June 6 Warfare

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 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.
 
PAUL has written a good deal of instruction. He has admonished – encouraged – us in the Lord. He is an apostle of Christ. This means he was sent by the Lord to teach us of God’s justice to punish sin, grace to save us from his justice and of our response to God’s amazing grace. We are to be imitators of God.
    One very important aspect of imitating God is to recognize we are at war. The devil wars against us. He seeks to kill and destroy our relationship with Jesus, with our spouses, parents, children, church and God. Too often, though, we get wrapped up in warring with one another. That is exactly the devil’s scheme. We must stop it.
    If you have seen the movie “War Room” (If not, I encourage you to do so.) do you remember its lesson regarding our enemy? For the wife struggling in her marriage, she first saw her husband as her enemy. But her wise friend told her, “The devil is your enemy. You’ve got to fight for your husband and for your marriage against the devil.”
    One powerful scene for me was the wife, Elizabeth, declaring to Satan, “You have played with my mind and had your way long enough. No more! You are done. Jesus is the Lord of this house. There is no place here for you anymore. Take your lies, schemes, and accusations and get out in Jesus’ name. You can’t have my marriage. You can’t have my daughter. And you surely can’t have my man. This house is under new management, and that means you are out. And another thing, I am so sick of you stealing my joy. My joy is found in Jesus. And just in case you forgot, he has already defeated you. So go back to hell where you belong and leave my family alone.”
    Wow. What if we lived as if we really believed this?
    I know this is a fictional story, but it is about the true story of sin’s destruction and our Lord’s saving reconstruction power. The work of God is not fictional. I know people who live this way as demonstrated in “War Room” to see God transform their lives and their marriages.
    In my own life, when I’ve experienced temptation, the only effective way to war against the devil was to declare, “Jesus, remove this temptation. Remove this desire to sin. Remove this evil from my life.” More and more my life came under “new management”. I changed and continue to change when I pray this way. My life gradually becomes less of a war against evil and more of joyful journey as one with the one God, Father, Son and Spirit.
    There is a war in the heavenly realms. Battle evil with the power of God. Call on the name of Jesus for loved ones in despair, for friends in trouble, for Jesus’ church in decline and for your family in need. Welcome the Holy Spirit into your life. Declare to the devil he has no authority in you. Banish him from your life, from your home and from your church. Send him back to hell where he belongs. In Jesus you have that authority.
 
Prayer: I call on you, Holy Spirit to wage war against the evil that threatens those who are precious to me. Protect us from temptation. Yes, deliver us from evil for yours truly is the power and the glory forever. Amen.