(5) Protecting Ourselves From the Devil (Satan)

 

Is it possible for a Christian to become proud?  Yes!  The moment we take our eyes (thoughts, praises, etc.) off of Christ and focus on any successes or accomplishments that we have achieved without giving praise and thanks to the Lord, we are on a fast track to becoming proud.  In contrast, a Christian who demonstrates humility (does not focus on self or try to lift up self), has no time to look at any of his/her accomplishments or successes apart from giving God praise and thanks for such enablement.  Without You, I can do nothing.  


To the humble Christian, God gives grace. In the book of Ephesians 2:8-9, we read: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  God's grace is enough for us in every circumstance.  The grace God gives to the humble person occurs as a result of a life that is in submission to God.  And submission to God is our guaranteed defense against Satan (the devil), as well as our old nature.

We must always be in the mode of drawing near to God.  In Luke 10:27, we read: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.”  As we determine to work toward this loving of the LORD with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, we occupy our entire being with this process in everything that we think, say, and do.

Note the progression of the passage shown in the above image:

Submit to God:  Be obedient to God by being obedient to His word.  Not my will but Thine be done.

Resist the devil: We must consume ourselves with God's word in order to resist the devil.  Jesus, when He was tempted by Satan (the devil), used God's word to resist him.  We need todo this as well.

Draw near to God: God is ALWAYS near to us, but we may not be always near to Him.  We need to take stock and ensure we are on track to become closer and closer to him by reading His word daily as well as memorizing His word.

He will draw near to you: As we draw near to God, He draws us unto Himself.  Psalm 45:18 states: "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."

God's word also equips us in additional areas that enable us to resist Satan. One of these areas is found in Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV): 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole    armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the            rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.  

In our next several blogs, we will take a close look at the above passage. 

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