February 13, 2016 HELP AGAINST THE ADVERSARY
Psalms 60:11-12: “O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.”
Note that the last word of this scripture: “adversaries,” is plural! If you don’t think that we face many adversaries, both personally and as a nation, you must, as they say; “you have your head buried in the sand.” Some have erroneously though that by giving their life to Christ, they would experience a life free of trials and battles. The Old Testament we find the people of God dealing with the physical issues of life; whether it was facing an invading army, dealing with drought, being enslaved, being ruled by evil kings, and etc. What God did through the natural, or physical, in the Old Testament, has spiritual implications in the New Testament. This is not to say that we do not have to deal with the natural today, and it does not prohibit us from defending ourselves against the physical attacks of our adversaries. We do need to understand that behind the adversaries that would defeat us, there is a spirit at work causing them to have a desire to attack, or defeat us. The powerful truth is that the battle taking place in the spiritual realm is played out in the lives of human beings. Because Satan knows that He cannot defeat God, he targets God’s choice creation-people. If we are to win the battles we face, we must know who we are fighting. In Ephesians 6:12 we read: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” If we find ourselves focusing on a person as our adversary rather than the spiritual forces at work in and through the person, we will be ineffective in our battle. With all of that being said, there is great news for the believer, and that is that Jesus defeated Satan at the cross. In Hebrews 2:14b-15 we read: “..that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Satan has been defeated and disarmed, but God has not bound Him as He will do at some point in the future, but has allowed Satan to “walk about seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Actually, God is using Satan for His own purposes and that has to do with us learning to take dominion. The only tool that Satan has now is that of deception. In Ephesians 6:11 we are told to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The fact is that Satan has been disarmed, but we have been armed! We have been armed with the Holy Spirit, with the shield of faith, with a new spirit, a new heart, a new mind, with wisdom, and with the word of God. God has seen to it that we have all we need to be victorious over our adversary. As the psalmist said: “Through God, we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.” When the Israelites trusted God, He gave them victory over their enemies. When our trust is in God and all that He has done on our behalf, we too will have victory over our adversary. Let us be wise to the schemes of our enemy, let us fight strategically, and let us know that victory comes from the Lord.
Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Psalms 60:11-12: “O give us help against the adversary, for deliverance by man is in vain. Through God we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.”
Note that the last word of this scripture: “adversaries,” is plural! If you don’t think that we face many adversaries, both personally and as a nation, you must, as they say; “you have your head buried in the sand.” Some have erroneously though that by giving their life to Christ, they would experience a life free of trials and battles. The Old Testament we find the people of God dealing with the physical issues of life; whether it was facing an invading army, dealing with drought, being enslaved, being ruled by evil kings, and etc. What God did through the natural, or physical, in the Old Testament, has spiritual implications in the New Testament. This is not to say that we do not have to deal with the natural today, and it does not prohibit us from defending ourselves against the physical attacks of our adversaries. We do need to understand that behind the adversaries that would defeat us, there is a spirit at work causing them to have a desire to attack, or defeat us. The powerful truth is that the battle taking place in the spiritual realm is played out in the lives of human beings. Because Satan knows that He cannot defeat God, he targets God’s choice creation-people. If we are to win the battles we face, we must know who we are fighting. In Ephesians 6:12 we read: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” If we find ourselves focusing on a person as our adversary rather than the spiritual forces at work in and through the person, we will be ineffective in our battle. With all of that being said, there is great news for the believer, and that is that Jesus defeated Satan at the cross. In Hebrews 2:14b-15 we read: “..that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Satan has been defeated and disarmed, but God has not bound Him as He will do at some point in the future, but has allowed Satan to “walk about seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). Actually, God is using Satan for His own purposes and that has to do with us learning to take dominion. The only tool that Satan has now is that of deception. In Ephesians 6:11 we are told to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” The fact is that Satan has been disarmed, but we have been armed! We have been armed with the Holy Spirit, with the shield of faith, with a new spirit, a new heart, a new mind, with wisdom, and with the word of God. God has seen to it that we have all we need to be victorious over our adversary. As the psalmist said: “Through God, we shall do valiantly, and it is He who will tread down our adversaries.” When the Israelites trusted God, He gave them victory over their enemies. When our trust is in God and all that He has done on our behalf, we too will have victory over our adversary. Let us be wise to the schemes of our enemy, let us fight strategically, and let us know that victory comes from the Lord.
Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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