by his temptations. Satan and his demons can find our weaknesses by observing our behavior, but we have the power of Christ to overcome deception and to overcome temptations, if we are ready to fight the spiritual battle.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.” (Matthew 24:3-4) Three times in Matthew 24, Jesus tells his apostles about Satan’s deceptions in the last days. Satan is a master at deceiving people, both Christians and non-Christians. Satan knows our weaknesses and knows how to deceive us so we will justify our desire without knowing we were ever tempted. This is Satan’s tactic to get a foothold into a Christian’s life.
How do we fight temptations from Satan who knows our weakness and is an expert at deception? We cannot fight this spiritual battle in our own strength because we are tempted to justify our way. Satan uses our pride to get a foothold, causing us to judge our Christian life and ignore how God may judge our actions. But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” (James 4:6) Satan’s attacks normally activate our pride.
We are fighting a powerful spiritual battle with a formidable opponent and we cannot win with our feeble power. We win only with the infinite power of God. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:4) We fight this battle with the armor of God in our hearts. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-16)
Every day, we prepare our hearts with the armor described above and we pray for the Lord to activate our armor with love, scripture, and his presence. Like any soldier, we must learn how to use the tools of war and it’s the same in a spiritual war. We know the power of the Word, self control, a heart of love, and we call on the Lord in battle. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Today, fill your heart with the armor of God and call on the Lord when Satan attacks, then through faith you will be victorious. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5) This is the battle plan for fighting Satan with the armor of God. No soldier goes into battle without a plan, and the Lord’s plan for fighting this spiritual war can always led us to victory because God has power over all creation. Arm your heart with God’s armor and live in victory over every temptation you encounter. Have the attitude of guaranteed victory through the infinite power of Christ because he loves you perfectly.
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with your armor and with your love as I depend on you to fight this spiritual war of deception. Help me to overcome any sign of pride. In Jesus’ name, Amen