A couple of weeks ago I wrote on knowing your playbook, and that for a Christian we should constantly be studying the Word of God to know the will of God. This morning I want us to realize that we have an adversary who wants to destroy us. Part of a sports teams preparation for an upcoming game during the week is watching game film of their opponent. A defense will study an opponent’s offense to see if they can pick up some tendencies. A pitcher will study an opposing team’s batters to learn what they can hit well and what they struggle with. It is simply part of the preparation process for an athlete. But what about for a Christian? Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We aren’t fighting each other, although many times it looks that way to us, rather we are fighting against satan and his forces. So who is our adversary, what does he do, and how does he do it?
Obviously as a Christian, our adversary is satan and his demons. Again read Ephesians 6:12, we are fighting an invisible power. 1 Peter 5:8 shows us what satan does when it says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Notice satan is a roaring lion who is constantly looking for someone to destroy. This is why putting on the whole armor of God daily is so important. The final question to consider is, how does a roaring lion find those to destroy? Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” In this case the “serpent” is a reference to satan. Notice, satan is subtle. The word means to be sly or cunning. I love how one Christian pastor put it, “satan doesn’t have to destroy you to be successful, all he has to do is distract you.” In the Garden of Eden, satan didn’t come right out and lie because then Eve would have stood a better chance of recognizing it. Rather, he distracts us by getting us to question God and God’s Word. Satan gets us to thinking, is God’s Word really trustworthy? Satan gets us debating mindless arguments that distract us from our God-given mission. What are forms of spiritual warfare? Although this is not an exhaustive list, this is a good place to start. Diana and I recently went to a Pastor, Staff, and Wives retreat. The featured speakers were Brian and Amy Bloye. In one of the session they made the comment “be aware of the unseen.” Specifically they mentioned spiritual warfare can be “disguised as frustration, anger, or even discouragement.” Notice how subtle these things are! Have you ever tried to do something that you felt God calling you to do only to have it not work or your work get frustrated at every turn? Have you ever gotten angry at a brother or sister in Christ? Have you ever been discouraged? Again this is not an exhaustive list, but how effective are these strategies?
Know your enemy, his desire, and his tactics or you will get overrun! When you feel that attacks pounding at your door I encourage you to do two things. First of all, you need to pray. You cannot fight satan and his demons on your own. Secondly, you need to rest. When do you get sick? Most of the time we get sick when our bodies are worn down from the constant running and stress of life. The same is true in our spiritual life. When we don’t take time to physically rest and spiritually rest in Jesus, we are vulnerable to attacks. Victory is certain because of Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t mean the devil won’t try to slow you down, distract you, or even take you out of the game.
By His grace and through His strength, may we live for Him!