Sober-minded And Ready For Battle

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8, NLT)

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7, NLT)

“A final word: 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, NLT)

Over the years Christian women have told me they blame the devil, or Satan, for every flat tire, cold or other illness they are battling. Some even claim he was the reason why they broke a fingernail or missed a prime spot in a Target parking lot.

I, however, do not believe that Satan is behind every inconvenience, pain, or heartache we encounter. Yes, he causes evil and suffering in the world. But a correct view of who he is and the limitations placed on him by God, needs to be understood as well.

The Bible teaches that the devil is a created being who rebelled against God. The devil is not omnipotent or omniscient like God. He has been battling against God and those who believe in Him since he first tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. Satan hasn’t stopped since then, continuing to attack Christians as they attempt to walk out and persevere in what God is calling them to do.

Should we retreat and be consumed with fear then? No! Instead of saying, “Satan must be behind this” whenever we encounter hardships or obstacles in life or ministry, we should instead say, “God will see me through this.”

Shifting our mindset away from what Satan could be doing onto what God is doing is a game changer. This is important since there are seasons of spiritual warfare that happen when we grow in our faith and seek to lead others into a saving or deeper relationship with God.

Our enemy, Satan, dislikes the fact that we worship, love, obey, and serve God. So, he puts different temptations in our path that could cause us to sin. Or Satan whispers doubts about who God is or who we are as God’s daughters into our ears. His purpose for doing so is to cause us to doubt God and what He has said, hindering our relationship to our heavenly Father and rendering us useless. Whenever he is able to do so, Satan will use every opportunity to prevent us from carrying out our Kingdom calling.

How can we be ready for battle against our true, spiritual enemy? Bible passages such as 1 Peter 5:8, James 4:7, and Ephesians 6:10-18 exhort us to be alert and sober-minded about what and who we are listening to. They teach us to submit to God, resist the devil, and exhort us to put on our spiritual armor—standing firm against the devil’s schemes.

We do not have to live in fear of our enemy! The Holy Spirit within believers is greater than Satan can and will ever be (1 John 4:4). Furthermore, there is no condemnation toward those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). So do not fear, fret, or believe Satan’s lies. There is no need to wear garlic around your neck or scream loudly into the air at him. When an attack happens, put on your spiritual armor of God, pray Scripture (Psalm 91 is a good one), and trust the Lord to win the battle against Satan for you.

To cause your fingernail to break is a waste of the devil’s time. But to break apart your faith—this is what Satan devotes his time to. Remain sober-minded. Trust that God will see you through a season of attack. For the greater the spiritual attack is in our lives, the greater potential for the awesomeness of God to be displayed in us. Do not give up or grow weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9). Battle on, fellow woman of influence!

Reflect:

Read Ephesians 6. Like the Christians in ancient Ephesus, why do you need to put on the full armor of God daily? Which pieces of armor do you need the most to help you fight against Satan’s schemes in your life? How can you put them on daily and take your stand against him?

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, give me the courage to fight whatever temptations and lies Satan puts in my path. Help me overcome them through Your power. Help me to be sober-minded and victorious in and for Your glory! Amen.