I remember one dream I had during those five months of demonic harassment (see this post) that really stuck out to me. (I actually think it was more of a vision than a dream). I was “dreaming” that I was sleeping in bed just like I was actually lying there sleeping in real life, and there was a demon in the room, hovering about a foot over me in a cloud of black smoke as I slept. (Honestly, it felt as if my spirit was watching my body sleep and could see the demon hovering over me.)
And in my dream, I could literally feel - through my whole body and deep down in my soul - this intense hatred radiating from the demon, as though he wanted to reach out and violently slash me to pieces. I could tell that he was incredibly strong and could cause fatal damage, but that he was prevented from doing so by an invisible force, an invisible wall of protection around me. But I had no doubt about his incredible power and his hateful, violent intentions toward me. I could feel it radiating off of him from a foot away.
And then, in my dream, I saw these long, black arms reach out to grab me, and just as he touched my shoulders, I immediately felt my body enveloped in electricity and I woke up in real life feeling totally electrocuted and nearly paralyzed, and I called out “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave.” And the electricity subsided.
Imagine that someone was holding the chains of a dozen powerful, ravenous beasts. And they're all just inches away from you, viciously growling, swiping at you, violently straining against their chains, trying to break free so they can rip you to shreds. That's how this vision felt. That's what the demon felt like he could and would do to me, if he had his way.
The thing is, all believers are surrounded by hate-filled, powerful, vicious beings who want to destroy us. But thankfully, a Strong Hand holds the chains and keeps them back. And He never lets go. While demons can do plenty of things to hurt us and get us off-track in our lives and faith, they can only go as far as God will let them. (Thank God!)
But ... they can go a lot farther than God wants if we let them, if we invite them into our lives in some way, through occultic things, sin, listening to their lies, etc. Physical garbage attracts flies like spiritual garbage attracts demons.
What kind of spiritual "garbage" have you allowed in your life? Are you living in a way that gets you the most protection from God possible, that keeps you on the right track and helps you fight against evil? Or are you living in a way that makes you vulnerable, that makes demons feel welcome in your life, that keeps your guard down?
Ephesians 6:10-18:
“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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
This is perhaps the most well-known passage on spiritual warfare. And there's a lot to unpack here. Over the next several posts, we'll look at each verse individually (exploring other relevant verses too), eventually examining each piece of spiritual armor. Today, we'll explore verse 10.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord ...
It's no coincidence that this is stated first. When it comes to spiritual warfare, we need to - first and foremost - be relying on the Lord and His power. Being in the Lord (and putting on our armor) should happen daily, before Satan attacks, so that we are already prepared when the attacks come. If we wait to do it until we are attacked, we'll be unprepared, more vulnerable, reacting hastily instead of responding properly, and it won't go as well for us.
Trust me, I know. It took me months to learn about the nature of spiritual warfare, with very little resources or help or support, and I had to do it while in the midst of those five disturbing months of demonic harassment that I was totally unprepared for. Getting thrown into the deep end of a pool when you've never been in the water before is not the best time to learn to swim. (Or maybe it is. Maybe I wouldn't have bothered to learn to swim if I didn't absolutely have to learn to swim by being thrown unexpectedly into the deep end. And remember that I'm no expert in this area; I'm only sharing what I've learned through my experiences and studies.)
[FYI: There is only one Satan, and he is limited to being in one place at a time. And so when I say "Satan attacks us," I don't actually mean Satan himself but his many demonic forces. Satan can only be in one place at one time - and so I doubt he is personally attacking li'l ol' me or you - but his demons are everywhere, and they are the ones carrying out his business, attacking us.]
The beginning of the best passage on spiritual warfare says to "be strong in the Lord." And so the question is, how? What does it mean to be strong in the Lord? How do we do it?
I think there's at least three different aspects to the answer: "how we live," "who we are," and "what we do in the moment".
"How we live"
We can only be strong in the Lord if we are in the Lord.
Of course, all believers are "in Christ." Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior makes us His children, giving us eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." (Ephesians 1:13)
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12)
Our eternity is secure, and Satan can never take it away. John 10:28: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."
But how we live has a huge effect on how our lives go, on the direction our lives take, and on the consequences we face (and on what kinds of rewards we get in eternity).
"and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go." (1 Kings 2:3)
"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Deut. 30:19)
"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15)
"If any man builds on this foundation [Jesus Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through flames." (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
In the last verse, the KJV says it this way: “seeking whom he may devour.” And I like that better because it's not just saying that he’s looking for someone, anyone, to devour, but that he's looking for those whom he may devour, whom he has a "right" to devour. He looks for those who give him “open doors,” invitations, footholds because they are not living the way God said to, removing them from God's protective hand, making them easy pickin's.
How we live matters, and it will greatly affect the kind of lives we have and how well we do in the spiritual battles.
Note: Those who believe that God has preplanned, causes, controls everything that happens (I'm looking at you, Calvinists), that we have no ability to make any real decisions about what we do or the path we're on, need to begin reading the Word as it is written, to see what God is really like, what He expects of us, and how He responds to us. (For more on this, see the "Understanding God's Will" post on "Cause vs Allow".)
Because if you think God preplans, causes, controls everything that happens - including your every thought, action, sin and including every demon's action and including your reaction to every demon's action - then the spiritual battle won't make sense. If God preplans, causes, controls it all then it's all just a big play, a farce, where we're all just acting out our parts in a prewritten script and can't change or affect anything.
What is a spiritual battle if both sides are just following orders from the same person, and if no one can alter what's been scripted? Our efforts and decisions would not matter or make a difference if this were the case, because we'd have no ability to make decisions.
But I'm here to say ... it does matter. Calvinism is wrong. God has given us the responsibility to make certain decisions for ourselves, to decide if we will live rightly or wrongly before Him, if we will pray or not pray, if we will take up our armor or be unprepared, if we will seek His wisdom or walk in our own, if we will obey or disobey, if we will resist temptation or give in to temptation, if we will believe in Him or reject Him, etc.
We have a huge effect on what kind of lives we live, on how we fight our spiritual battles, on the consequences we face, and on the condition of our eternities (the rewards we get or forfeit).
And so, coming to my point now, I think the "how we live" aspect of being strong in the Lord is to have a lifestyle of walking with Him, obeying Him, abiding daily in Him through prayer and His Word, and getting to know Him as He really is, before the trials and attacks come. (And we get to know Him best through His Word, which is far more reliable than our own personal feelings, thoughts, and experiences of Him. Be wary of any church that upholds feelings and personal emotional experiences over the Word.)
As we meet Him in the Word and in prayer, as we walk with Him through life, in obedience (obedience keeps us closer to God, in His Will, under His protection, but disobedience and sin moves us farther away from Him, making us vulnerable), as we follow Him where He leads and see Him answer our prayers and watch how He works things out, we'll get to know Him better and trust Him more. And then when the attacks and trials and tragedies come (and they will), we'll feel safer and more secure leaning on Him and His power and His wisdom and His timing, because we'll have already learned how good, strong, loving and trustworthy He is.
The longer and more closely we walk with Him, the more we'll know Him, trust Him, need Him, and lean on Him, even in the hard times. The more we'll "be strong in the Lord." (Pray and ask God is there's anything you need to do or change in your life, to get more on the path He wants you on.)
"Who we are"
Another aspect of being strong in the Lord is to know what the Bible says about who we are in the Lord. I think too many of us Christians live defeated lives because we don't know who we are in the Lord. Maybe we still view ourselves as we did before we became believers, maybe we don't understand how God views us, or maybe we believe the lies Satan tells us about who we are. Either way, if we do not understand our true identity as children of God, we won't grasp all the blessings, resources, and beautiful truths that come with it.
Here are some verses about who we are in Christ and what that entails, without any commentary from me (pray and ask God if there are any you need to take to heart):
Colossians 1:13-14: “For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Romans 8:1 (KJV): “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”
Ephesians 2:6: "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 3:12: "In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."
Hebrews 4:16: "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Romans 8:31: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Hebrews 13:5-6: “… God has said, ‘Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV): "For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
1 Peter 1:5-6,13: “[you] through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials… Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
1 John 5:4: "… everyone born of God has overcome the world"
1 John 4:4, “… the [Holy Spirit] who is in you is greater than [Satan] who is in the world.”
Philippians 1:6: “… He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5: “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
Eph. 3:16-19: “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
"What we do in the moment"
And in the short-term, in the specific moments of attack and temptation, we can be strong in the Lord by using a spiritual weapon He provides that fits the situation (we'll look at these in depth later) instead of trying to defeat the enemy on our own.
Maybe that means praying or saying a Bible verse out loud in a moment of need. Or using Jesus's name against a demonic attack. Or maybe, depending on the current struggle or need, being strong in the Lord in the moment is when we choose to obey Him when we'd rather do things our way, or to pray our concern over to Him when we'd rather handle it on our own, or to praise Him when we'd rather freak out, or to thank Him for something when we'd rather complain, or to ask forgiveness instead of excusing our sin, or to forgive instead of holding a grudge, or to do the right thing, even if it's the hard thing, instead of just doing the easy thing, or to ... well, you get the picture.
The more we know how God expects us to live (as seen in His Word) and the more we obey the nudges of the Holy Spirit as we walk by faith, the easier it will be to know the best course of action in a moment of struggle, temptation, trial, or attack. And every time we do things His way or run to Him for help, it's a victory in the spiritual battle. And the more this is our lifestyle, the more successful we'll be in the spiritual battles because we'll be leaning on His strength and wisdom, not on our own.
"... and in his mighty power."
His mighty power to do what?
The quickest answer, I think, would be "to keep His promises that we find in His Word." And Scripture is full of them.
In His Word, God promises to ...
... help us be strong enough to endure patiently, Colossians 1:11: "being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience..."
... straighten our paths as we walk in obedience to Him, Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
... give us wisdom when we ask, James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."
... give us victory and guard our path when we walk in His wisdom, Proverbs 2:5-8: “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.”
... meet our needs (not necessarily our wants), Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." [If you need it, you'll have it. And if you don't have it, it may be because God knows you don't really need it. Or maybe it's because you didn't ask or because your motives aren't right (James 4:2-3: "... You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."). Or maybe it's just not the right time yet. Maybe the answer is not ready for you yet (God is working on it, getting all the pieces in place) or maybe you're not ready for the answer yet (God is working on you to get you ready for it). But if you are praying and living rightly before God and faithful to Him, He'll be faithful to you and will give you what you need when you need it. And if God says "No" to your prayer ... well, the next promise is for you...]
... help us be content, even in hard times, Philippians 4:12-13: “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (1 Timothy 6:6: "But godliness with contentment is great gain.")
... keep us from fear, hatred, confusion, 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV): "For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (This is the one I need daily, that I repeat to myself often, because fear and anxiety has been my biggest enemy yet.)
... provide a way for us to escape temptation, 1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it."
... protect us when we submit to Him, James 4:7-8: "Submit yourself, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you."
... be our help in time of need, Psalm 121:1-3,7: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip – He who watches over you will not slumber… The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life…”
... hear us when we call on him in our pain, Psalm 34:17-18: "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 3:3-6: “But You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.”
... lift us up when we fall, Psalm 145:14: "The Lords upholds all those who fall and lifts us all who are bowed down."
... give us peace, hope, and joy, even in hard times, Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace he whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Oh, how I need this too!)
... give us back our lives, John 10:10: "Jesus said, 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that [you] may have life, and have it to the full.'" 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
... strengthen us when we're weak, so weak that we can't even pray, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Romans 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express…"
... bring good out of the bad, Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
... comfort us so we can comfort others, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
... help us bear heavy burdens and heartaches, rewarding our faithfulness in the end, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9,16-18: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
... help us know His great love for us and how much He cares for us, Eph. 3:16-19: “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
... hear and answer our prayers (though maybe not always with the answer we want), and to give us peace about our concerns, especially when we pray with a thankful heart, Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
... calm our anxieties, protect us from evil, restore us, and make us strong, 1 Peter 5:7-10: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
... hold us and help us until He comes to get us, 2 Timothy 4:18: "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Jude 1:24-25: "Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."
With all these promises from God available to us in Word, how can we leave our Bibles on a shelf gathering dust, unread, with our lives unchanged? I don't know about you, but I need these promises. I need the Word. I need the Lord. Daily.
Now tell the truth here, how many of you skimmed through the verses? How many skim through the Bible when you read it? As Dr. Tony Evans says, "Tell the truth and shame the devil." Now go back and read them again, thoughtfully, prayerfully. You won't be successful in spiritual battles if you have a casual approach to God's Word. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)
Ask God if there are any verses that He wants you to meditate on, any commands He wants you to obey, any truths He wants you to begin living by, or any of His promises He wants you to trust?
If His Word is where we find Him, and if we need to be connected to Him to have His power at work in our lives, then we need to be in the Word if we want to be strong in Him - not just skimming the Word, but meditating on the Word, living by the Word, leaning on the Word, and calling on the Word in moments of struggle and spiritual battle.
With all these amazing promises from God in His Word, all the wise instructions to help us live the best lives possible, all the amazing things He reveals about Himself, all the comfort, the help, the hope, the love ... with all of this available to us in the greatest love letter ever written, how could we not fall in love with His Word, with Him? How could we not want to spend more time with Him, getting to know Him better? How could we not want to honor Him with our lives?
And if we've been feasting on television, newspapers, and social media instead of feasting on the Word, how prepared will we be when the attacks come? How well will we be able to discern God's truth from Satan's lies?
[Are you afraid of spiritual warfare? Do you think it's too hard? If so, try this: Find a verse that speaks to a need, fear, concern, temptation, etc., that you have right now. Memorize it if you can, or just write it down so you that have it with you at all times. And then whenever you need to, speak that verse out loud to remind yourself of God's promises, to remind the demons of God's promises, and to show them that you are leaning on God and His Word in your time of weakness and need.
Demons may be stronger than you, but they are not stronger than God and His Word and the Holy Spirit in you: “… the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world … everyone born of God has overcome the world.” (1 John 4:4,5:4, I memorized this verse and repeated it often during the five months of demonic harassment. I was so scared and confused that I had no choice but to lean on and trust the Lord. I couldn't do it myself. In fact, I have a printed list of verses that I will sometimes just sit and read through, preferably out loud, especially when my mind is racing with all the things that terrify me. I can't fight these battles myself, and so I run to the One who can help, the One who is strong enough for the both of us.)
If you want, read a verse that fits your situation right now, and read it out loud. Go ahead, I'll wait.
There now, you just successfully engaged in spiritual warfare, using one of the weapons God provides for us (the sword of the Spirit). That wasn't too hard, was it? Now keep it up! The more this becomes part of your lifestyle, the more successful you'll be in spiritual warfare because you'll be relying on the Lord and His power, not just on yourself or others.]
It's our choice
Every moment of attack or struggle or temptation gives us a choice: God's way or our way? Lean on the Lord or lean on ourselves?
And we can only be strong in the Lord if we do things the Lord's way. And to know what the Lord's way is, we need to be abiding in Him and His Word all along the way. Learning more about spiritual warfare and spiritual weapons is something we'll do as we go through this series, but only you can decide to walk daily with the Lord, to meet Him in His Word and in prayer, to grow your understanding of Him and your relationship with Him, so that you're ready when the attacks come.
God will always be faithful to His promises. He will always do His part. But we have to do our part too. So many of His promises hinge on our choices, on what we do. That's just how God designed things to be when He gave us free-will, the right and responsibility to choose how we live and what we believe and who we worship. He doesn't want robots who are forced to love Him and obey Him and trust Him. He wants free people who choose to love Him, obey Him, and trust Him because we see how much He loves us and cares for us and how good and faithful He is to us.
But it's up to us to decide: Will we stay close to Him (under His protection) or will we walk away from Him? Will we do things His Way (staying in His Will and, therefore, under His protection) or will we do things our own way (removing ourselves from His protection)? Will we pray for His help or not? Will we believe His truths or Satan's lies? Will we use the spiritual weapons He gives or unsuccessfully try to use our own? Etc.
He will always do His part, but are we doing ours? Or are we creating “open doors” and “welcome mats” for Satan, giving him permission to mess with us, to get us off-track, to create consequences and detours God never wanted for us?
The choice is ours.
“Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.” (Psalm 9:10)
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:1-3)
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.... Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” (Psalm 62:5-8)
I'm really enjoying this song right now: Run Devil Run by Crowder
And here are some great sermons from Tony Evans:
How the enemy tries to distract you
Experiencing Spiritual Deliverance
It's time for a better understanding of who God is
How to overcome Spiritual Warfare with the armor of God
