Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Chapter 5: Lord, Strengthen Me to Stand Against the Enemy

I particularly appreciated this chapter. It outs the devil and shows exactly what he truly is, including his motives. The entire chapter was great, but there are some specific parts I felt I should share with the 3 of you following this blog. :)

(p. 64)
"We are all involved in a spiritual battle with an enemy who will never let up. Even though it is people who do evil things to us, we have to keep in mind that it is our ultimate enemy, the devil, who is behind it. "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" (Ephesians 6:12).

This verse hits me like a slap in the face every single time I read it. I'll admit it, I have in times past gotten easily offended and let everything negative affect me. If someone said something to me in a mean tone it would seriously hurt my feelings. I would, in turn, hold a grudge against that person. Things have gradually improved in this area, but this verse is a nice reminder. The devil is always looking for ways to get me down. If he knows that I find my self worth in other peoples opinions, then what do you think he's going to target me with? More than likely those very people. That's not the case, but it's sufficient as an example.

(p.64 continued)
"Just as God has a plan for you, so does Satan. Satan's plan is to steal from you and destroy your life (John 10:10). He never takes a day off. He is constantly trying to see his plan for your life fulfilled. That's why you have to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

The devil has many weapons that he uses against us. Stormie explains 5 weapons God has given us to use against the enemy's plan for our destruction:
1. A powerful weapon against the enemy is God's Word- She explains how Jesus combated the temptations of the devil in the wilderness by speaking the Word.
2. A powerful weapon against the enemy is praise- "The devil hates it every time we worship God. That's because he can't tolerate people worshiping anyone else by him."
3. A powerful weapon against the enemy is obedience- "If we are living in sin or walking in disobedience in any way, this leaves the door open in our lives for the devil to gain a point of entry and ultimately a foothold. Bad things happen to us that might be the enemy's work, but it could also be because our own sin has given him a place to erect a stronghold in our life." (SO GOOD)
*This reminds me of one of the previous chapters. Repentance. It's best to get sin taken care of, not only because it causes us to lose confidence before God, but also because it opens the door for the devil to work in our lives. It's so easy to let our pride interfere with us "taking care of business" with God. But, if it's something that can cause something tragic to happen in our lives, we would wish QUICKLY that we would have repented. Run as fast as you can to God's mercy. It's new every morning.
4. A powerful weapon against the enemy is faith- "The enemy is always planting land mines out ahead of you. The way to avoid them is to walk closely with God and let Him guide your steps. That takes faith."
5. A powerful weapon against the enemy is prayer and fasting- It's a way of saying, "I deny myself what I want most and put God first in my life."

Be encouraged!