March 26, 2018 THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO STAND
Ephesians 6:10-12: “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 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.”
A good starting point to be an overcomer in life is to realize that there is a war in progress. We like to think that everything is beautiful and that we are entitled to a life free of conflicts and problems. Another mistake we often make is falling into the trap of thinking that certain people are our problem-and sometime, those ‘certain people’ are those closest to us. Certainly, people can act in a wrong way, but the greater reality is that there is a power that is driving their errant behavior, and/or our wrong response. The over-riding truth and reality that we must continually be aware of is that are only two kingdoms-one of darkness, ruled by Satan, and one of light, ruled by God, and there is an ongoing conflict between these two kingdoms. The sobering reality is that human beings are the battle field where this warfare between the two kingdoms takes place. It’s not that we are personally that important to Satan, but his scheme is to ‘get back at God’ by attacking the ones that God loves so much-those that belong to Him. It is true that the one who is in the kingdom of darkness, who has not experienced the kingdom of light, is likely not that aware of this greater battle taking place because he is spiritually dead. One who has not been born again, who is spiritually dead, is void of the Spirit of God, and because of that, he lives according to his own dictates (so he thinks) and is oblivious to the battle taking place. It is also vitally important to know that Satan can do only what God allows him to do; the truth is that God is using Satan for His own purposes! In the great plan of God, God has chosen to demonstrate to the world and all of the spiritual powers that be, that His redeemed ones overcome the schemes of devil. It is the love of God that moved Him to send Jesus as our Savior, and it is by His love and His power that He has made us new creations who can live lives that please Him. Even though we are new creations, it is still possible for us to succumb to the schemes of the devil, and so we must still be engaged in the warfare. We do not fight in our own strength, but we fight by being strong in the Lord and by walking according to the Spirit. The devils’ only chance of defeating us is to cause us to turn from the Lord. Let us be on guard against the schemes of our enemy, and let us put on the full armor of God and be strong in His might. The armor of God includes faith, righteousness, worship, prayer, and walking according to Holy Spirit who directs our steps. May we be the overcomers that we are in Him.
James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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