OUR BATTLES AGAINST THE DEVIL

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:10-12.

Understanding the Enemy. Satan is real. He is not a creation of human imagination. He is not a mythical personification of evil. Satan is referred to as a real being by Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, all New Testament authors, and in seven Old Testament books. Satan is not an equal and opposite of God. Satan is not eternal ... and he is not infinite. He is not all powerful, all present, or all knowing. However, Satan does have power. He is "the ruler of this world.” John 12:31. He is "the prince of the power of the air.” Ephesians 2:1-2.

Understanding the enemy's tactics. "The devil has sinned from the beginning." 1 John 3:8. He is a tempter, 1 Thessalonians 3:5 ... a deceiver, 2 Corinthians 11:3 ... and a schemer, 2 Corinthians 2:10-11. "He was a murderer from the beginning.” John 8:44. "The devil ... does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44. Satan and his agents can infiltrate the ranks of the leadership of the church. "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" and “his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. He is a source of false teaching, 1 Timothy 4:1-5. Satan battles against the Gospel. He fights to prevent people from believing in Jesus. Satan holds nonbelievers captive, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 ... he steals the Word from them, Luke 8:12-13 ... and he blinds their eyes to the light of the Gospel, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Satan or his demons can possess nonbelievers, taking control of them, Luke 22:3, Luke 8:30. Satan is an adversary of believers, 1 Peter 5:8. He accuses us before God, Revelation 12:10. He oppresses believers, Acts 10:38. However, there is no Biblical indication that Satan can possess a believer. We are not under his control. God has "rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” Colossians 1:13. When you believe in Jesus you are no longer under the dominion of Satan, Acts 26:18.

Defeating the enemy. Through His death, Jesus conquered Satan, Hebrews 2:14. God has not left us defenseless in our daily battles against Satan. He has put a limit on Satan. The devil must flee when we resist him, James 4:7. And we have the great promise ... "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4. Daily victory can be ours if we follow God's battle instructions for our war against Satan.

...................................................................................................................................................................
IN THE WAR 6    PAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15    
<< PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT  >>    << PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT  >>
..................................................................................................................................................................
 

Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.