There is an army vaster than any other on earth. An army of fierce and deadly warriors greater than all the Caesers, Stalins, Hitlers, or Ghengis Khans put together. This army is stronger than Alexander's invincible hordes, and the Father of Lies, the Murderer from the Beginning, heads this army: Satan.
There is a war swirling around us.
Yes, Satan is alive and well on planet Earth. We can see the trail he leaves wherever he goes.
-Behind divisions is the slanderer, the devil.
-Behind temptation is the tempter from Eden.
-Behind the lies is the liar and father of lies.
-Behind death and blood shed is he who is a murderer from the beginning.
-Behind confusion is the one whose name is destroyer and Apollyon.
There is a war swirling within us.
In C. S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, Uncle Screwtape, a devil, offers his nephew a little advice on the goal and strategy of tempting a human:
You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
Your affectionate uncle
Screwtape
The victory comes from choosing Christ.
Armor for Paul was more than pictures from daily life of the nearly omnispresent Roman legionaries. Very literally, the "whole armor of God" he describes is a picture of Jesus Christ. Eph 6:10-20
Make holiness a habit:
We need to seek daily to be holy and righteous. We need to be confessing and repenting of sin in our lives. That is a clear command in the New Testament.
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5 comments:
I really like the imagery of the title. Then I thought to myself, we are supposed to wake up every morning and place the Whole armor of God on. Here is the section of Eph he references in this devo - Eph 6:10-20 (NLT) The Whole Armor of God
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 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.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
And I pray for all of us that we can speak boldly for Him as we should.
cas
Amen bro. Good one.
i have to admit that i usually dont see things this way - meaning a war between good and evil, god and satan. but this is a good reminder that we are very much indeed in this type of war and that i must prepare myself every day.
This ties in to the devotion we had on Tuesday on Resisting the Devil. The armor is a great image. CAS thanks for taking the time to paste the passage...
Screwtape Letters is a good book to give a perspective of spiritual warfare along with This Present Darkness by Peretti.
CAS, I also add to your prayer that we think and act with boldness
TRD, couldnt agree more with you...
Go with God
I liked the part about the slippery slope. How often does that pertain to us?
It is funny (not in a haha way) that my daily calendar's bible verse was 2 Cor 5:20. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us..."
Definitely calls us out to be God's soldiers in a war for our soul as well as our fellow brothers and sisters.
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