The Bible warns us that we are in a battle:
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV)."
Any good thing we have the devil wants to destroy. And this includes our mental health.
To be successful in Spiritual Warfare, we must keep both our thinking and our behavior under control and in conformity with scripture.
Controlling our thinking is of fundamental importance. It makes peace and self-control possible. Controlling our thinking will prevent spiritual footholds from developing. And it will weaken and make possible the destruction of those that already exist.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV)."
Thoughts contrary to the expressed will of God are inevitable. The objective is not to entertain them; not to dwell on them.Every time you entertain a thought contrary to the will of God, you are giving an advantage to the devil in some way--even if you don't experience any immediate negative consequences. Dwelling on such thoughts results in "strongholds" or footholds. Anytime Satan gets a Spiritual Foothold, he gains the power to harm you in some way. And he can, within the permissive will of God, use that power to harm you whenever he wants.
The Bible tells us how to be successful in our battle with Satan: The basic biblical instructions are found in Ephesians 6:
"Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12 New Living Translation)."
Without God's armor believers will be defeated by the schemes of the devil which have been effective for thousands of years1. The Bible provides detailed instructions on how to use God's armor. These instructions use the then familiar analogy of a Roman soldier getting ready to go into battle:
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV)."
Christians have different views in terms on how to apply this passage. I'll tell you what I think.
I believe the passage means to be sure to use all your spiritual weapons. Imagining yourself putting on the armor is a great way of reminding yourself of what you need to do each day to avoid being defeated by the devil.
Putting on the armor doesn't magically protect you. I know this from experience! Armor has to be both put on and used.
Here's what I suggest: Every morning, imagine yourself putting on each piece of the armor. You don't have to move your body. Then recite at least one scripture or one biblical principle--relevant to what you're struggling with--that goes with that piece of armor. Don't say the same thing every day. I'll provide an example.
First, I put on the belt of truth.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)."
Second, I put on the breastplate of righteousness:
"It is written 'love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44)." "By faith and love I can protect my heart (1 Thessalonians 5:8)." Today, I'm choosing forgiveness as an attitude.
Third, my feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. This scripture refers to a believer's stability or sure footedness from the gospel which gives him peace so he can stand in the battle.
"I will fear no evil for you (God) are with me (Psalm 23:4 NIV)."
Fourth, I take up the shield of faith. with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
"It is written: 'Therefore I (God) tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours' (Mark 11:24 NIV)."
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped (Psalm 28:7 NIV)."
Fifth, I put on the helmet of salvation.
Sixth, I take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
"It is written: 'Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus' (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV)."
Finally, prayer. You don't put on prayer. But prayer is essential. You can't defeat the devil without it. You can remind yourself of its importance by reciting a scripture dealing with prayer as in the foregoing example.
So that's it. The battleground is primarily in our minds. The idea is to base our thoughts and behaviors on scripture--not on how we're feeling. If we go by our feelings, we will be defeated.
Ephesians 6 makes it possible for us to understand the spiritual battle we are in--and win. It makes it possible for us to experience the blessings of God--rather than the torment of the devil.
No comments:
Post a Comment