Christians have an enemy that purposefully and intentionally targets them for attack, and sometime they don’t even realize it. These attacks become more intense the more a believer pursues Christ. The purpose of these attacks is to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10) any hope and faith they have in God and in His Word. When we pursue God and His Word, the Bible makes it very clear that we will come under attack by Satan who does not want the Word of God to take root in our hearts. This may cause fear in some (which is exactly the purpose), but take heart because we already have victory over Satan through Jesus’ death and resurrection. God has already given us His whole armor so that we are able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).
As Christians, the power we have flows through the Word of God. When we get a revelation of God’s truth, when it becomes more than just head knowledge, we will come under attack by the enemy. In Mark 4:15 Jesus gives an explanation of the parable of the four soils. Here he says, “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.” Satan’s goal is to steal the truth from us and kill it before it can produce fruit for the kingdom of God. Satan will try to steal the Word from us by attacking our minds with subtle lies. That’s all he can do and that’s all with which he has to work. In John 8:44 Jesus says about Satan, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and through His death and resurrection we already have victory over the ploys of our enemy.
Jesus has given us authority to overcome “all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). We will come under attack by Satan, but God has given us a plan on how to stand in victory. To remain victorious we need to put on the full armor of God by standing firm in the truth, by keeping righteousness in our hearts, by remaining in faith, by continuing to do God’s footwork in proclaiming the gospel of peace, and by protecting our minds with the truth of salvation (Ephesians 6:14-17). Most importantly though, to top off the full armor of God we must also take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The Word of God is our sword, and staying focused on the Word when under attack by Satan gives the Holy Spirit a weapon with which He can use to fight the attack. God’s Word says we are to “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:14) in victory, not fight for it. We don’t have to fight for something we already have. It was finished on the cross and we are asked only to stand firm in the Word and let God do the fighting for us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can’t fight for us though if we are trying to solve our problems on our own by looking for worldly solutions. He can only fight for us if we are standing firm in the truth of His Word, and that will keep us strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10).
The Truth in Action: Think back to a stressful or problematic day you have had in the last week or month. Was this stress or problem an attack from the enemy? You will know if it was an attack if it killed your joy, stole your peace, or destroyed your love, gentleness, or kindness. That is the work of the enemy. How did you cope with the adverse situation? Did you stand firm in the truth, remain in faith, and focus on the Word of God during the difficulty? If you turned instead to a worldly solution, next time you recognize an attack from the enemy, stand firm in the truth. Stand in the victory that Jesus humbled himself on the cross to give you.
Meditate on Scripture: John 16:33 (NIV) – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Further Study: Read Ephesians 6:10-17 and think about what God is asking us to do to remain victorious. We have to put on the full armor of God each day as we face attacks from our enemy.