(*Note - Originally, this was meant to be two separate posts, but I think they are stronger together)
11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11 - KJVersion)
We’ve explored the enemy and his names; now let’s look at some of the devices he uses to attack us and the weapons that God has given us to triumph over them. To be honest, the devil is a one trick pony. He really only has one weapon but that weapon can take various forms. At the end of the day, the devil only has his lies (wiles). It was his 1st weapon and its his last weapon until the Lord comes! One weapon! That’s all! But for one weapon, God gives us many spiritual weapons to combat it.
Wiles = Lies, tricks, deception, lies, temptation, fiery darts (false accusations about us), snare, traps, strongholds (fortress of lies built up around the existence of the enemy in a person’s life).
We should know that these are the usual weapons he uses. You can see this throughout the bible. Wiles can be combated in many ways, scripture says:
Ephesians 6:10-18 (King James Version)
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For 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.
13Wherefore 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.
14Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
There is a great website that gives illustrations of the armor that God has given us. Check out: http://www.christianarsenal.com/FullArmour.htm
God has fully equipped us. Let’s look a little closer.
Fiery Darts (v.16) are a major weapon that the devil chooses to use against God’s people. Fiery darts are filled with accusations about us. A lot of these accusations are not directed to God about us, because there is nothing that the enemy can tell God about His children. Instead, these accusations (darts) are directed at us. They are meant to stir up feelings in us that cause us to feel guilty about the things that we have done in the past. Many of the very same things God has already forgiven us about. He, the enemy, loves to bring back feeling of worthlessness, filthiness, helplessness and unforgiveness which work to make us want to withdraw from the Lord or think that we are not useful in God’s kingdom. They also attack our self –esteem, pointing out who we used to be to make us feel worthless. These feelings are extremely detrimental to the walk of a Christian. In order to combat these feelings, we have to look to God’s word for what he says about us.
The 1st and most important thing to know is, you are not who you used to be. II Corinthians 5: 17 states; 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Don’t allow this dart to penetrate you. Remember how you are in Christ. God also says in Psalm 139:14 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. God knows you and loves you. He knows you have failed in areas in your life, but you came to Him to be set free and changed. Allow God to do a perfect work in your life and don’t allow the devil to discourage you. Keep “pressing towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).
*Direct Scripture: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephesians 6:16). You must have faith that God has changed you and is working in you. Never loose your faith!
*Prayer Tip: When you pray, especially in the morning, declare in the name of Jesus Christ, the name that is above every name, that all fiery darts from the enemy will fall short and that by the power of the Almighty God, they will be trampled under your feet.
A Stronghold is a fortress of lies built up around the existence of the enemy in a person’s life. Usually a stronghold can be built by not combating fiery darts. Accumulated fiery darts can and will produce strongholds. In order to combat strongholds you need to know the Truth, which is Christ Jesus. You need to understand what His blood did for you on Calvary. How it cleansed you and set you free. Often times, strongholds cause God’s people to become depressed. When one is depressed they begin to withdraw. Christians going through depression start withdraw from fellowship with the body of Christ, ministry, God etc. In order to combat this you need to confuse the enemy. Start praising God! There is nothing more confusing to the devil than when you are going through tough times or depression than to praise God. In his mind, there is nothing to be happy about. But for Christian we know that we can be happy because deliverance is near. Praise Him when you wake up! Thank Him for life and ask him for deliverance from the strongholds! He will do it, just believe and have faith!
Temptation is one devise that we should all be familiar with. The number one tool God has given us to overcome temptation is prayer. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 14:38, “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak”. Pray always; if we are in constant communication with God then we can not be tempted for there is no temptation when you are in His presence. Even when you feel temptation coming, call upon the name of the Lord and believe and He will deliver you. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He said to pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil” (Mathew 6:13). We can overcome temptation with the Word of the Lord just as Christ did when he was being tempted (read Luke 4:1-13). You can defeat the devil with the Word of the Lord. If that tool was good enough for Jesus, imagine what it will do for us.
Truly, the only way we can defeat the enemy is by getting into the Word of God, having faith and seeing with spiritual eyes. God has given us a bevy of tools. Also, be diligent in asking the Lord for the Spirit of Discernment which will help you to overcome the devil and know him when he approaches. God will equip us, He has promised to and He has shown us how to. And when you are under attack and feel so helpless and don’t know what to do, simply call on the name of Jesus. Scripture says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place”. (II Corinthian 2:14) Claim it and claim the victory! Remember the battle is already won, so stand in the knowledge of our Lord and resist the devil!
We hope that this series has truly helped you understand how to defeat the enemy. We pray that you will always walk in victory!
11Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11 - KJVersion)
We’ve explored the enemy and his names; now let’s look at some of the devices he uses to attack us and the weapons that God has given us to triumph over them. To be honest, the devil is a one trick pony. He really only has one weapon but that weapon can take various forms. At the end of the day, the devil only has his lies (wiles). It was his 1st weapon and its his last weapon until the Lord comes! One weapon! That’s all! But for one weapon, God gives us many spiritual weapons to combat it.
Wiles = Lies, tricks, deception, lies, temptation, fiery darts (false accusations about us), snare, traps, strongholds (fortress of lies built up around the existence of the enemy in a person’s life).
We should know that these are the usual weapons he uses. You can see this throughout the bible. Wiles can be combated in many ways, scripture says:
Ephesians 6:10-18 (King James Version)
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For 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.
13Wherefore 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.
14Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
There is a great website that gives illustrations of the armor that God has given us. Check out: http://www.christianarsenal.com/FullArmour.htm
God has fully equipped us. Let’s look a little closer.
Fiery Darts (v.16) are a major weapon that the devil chooses to use against God’s people. Fiery darts are filled with accusations about us. A lot of these accusations are not directed to God about us, because there is nothing that the enemy can tell God about His children. Instead, these accusations (darts) are directed at us. They are meant to stir up feelings in us that cause us to feel guilty about the things that we have done in the past. Many of the very same things God has already forgiven us about. He, the enemy, loves to bring back feeling of worthlessness, filthiness, helplessness and unforgiveness which work to make us want to withdraw from the Lord or think that we are not useful in God’s kingdom. They also attack our self –esteem, pointing out who we used to be to make us feel worthless. These feelings are extremely detrimental to the walk of a Christian. In order to combat these feelings, we have to look to God’s word for what he says about us.
The 1st and most important thing to know is, you are not who you used to be. II Corinthians 5: 17 states; 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Don’t allow this dart to penetrate you. Remember how you are in Christ. God also says in Psalm 139:14 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. God knows you and loves you. He knows you have failed in areas in your life, but you came to Him to be set free and changed. Allow God to do a perfect work in your life and don’t allow the devil to discourage you. Keep “pressing towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).
*Direct Scripture: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Ephesians 6:16). You must have faith that God has changed you and is working in you. Never loose your faith!
*Prayer Tip: When you pray, especially in the morning, declare in the name of Jesus Christ, the name that is above every name, that all fiery darts from the enemy will fall short and that by the power of the Almighty God, they will be trampled under your feet.
A Stronghold is a fortress of lies built up around the existence of the enemy in a person’s life. Usually a stronghold can be built by not combating fiery darts. Accumulated fiery darts can and will produce strongholds. In order to combat strongholds you need to know the Truth, which is Christ Jesus. You need to understand what His blood did for you on Calvary. How it cleansed you and set you free. Often times, strongholds cause God’s people to become depressed. When one is depressed they begin to withdraw. Christians going through depression start withdraw from fellowship with the body of Christ, ministry, God etc. In order to combat this you need to confuse the enemy. Start praising God! There is nothing more confusing to the devil than when you are going through tough times or depression than to praise God. In his mind, there is nothing to be happy about. But for Christian we know that we can be happy because deliverance is near. Praise Him when you wake up! Thank Him for life and ask him for deliverance from the strongholds! He will do it, just believe and have faith!
Temptation is one devise that we should all be familiar with. The number one tool God has given us to overcome temptation is prayer. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 14:38, “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak”. Pray always; if we are in constant communication with God then we can not be tempted for there is no temptation when you are in His presence. Even when you feel temptation coming, call upon the name of the Lord and believe and He will deliver you. When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He said to pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil” (Mathew 6:13). We can overcome temptation with the Word of the Lord just as Christ did when he was being tempted (read Luke 4:1-13). You can defeat the devil with the Word of the Lord. If that tool was good enough for Jesus, imagine what it will do for us.
Truly, the only way we can defeat the enemy is by getting into the Word of God, having faith and seeing with spiritual eyes. God has given us a bevy of tools. Also, be diligent in asking the Lord for the Spirit of Discernment which will help you to overcome the devil and know him when he approaches. God will equip us, He has promised to and He has shown us how to. And when you are under attack and feel so helpless and don’t know what to do, simply call on the name of Jesus. Scripture says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place”. (II Corinthian 2:14) Claim it and claim the victory! Remember the battle is already won, so stand in the knowledge of our Lord and resist the devil!
We hope that this series has truly helped you understand how to defeat the enemy. We pray that you will always walk in victory!
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