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Ephesians 6:11 |
Dec
5, 2013
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This is no picnic ground... We are on a battlefield!
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12
We are in a war. If you are a spiritually minded child of God, you have enemies that you must be prepared to deal with.
Forget men in black or smoke-filled rooms of human conspirators that Hollywood portrays. These are angelic beings of great power and might. Read the book of Daniel and you will see their involvement in guiding the affairs of nations. Read the first few chapters of Job and you will see their leader, Satan, working in the life of a great saint of The Lord.
No Sig Sauer, AR15, or body armour of human construction means anything in this combat. This is a spiritual battle that is fought using different weapons. Those weapons and defences are not our concern today. The reality of the war and the nature of the opponents is.
Do you live with this is mind, that you have enemies that are actively seeking your spiritual destruction? If you were in Iraq or Afghanistan you would take precautions each day to protect your life against a determined enemy. Do you take the precautions to protect your spiritual life each day?
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
We have a wise and powerful opponent, the Devil. He seduced our uncorrupted parents into sin in minutes (Gen 3). He is active today. Are you taking appropriate precautions against him?
Peter tells us that the Devil is active in the world. He is like a ravenous lion on the prowl. He is looking for easy prey to attack. Because of this, we must be ready.
Our first thought should be to recognize the serious nature of our adversary. This is not a time to rest, relax or play games. Sober thought needs to be a characteristic of our lives to face a serious, life-threatening enemy. Without careful, serious planning we can easily fall into his hands.
As
in any warfare, we must be on guard. A clever enemy will attack with stealth,
disguising his appearance and movements. So we must be ever vigilant, alert, and actively looking for him and his influence. Soldiers in combat know to never
let their attention waver, so we must keep up our watch against Satan's
attacks.
By Newell Eastland
============
Charles
Page
"These
are angelic beings of great power and might. Read the book of Daniel and you will
see their involvement in guiding the affairs of nations. Read the first few
chapters of Job and you will see their leader, Satan, working in the life of a
great saint of The Lord."
Sing, please elaborate on this in an A-Mil context. Is Satan on the loose today and involved in guiding the affairs of the nations? asking as a disciple and not a discipler!
Bruce
Hatcher
All
those listed are obviously for defence...and then some might point out the
sword. But, it is further described as, "the word of God," and as
such, we use it as a defensive weapon, as well. When Christ is being tempted by
satan he defends each attack with scripture. How often do we see the Lord
attacking offensively with the Word? Spiritual Wickedness in High Places is not
far removed...it is within me and is that the battle this is all about?
Sing
F Lau
The
specific end Satan was bound for "1000 years" is stated very
clearly and precisely - "that he should deceive the nations no more."
In that specific sense, Satan is bound.
Prior
to the binding of Satan by Christ, nations (gentiles of all ethnic groups) were in darkness, under
the deception of the Devil. After the binding, nations are liberated and
enlightened by the gospel. People groups represented by you and me are proof of
that.
That does not exclude Satan's continued mischief in the affairs of man!
