Friday, December 18, 2015

STUDYING SATAN'S GAME

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When you live on a foreign field, many strange things happen to you. You expect it and you guard yourself from it. You know that you are living in enemy territory and he doesn't want you to minister to the lost. But what do you do when your son comes to you in America and tells you he is scared of the man with the hat that stands in the shadows of his room. It hits home that Satan and his forces are everywhere and they want you. They want to defeat you.

Paul warns us that as believers we wrestle not against flesh and blood men but against the powers and the rulers in the spiritual realm.  These evil forces seek to rob us of all that God stored up for us.  What are we to do? Paul tells us to stand firm against the schemes and strategies of the evil one.

When you talk to many people about the Devil, they picture a creature with horns and a pitchfork all dressed in red.  To battle in the spiritual realm we must take the matter seriously. As believers, we must try to understand the methodology and strategies of the demonic world.

Some of the most effective advice given to us by Paul is found in Ephesians 6: 10,11 where he tells us to "Put on the full armor of God." Why? "So that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." Remembering you are not looking for a serpent or a horned red man, you are looking for the "angel of light." We have to look for evil schemes in often unsuspecting vehicles.

Satan wants to destroy individuals, families, churches and even societies.  How does he do this?  He makes us miss the goodness of God or at least doubt it. He deceives us into believing that sin won't affect us. James tells us that finally Satan's strategy is to lead us to disobedience and then finally to death. It says in James 1:15 "And when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."

Paul gives us the starting point to all spiritual battles in Ephesians 6:18.  After instructing us to put on the whole armor of God, he says "With all prayer and petition PRAY at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." Many people study prayer but few actually do it.  Tony Evans wrote: "Prayer is earthly permission for heavenly interference."  I just love that statement.  You might be thinking why does heaven need permission but I want you to think of the statement this way.  Praying to God shows our dependence on Him.  We live our lives in a selfish way. We live thinking that we can do it all. We live as if we don't need God, but we do. When we pray we are saying to God: "I can't do this on my own...I can't handle this situation...I need you to intervene on my behalf."

Satan is a roaring lion and he wants to destroy us and the only solution is GOD. Seek him through prayer. So what did I tell my son: "Let's pray!"

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