BE SAFE; DO NOT IGNORE YOUR ENEMY

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”—Luke 10:19

 

Satan does exist—our broken society testifies to his reality.  Those who ignore him do so at their own safety.  This is also true of Christians, because we are all at war against him.  Satan is our enemy.   In fact Scripture likens him to a roaring lion, “Be sober, and be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

 

From these and other scriptures, we can gain an understanding that spiritual warfare is personal; Satan designs specific attacks for each individual.  Though he cannot steal a believer’s spirit from God, he can and does harass us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Every ambush and frontal attack is meant to defeat our witness so we can not live a victorious Christ-centered life.

 

Our enemy is not omniscient, but he is cunning.  He observes our strong and weak points to determine the best areas for attack.  As soon as his prey becomes comfortable and least expects trouble, the adversary springs a trap.  Among his most deceptive tactics is hiding behind familiar faces in order to misguide us and send his arrows of deception.  Instead of focusing on the person, we need to focus on who are real enemy is—Satan.

 

The first rule of warfare is to know one’s enemy, and thanks to Scripture, we can.  As believers, we are instructed to, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).  The Bible also contains an important assurance; “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

 

The forces of hell cannot equal the supernatural power of a single believer.  “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10).  We have Christ living within us—the same Christ who was triumphant on the cross and whose final victory over Satan is prophesied in Revelation.  Through Him, we reinforce Satan’s defeat and win our battles.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that Jesus has defeated my enemy, Satan.  Today I purpose in my heart to be alert to his deception and to reinforce is defeat by using the powerful Name of Jesus, His shed blood, and the word of my testimony, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.