I grew up in a church that focused heavily on the Bible but little on the spiritual realm. I knew of Satan but I didn’t really understand the demonic world. Now hear me… I am VERY thankful for a church that taught me the Word of God and for the pastors and teachers who invested in me during those early days. When I was in my thirties and beginning ministry, I read two books that opened my eyes to the spiritual realm – “This Present Darkness” and “Piercing the Darkness” by Frank Peretti. These novels awakened me to the war going on in the realm I cannot see with my eyes. And then of course Bible study opened my eyes more.
This is a fierce war – good vs. evil. The commander of the evil realm – Satan – is after Christians. He’s after you. And Paul tells us how strong our enemy is in Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” With that said, we should never underestimate the enemy seeking to destroy us. But our key verse today tells us something extraordinary… “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). God knows how weak we are and how vulnerable we can become. So, He comes to us and strengthens us in the midst of this battle and He guards us. There are many ways He guards us: He sends His angels (Psalm 91:11); He puts a hedge of protection around us (Job 1:10); He hems us in (Psalm 139:5); He carries us (Isaiah 46:4); He walks with us (Leviticus 26:12).
However, here’s what we often forget… we can give Satan a foothold. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27 that letting anger stew gives Satan a foothold. When Cain had evil thoughts regarding his brother Abel, God said to him: “Watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master” (Genesis 4:7). But Cain failed to listen and he killed his brother instead. We must heed this warning. God goes to great measures to protect us from the clutches of this great enemy, but we must do our part too.
This war has claimed many people… many Christians. So, how do we respond to this spiritual war raging in the heavenlies? What can we do to not be another victim? Here are three things…
1) Keep your guard up! Be aware. Stay alert. Our guard can easily fall down when we’re hurting, sick, or out of sorts. Remember that we are in this war every day so we can never let our guard down.
2) Keep sin at bay! Satan doesn’t need a hole to gain access to us. No! He can slither in through the tiniest crack. And sin, no matter how big or little it may seem, gives Satan a foothold. In recent days, we’ve seen pastors and leaders in the church fall into Satan’s clutches. We must not let that be our story.
3) Walk in the light! I know many Christians who focus more on the demonic world than the heavenly world. Therefore, they live in this dark place and their thoughts are always dark. Their world has a dark cloud hovering over them and this has often stolen their joy and peace. It’s important we walk in the light… spending most of our time focusing on the light of Christ, the Word of God, and everything that’s good. This is what will give us contentment and strength in the midst of this battle.
Let these words encourage you today.