Resist him, standing firm in the faith…
Summary: The devil has ways of messing with our minds and the minds of others. We can be attacked from both directions. Our only hope in standing up to the devil is to put on the armor of God.
Peter’s use of a “roaring lion” metaphor for the devil is telling. In the same way that the lion roars to strike fear into the hearts of those who can hear, the devil makes loud threats, too. But how? How does the devil roar?
We are fortunate that we do not have to stand before the devil face to face. God has placed a veil between us and the spiritual realm (1 Corinthians 13:12) so that we are protected to a certain extent. But this does not mean that we are safe from Satan’s lies. Demons are still able to make themselves known (1 Timothy 4:1).
This leaves two major ways that the devil can attack. The first is the direct attack. Satan constantly accuses us and tries to make us doubt our salvation through our Lord (Revelation 12:10). The second is that he works through others, deceiving them, lying to them, causing them to desire harm for others (Ephesians 2:1-2). Both of these modes of attack require a response. Like being pushed from behind, we have to decide whether to fall or resist and keep our footing.
The one who is ready, who has their feet planted firmly in the faith, is the one who will stand. If we do not know God’s will, we are not prepared to respond. Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, tells us to “put on the full armor of God.” (Ephesians 6) This includes:
- The belt of truth.
- The breastplate of righteousness
- The gospel of peace
- The shield of faith
- The helmet of salvation
- The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
He then adds that we should “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
Peter tells us what to do. Paul explains how to do it. All we have to do is put on the armor of God and wear it daily, alert, and of sober mind.
Application: Expect to be attacked by the devil. Do not be surprised. Instead, be alert and of sober mind.
Food for Thought: What is your favorite piece of the armor of God and how do you use it?
Word of God. I’m in it when I first wake up every day.
Good man, Tim!
Way to go!! 🙂
Thank you brother. I like the observation that Peter tells us what to do and Paul explains how.
I agree with Tim. For me without the truth of God’s word that includes the gospel of peace and tells me about Christ’s righteousness, I would be very lost.
However, each part is very important and the armor works together. For a Roman soldier the belt would bring everything into place. They are somewhat interdependent. If we lack a part of the armor then that is the weak spot or the chink in the armor.
Thank you, Rich!
I guess none of us want to get caught with our pants down! 🙂
Late again, but on the same path. Agree with both, Rich is right, we need to wear the full armor, BUT Mrs. Englund’s little boy insisted on calling out “favorite piece”.
Good Job Jeff!
What is your favorite piece of the armor of God and how do you use it?
His Word is the powerful weapon God has given us to prevail over sin in our lives. When applied correctly, we can solve any problem, financial disaster, chronic illness, crumbling marriage, broken relationship, personal tragedy, political unrest, anything coming our way. Jesus lived a sinless life and countered all temptations as He lived in Gods Word. He is called the word of God and will dwell within believers by the power of the Holy Spirit as we allow Him by growing in faith, trusting God to rule over our lives.
We begin to obey Gods Word as we study and apply what we learn to our lives. We allow Gods Word to change us from the inside out, renew our minds and help us line up our lives with God’s ways. We allow His Holy Spirit to reveal His truths to us in the priority He has established, for effective ministry He has planned for us. We become more Christlike.
We receive discernment, an insight into reality, and we see both good and evil as they are. We have the power to avoid or confront evil, allowing God to act according to His priorities and increasingly live in good. Christ gives His peace and understanding so we are calm, peaceful in chaos. People around us can tell we are different, God calls this Light in the darkness. Some will come to us with questions, “why are you different“, others to argue, some will ignore.
We learn to seek Gods will in all things because He is right, and living in Him is our home, our refuge, our source of peace and happiness. We watch Jesus as He in love, respectfully approaches each person in the Bible as an individual. We learn to avoid christianize, (grace, transformation, sanctification, and so on). We allow the Holy Spirit to speak to each person we come into contact with, in the language they understand. Various forms of common English.
As the evil in each of us is defeated, we can begin to put on the remaining pieces of armor of God.
John 5:19, Hebrews 4:12, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 6:13-20
Good choice, Ron!
I appreciate your point about the renewal of our minds. The Word of God is the invitation for us to open the door of our hearts and minds to the love of our Creator. Then we begin to discover how much He loves us and how much He wants to do for us.
Lately, it’s the shield of faith.
Must remember not to whack people with the shield of faith.
Rob,
Thanks for the smile!! 🙂
Definitely a “pro tip!”