Part II: How to Combat the Devil

If have not managed to give last week's post a read, last week we were talking about the ploys of the devil and who he really is. The devil is a shrewd player in the spiritual realm who wages a war against us and our being. The only way to combat this is as said in scripture, the armor of God.

A fun fact is last time I was studying the armor of God, I experienced a scary accident where a mirror fell on my head and I had lacerations on my skin. For the first time, I registered although the spirits are in the spiritual realm, their works many at times manifest in the physical realm.

So of course, before you read this, ask the Holy Spirit to hover over you, your thoughts and your heart. May you be transformed, be freed and protected through Christ our Savior.

"Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭14-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

BELT OF TRUTH

The truth is simply the word of God. A belt as we know it is made of made of many materials, leather, cloth, yarn etc. all different, but serving the same purpose. In the same way it is our absolute duty to make sure have our dose of truth in any way we can.

That can be through a Bible plan. A local Bible study group will suffice, listening to an audio Bible or listening to a podcast that emphasises and references scripture. All are different ways of achieving the same goal.

I implore us to have the same flexibility that belts afford us. You put on some weight you need to adjust the belt and if you lose some weight, the same thing. As such, be sensitive to each season and what you are going through. In each of the seasons you find you may need a different method to absorb scripture. So be gracious with yourselves.

BODY ARMOR OF GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

God’s righteousness is obtained and understood through scripture and spending time in it. Remember when Jesus said if an arm causes you to sin, chop it off, and the same applies with an eye that causes us to sin. Our whole being is prone to leading us into sin.

A body of armor of God ensures no part of us is exposed. You wear your armour, and tighten your belt and there’s no space for the darkness to try seep through. The righteousness of God will keep us on the path and protect us.

FOR SHOES PEACE FROM THE GOOD NEWS

”So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.“ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

”You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!“ ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do we know what the good news is? The good news is Jesus. The coming, death and resurrection of Jesus with the aim of saving us from death. It is the good news because it is the news you need to remember when are down and riddled with guilt about your sin.

The good news is meant to make us walk in peace because we have been liberated from superficial sacrifices to a kingdom already opened to us.

”Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.“ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The only thing on our side is to believe. You only need to be believe. You only need to believe the good news of Jesus, who He is and what He can do in you and through you. I guarantee peace will follow. This is because suddenly life is not about the works and omissions, it is about the faith and trueness of our love. I assure you it is easy to love God when you read more about Him.

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SHIELD OF FAITH

The devil is a sly git. A force which operates on wearing us down through the persistent seduction of sin. How difficult it is to resist sin when you feel tormented and obsessed with the idea of giving into the sin. These are the fiery arrows of the devil, constantly being shot. The arrows are dipped in our insecurities, fears, addictions or secrets.

The only way is again to believe i.e faith. Faith will cover you completely because it is through faith we believe in the saving power of Jesus. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and God absolutely loves those who step in faith towards His direction. Through His love and our faith in Him, His shield of love protects us. Faith is our greatest weapon against a devil who didn’t believe in God’s sovereignty.

"God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection." Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

SALVATION AS YOUR HELMET

There’s a reason the helmet is salvation, because as a man thinks, so is He. Salvation is defined as preservation or deliverance from harm or ruin. A synonym is life-line.

Do you believe Jesus threw you a life-line when He died? If you do not, you deeply need to pray over this. Salvation is your helmet because to believe you need it is to understand our sinful nature and the need for Jesus. Once you believe you do not need it you have committed the same sin the devil committed in the beginning, pride. Humility through understanding our need for salvation will keep our heads straight.

We need to keep our heads protected by the

remembrance of the act Jesus performed for our salvation so that our heads do not swell up with thoughts of self-sufficiency. I recommend taking communion as often as you can as the point of it is for us to remember the sacrifice of Jesus for our salvation. Ask a friend, or the local church you go to frequently do communion.

THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT i.e THE WORD OF GOD

The only weapon God has afforded us is His word. The word is said to be as sharper than a double edged sword cutting through bone and marrow. The word of God is true and does not return void.

God has given us giftings through the spirit. However, giftings as we have seen time and time again become corrupted by man’s folly and pride. We idolise them easily, I find my giftings sometimes have become a compass of how well I’m doing spiritually or “who I am” in the kingdom. The only thing that is true and untarnished by the devil is the word of God. As such it cannot be manipulated

by him because it is God breathed.

So take heart, we have been protected and saved from the power of sin and the lure of the devil. We are coasting through this because the battle has already been won!

I love you all, thank you for reading and stay praying.