Our journey with God is not a walk in the park, but rather a battle that we fight with Him. There is an enemy that we face and the enemy is fierce, always finding ways to steal, kill and destroy God's plans for us. But God's promises remain firm, that in Jesus Christ we now have the victory and we can live in that triumph.
Ephesians 6:12 tells us, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
There is an enemy that is out to destroy our lives and he's got some powerful weapons to use against us. Here are three ways that the enemy attacks us:
Deception. From the very beginning, the devil has used deception to get the best of us. The serpent deceived Eve to eat from the fruit, and has been deceiving people since then. John 8:44 says, "...He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Accusation. The devil is also in the business of accusing people and sometimes even accusing God. In the Garden, the devil spoke to Eve through the form of the serpent accusing God of withholding the power in the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan's itinerary is disunity and he does so by stirring discord amongst people.
Condemnation. The Holy Spirit desires to convict us of our sins, but the enemy comes out to condemn us, making us feel that God can no longer accept us because of the things that we have done wrong. John 3:17 tells us, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
What is our weapon against the enemy?
We have not been left alone to fight the enemy on our own. God has equipped us with tools and weapons to fight Him as well. Ephesians 6:10-18 speaks of the armor we bear that is from God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the shoes of the gospel and the sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God.
All these weapons point to one power and that is the power behind Jesus Christ. When Jesus took to the cross our sins, He broke every authority that the enemy has over us and whatever power his weapons may hold. The enemy is now defeated because of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:1 tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." It is not only possible that we win this war against the enemy, but if we are in Christ, then we have already won.
