Do you ever feel like you go through times when you have a target on your back? Satan actively opposes God and God’s children. If Satan cannot take you with him to eternal separation from God in hell, He will try to do anything he can to destroy your witness for Christ and basically ruin your Christian life. Our testimony is so powerful and can be used to reach others and lift up Christ in an effective way. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32
Satan realizes the damage He can do to the cause of Christ, and he and his demons are constantly at work.
Life is tough. People are not always kind. We are imperfect. We have imperfect family and imperfect friends. Many times we view the PERSON as our enemy-forgetting it is Satan who is seeking to destroy the life of the Christian. He is the real enemy. Often, we can be the most impatient with the ones we love the most. We need a little reminder sometimes that people are not the enemy. “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
In the last few weeks, especially, our family has faced some spiritual warfare. These are some things that God reminded us of as we endeavored to draw close to Him.
Put on the whole armour of God. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Ephesians 6:13-17
Be honest with your family that you are struggling, especially if you have older children. They are not dumb and know us better than we often realize. Moms typically set the tone for the home. Ask them to pray for you and one another. We want to edify one another. The openness can give us a tender heart towards each other during times of spiritual warfare and an awareness to pray. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6:18
Once you have prayed and resolved, that when you have done all, you will just stand (Ephesians 6:13), do not remain inwardly focused. Inward focus can lead to depression and selfish actions. This is now the perfect time to reach out to others and minister to them. It brings us joy; and most importantly, Satan loses as he cannot keep us from doing what God has called us to do. "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:19-20
Just remember, we can take confidence in the fact that Satan is no match for our God. Satan wants us to feel worthless and unusable as he constantly reminds us of our failures, but Christ has made us worthy. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
1 John 4:4
“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Ephesians 1:6-7
We are no longer on Satan’s team, and he will try to oppose us. So, sure, that means war. The good news for us is that we already have a defeated foe. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
