FRIDAY
Today we are talking about the second sense of our protection in Jesus from the evil one. If you haven’t read yesterday’s devotional I would suggest you start with that one before reading this one.
Jesus protects us from the evil one in one sense by delivering us from our enslavement to sin (ie. being willing servants of Satan). We talked about this yesterday. In another sense, however, we are still in the fight with Satan and his demons and our sinful nature. In this, already-but-not-yet era of redemption history we know that Satan’s demise is sure but it has not yet been accomplished. So we will face temptation. We will sin and feel the effects of other’s sin. In this sense then we are called to fight against the temptations of the devil.
James 4:7 (NIV) 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8–9 (NIV) 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
In the God’s part-our part picture here, we are called to submit to God, obey God and resist the devil. Jesus has redeemed us from our sin so Satan’s power over us has been broken. Now we must walk in the light instead of the darkness as we used to walk.
Ephesians 5:8 (NIV) 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light
Failure to walk in the light, succumbing to sin and temptation risks giving the devil “a foothold” in our lives. After telling the Ephesians to not sin in their anger Paul says:
Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
The word translated “foothold” here is the Greek word topos . Depending on the context it can mean “a place of habitation” or, more theoretically, “an opportunity”. So Paul is saying that when we intentionally choose to sin in our anger, or lie, or participate in evil we are at least giving the devil an opportunity to influence us. Or worse, we are giving Satan and his demons an opportunity to move in with us.
But God has not left us to fight these battles in our own strength. He has given us his armor.
Ephesians 6:11–18 (NIV)
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
So Christian, God has given you the weapons you need to fight against Satan and his demons. He has set you free from your enslavement to sin. Why go back to it? Stand and fight! When demons tempt you with lies you must cling to the truth. When demons accuse you and pile on the guilt and shame, declare that your righteousness is in Christ alone. When demons tempt you to believe you are still at odds with God, know that in the gospel you have peace with God. When life is hard and demons tempt you to doubt God’s character (his love, his goodness and his faithfulness), trust God still with the shield of faith. When demons tempt you to think you are still in your sin and under the wrath of God, remember your salvation in Jesus. We know all of this because we have the Words of God, with which we can defeat any attacks of the Satan and his demons. Fight then, against evil spiritual forces with the weapons and the armor that God has given you.
Additional Content
Reflection
How are you fighting the spiritual battles against evil forces all around you? Are you even aware of them or have you rationalized them away? Are you fighting a spiritual battle in only physical strength? (ie. trying not to sin with only discipline and harsh ascetic practices) You’re fighting on the wrong field.
What are some of the temptations you are currently facing. Apply the whole armor of God (the word armor in vv. 11 and 13 is singular implying the elements are a set that cannot be separated) to that temptation. If you are tempted to believe a lie, what is the truth? If you are living in shame, what does the gospel say of the source of your righteousness?