Don’t let the enemy get a foothold in your life

Don’t let the enemy get a foothold in your life

Have you noticed an uptick in spiritual battle recently? I won’t get specific, but in my life, over the past couple of months, there has been a concerted effort to take me down. The enemy is aware that I am vulnerable in areas where I seek to assert my own will and rely on my own strength. I am also aware that the enemy does not want me to succeed in any kind ministry including marriage, parenting, personal relationships, Church, or any ministry that it is imperative that I model Christ-likeness and act on my faith. In my case, the enemy has attempted to dampen my spirit and weaken my faith and trust in God’s promises and provision. My choice was either to trust in my weakened perspective and worldly insight, dealing with my circumstances in my own strength, or go to trust God for His strength, wisdom and discernment. My choice was to go to God because through experience I know I can trust Jesus with my life.

Here are 2 versions of my favorite Bible passage that tells me how to trust God and deal with life in a fallen world:

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight

 

Proverbs 3:5-6  NLT

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

With this passage as my starting point I need to dive deeper into the Bible to discover ways to live a life set apart to God. Living a life set apart to God ultimately protects me from letting the enemy get a foothold in my life.

The passage that tells me how I can begin to live this set apart life is Romans 12:1-2. 

The passage explains how in two parts:

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,  holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.

First, I need to offer myself completely to God. I must live in obedience to His Word

and foremost express the love I have for Him through the ways I live my life.  I need to give my life to Christ, I need to live by faith and not by sight, I need to do good to others and consider their needs, I need to love my neighbor as myself, be Christ-like, allow for God’s sanctification process to take hold in my life and most important die to self.

Second, I must transform my thinking and live day to day with a Godly eternal perspective. The Bible needs to be my source of wisdom, strength and perspective for life. I need time with God each day so the idea of having a personal relationship has some meat to it. I need to spend time in prayer and have fellowship with other godly people whom God has inspired to live life for the sake of the Gospel.

The more I deepen my relationship with God, the more I understand the depth of His Love for me. The more I understand He has a plan for my life. The more I understand His desire for me to put my life in His hands. The more I am able to take further take steps toward trusting Him. The more I am able to submit to His leadership. The more I am able to embrace the promises He has made.

When it comes to life, God has promised: He has a plan for our lives

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

When it comes to sin, God has promised:  He is faithful

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

When it come to sin in a believer’s life God has promised: we have been forgiven

Ephesians 1:7 NIV
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

1 John 2:12 NLT

 I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

When it comes to wisdom, God has promised: to give us wisdom

James 1:5 NIV

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

When it comes to family, God has promised:  we have been adopted into His family

Ephesians 2:19 NLT
So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

When we unpack the above promises along with many others we can see that God really does love us. The other fact we have to consider is that we have an enemy, Satan, who will do anything in His power to disrupt and distract the lives of Jesus’ followers.

Personal understanding:

Because the enemy has a foothold in this world I need to make sure He is not making any headway into my life. I know I need to stay alert because the enemy continues to attempt to derail me and keep me out of balance. The Bible warns me about the enemy:

1 Peter 5:8 NIV
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

I know I need to appropriate the spiritual blessings of God (Adoption into His family, Forgiveness of sin, Revelation of God’s plan through His Word, my inheritance, the Holy Spirit), and stay focused on the “right” things in order to help me fight temptations to sin and deal properly with spiritual battles:

Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Romans 13:14 NIV
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

When it comes to sin and temptation I know that living in a fallen world requires that I

put on the full armor of God:

Ephesians 6:10-17 NIV

The Armor of God

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

What I learn from this passage is that the enemy is at war with me and the only defense I have is God himself.

I need to know and understand God’s truth and stand firm in it. I need to test everything through the lens of God’s Word. I need to understand that God’s Truth will defeat Satan’s lies.

When I became a follower of Jesus I need to embrace the fact that I am covered with His righteousness. I am therefore no longer under God’s wrath - “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). With this understanding I can battle the enemies attempt to question my salvation.

As a follower of Jesus I have been commissioned to share the Good News. However, the enemy would like to distract me from that mission. I need to listen to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit who inspires me to continue to share my hope with others.

For all of us to consider:

Satan’s attacks are sometimes relentless as compared to His subtle suggestions. We need to seek godly perspective when it comes to how we handle difficult circumstances. The level of our faith and trust in God to walk us through difficulties can have a profound effect on the way we represent the kingdom of God. The question we should ask ourselves is: Do we allow for the power of God’s Holy Spirit to shine through us during these difficult times? The benefit from dealing with

difficulties properly can shine a positive light on Christ and reinforce the principles of God that we preach to others. Faith becomes an important component in our daily struggles.

The Bible defines faith in this way:

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

This is faith – “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of

what we do not see”

Satan would like for us to doubt our salvation and standing with God. With our understanding and deep seated foundation in Christ and what He did on the cross, we can battle any attempt on the enemies part to sway our faith and trust in God.

The greatest offensive weapon we have against our enemy is the truth of God’s Word. Jesus said it best In His own dealings with Satan:

Matthew 4:4 NIV
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God

Jesus quoted these words from the Deuteronomy to make a powerful point to Satan as well as overcome the temptation for Jesus to use His own divine power to take care of His physical need for food. Jesus set the example for us in that we should directly to go to God’s Word for strength in the midst of our weakness.

With all the false ideas about the God, the world, life, creation and eternity put out there every day, we are fortunate to have the truth of God’s Word to guide us.

So the ways we can keep the enemy from getting a foothold into our lives is to put our faith and trust in God the Creator and embrace His Word. We need to pray daily for wisdom and for the needs of others.  We need to center our lives around what we have been called by God to do. We need to live for Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. We need to daily connect with the Holy Spirit, who guides, teaches and comforts us, and who is also the one God sent as the sign and seal of our salvation. We need to daily revere our Heavenly Father and live a life of Worship directed toward Him only.

Followers of Jesus have a lot to be grateful for. As we continue toward years end we can be sure that God has a great plan and purpose for those who love Him. This is one of the many promises He has made. The great news is, not only can we enjoy life, but we can bring joy to others through the message of the hope we have in Jesus. I pray we will all live the life we have been given in abundance.  Let’s celebrate every day the new life we have in Christ. That way, the enemy will never get a foothold in our lives. Remember, nothing can separate us from the love of God. He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Just Sayin……………….Dave