Stronger Than The Struggle: Day 3

Here is the devotional:

Our winning and losing in the everyday will depend on our understanding of the battle and of whom we are fighting. We won’t be powerful over the enemy until we see this life-or-death fight up close and personal. We must learn how he operates, uncover his schemes, and acknowledge his threat on our lives, our families, our relationships, and our generation. But seeing him clearly doesn’t mean we have to then live in fear. Rather, we can choose to let that clarity aid us in our resistance. The moment we see him as he is—a thief, a killer, a destroyer, an accuser, and an enemy of God—his deception is exposed, and we can begin our journey to defeat him.


Remember, our enemy will always overplay his hand. He is so eager to dominate and control this world that he leaves little to the imagination. He is sneaky, but he is not invisible. He is evil, but he is not all-powerful. He is devious, but the truth exposes him each time. He may surmise what is going on in our lives, but he can’t read our minds. Only God can do that.


The apostle Paul had a lot to say about battling the enemy, and his words were not spoken passively. He gave us the straightforward, critical instruction we need to live successful lives. In 2 Corinthians, he encourages us “to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2:11 AMP).


Being spiritually illiterate doesn’t mean the enemy will leave us alone. It means we are more likely to make critical mistakes due to a lack of full understanding. Ignorance will hurt us and leave us confused, dejected, and deceived. God did not call us to be spiritually blind; he called us to be spiritually alert.


The only way for us to get serious about our eternal fate is to see the Devil as our literal enemy. The Devil is out for blood at any cost. But don’t worry: The battle has been won, and we have the advantage. We just have to see him clearly and keep him in his place.
   

Here are the scriptures referenced:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12 KJV

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Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV

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Here are Stu’s thoughts:

Let me start out by saying that the devil does not like you! As a matter of fact he can’t stand you.

And one other thing real quick…he does not want you living a Godly life.

He is a joy stealer.

Why do the think that after a few hours after church all that joyfulness you felt is gone?

Our enemy more than likely used a member of your own family to steal your joy.

He is a killer and destroyer.

And by this I really do not mean a murderer, though he is.

Satan is hell bent on destroying marriage. Which, sadly for the most part he has been successful. Gone are the days where for better and worse actually meant just that.

He has twisted God’s most beautiful creation…sex. He is even using the “church” to help him by twisting scripture to make it seem as if the woman has no “rights” in the bedroom and that she should have sex with her husband whenever he wants it to keep him from cheating. If he is going to cheat he is going to cheat and no amount of sex will keep him from doing so.

He has destroyed God’s design by saying that a male is no longer a male but can be what he/she choses.

He IS the enemy of God!!

Anything holy and right he will twist it!

God is love. Satan is hate.

God is light. Satan is dark.

God is Holy. Satan is evil

God lifts up. Satan tears down.

He will put words in your mouth that can and will destroy others.

God is real. Satan is real.

Angels are real. Demons are real.

They battle 24/7 in the spiritual world that goes unseen by human eyes for your very soul.

Satan is not some dude with a pointy tail and horns. He was an angel. He rebelled against God. And just like God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden he kicked Lucifer out of Heaven for his rebellion. Why? Because God is Holy.

Satan is a creation of God. He also has no power over us that we do not allow him to have. Once we choose to sin we give him a foothold. That foothold becomes a stronghold. And that stronghold is what gets us.

The only way out of a stronghold is through Jesus Christ and his shed blood on the cross. There is power in that blood! There is freedom in that blood! There is hope in that blood!

Take that blood and apply it! For it not only washes away sin but it also repels the devil when spoken!

S P O K E N!! That means out loud folks.

The devil can not stand the Holy Bible because it reveals who he is. Take the Word of God and SPEAK it!

Fight with it! Pray it! Memorize it! Study it!