April 20 – 27, 2024

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

1 Peter 5:8 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

In Wild at Heart, John Eldredge writes, “Man is born into a world at war.” There IS a battle going on in every nook and cranny of our earthly existence, and there is no neutral zone in this war. There IS a being trying to get each of us to think evil and to turn evil thoughts into evil deeds. And our flesh is only too willing to comply. The enemy’s weapons include unforgiveness, resentment, anger/rage, fear, guilt, shame, condemnation, hopelessness, depression, anxiety, worry, stress, pride, self-pity, rejection, insecurity, and hatred of self and others. 

But God has given us spiritual weapons to fight victoriously. Ephesians 6:10-11 says, “…be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” And verses 13-18 list the pieces of our armor. The spiritual battle against evil in the heavenly realms is described in verse 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.”

The key is: Are we in agreement with God or with the enemy?  In the things we do? The things we say? The things we think? Every decision is an act of spiritual warfare.  We can try as hard as we can to believe the devil’s not a factor in our lives. But we don’t realize he’s already IN. He’s IN our families. He’s IN our churches. When we begin to take Satan seriously by dealing with him with the weapons God has given us, we will see a big difference. Satan only has power if we give it to him. 

What does God’s Word tell us to do? James 4:7-8, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you.” 

By the way, you will know you are near the heart of God when what grieves your heart is the same thing that grieves His.

This is an excerpt from a 90-day devotional written by Emil and Karen. To order the full devotional, click on the TO ORDER DEVOTIONAL page.