Some Whatsapp chain messages really did a number on my faith. One wrong idea that had been circulated and cemented in my mind is the idea that Jesus and Satan are at war perpetually, fighting it out! They’ve created posts like “share for Jesus to win, ignore for the devil” What?

via GIPHY

That is not Biblical, God is the creator, the devil is merely a creation.

 Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is seated on high? (Psalm 113:5) The arch enemy of the devil is not Jesus, not God. “It is finished” there is no endless tussle between God and Satan. Perish that idea.

 Jesus:

  • is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come (Ephesians 1:21)
  • has disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Colossians 2:14)
  • the ruler of this world has no claim on Him (John 14:30)

So if the devil cannot and is not leveling attacks at God, then who is he attacking? Newsflash! You and me. Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit (For we know that all Scripture is God-breathed) says

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8

It is clear that he is humanity’s adversary. His fiery darts are launched at the children of God and not God himself. God is not the “target market” for the wiles and schemes of the devil. Revelation 12:9 describes Satan as the “deceiver of the whole world”, who dwells in the world? People, humans.

On our own we are pretty much defenseless,

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that is why we ought to “put on the whole armour of God” that we “may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

Fear not! Because in Christ we are victorious and this is a fact that you should hold onto. When we are engaging in spiritual warfare we are not contending for victory, we are rather, contending to remain conscious of what God’s word says about us. We use the resources God has given us to navigate our way out of situations. When we “fight the good fight of the faith” we are not trying to keep Jesus on the throne, we are fighting to keep ourselves aligned to the truth.

Knowledge is power. The devil and his crew know that Jesus Christ is Lord, they know they have been defeated (James 2:19) they are banking on our ignorance. Honestly, the devil is not all that powerful, however, when we are ignorant of the authority we have in Christ Jesus, he has the advantage. We’ve been given authority over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, nothing shall by any means, hurt us. (Luke 10:19)

So Proverbs 18:24 was nothing but FACTS, that when we faint in the day of adversity, our strength is small, it is not because God “lost”. I hope you’re following here, Ephesians 6:10 says “Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”, where are you drawing your strength from? Are you trusting in chariots and horses or in the name of the Lord?

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”
John 8:32

How much “truth” have we dispensed in our hearts? How much of God’s word are we believing and applying. God’s word is truth and we are advised to let the word of God dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16). Jesus is “the truth” (John 14:6) An awareness of Jesus Christ and what He accomplished and letting those facts reign in our hearts is what gives us an advantage.

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is it that has overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
2 Corinthians 2:14

In the last verse cited we see that we are the vessels through which God spreads KNOWLEDGE of Christ everywhere. I realised how powerful the knowledge of God is and how any attempt to downplay it or oppose it is a capital attack on our faith.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Knowing that Jesus is Lord and believing with all your heart seats you in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) where darkness has no advantage over you. When this knowledge is sifted like wheat, we lose our footing and fall prey to the devil’s schemes. We ought to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, I thought this only applied to actual debates and conversations with unbelievers… but it is deeper than that.  The devil speaks and moves in situations, the things we experience, pain, loss, the things we see, hear, as well as through people… to try and get us to forsake the truth so he can have his way and ultimately destroy us.

many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.”
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head
Psalm 3:2-3

You may have received a “we regret to inform you” email for the umpteenth time, rent may be due, you may be sick, you had that bad dream, AGAIN – such situations can speak to us and make us feel as though there is no salvation for us in God. But do you have a rebuttal? When the situation speaks, when the people speak, do you have a truth that can counter the lie? Here the Psalmist says “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head”

When you are going through a financial crisis and the bank balance speaks and you feel like you’ve been forsaken by God can you boldly rely on the sword of the Spirit and say “But it is written, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’”

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When Jesus was tempted, His defense was “For it is written.” He understood the power of the word and how one ought to have the truth at their fingertips. Anything inconsistent with God’s word is a lie.

We have bad days, we have seasons that are tricky, but God is greater than anything we could ever go through. What we see could give us a negative report but we should never doubt the sovereignty of God and the victory that has already been wrought in Christ.