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When All Hell Breaks Loose

"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." (Ephesians 6:12)

Somebody hates you. He wants nothing more than to destroy you. He is seething with unbridled rage every time he thinks of you. He is bigger than you, stronger than you and smarter than you. He knows what makes you tick and what gets you ticked. He's seen your kind for 6000 years. He knows which buttons to push in your life and which temptations to whisper in your ears. He is the devil.

This cosmic bully goes by many names... Satan, The Accuser, The Serpent, and The Evil One just to name a few. But he has one specific goal... to steal God's glory by destroying God's plan through deceiving and destroying God's people.

Although he was defeated at the cross of Christ "...so that through his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is the devil" (Hebrews 2:14) he still has the power to deceive. As Paul reminds us in II Corinthians 11:3, "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be lead astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

He wants to destroy your testimony. He knows that if he can ruin your credibility as a Christian then few will believe your message. He distracts your prayers, whispers temptation in your ear, and tries to keep you away from Scripture.

He desires to replace your faith with fear. He understands that you'll never share your faith if you are bullied by your own nervousness rather than focused on Christ's power.

He longs to twist your message. If he can't destroy the messenger he'll attack the message. He knows that if he can tweak your gospel presentation and make it unclear then your lost friends will misunderstand it.

All hell is breaking loose against you. The more you seek to represent Christ with your friends and family, the harder the devil and his demonic army of evil doers seek to stop you.

There's only one way to stop a bully... get someone bigger and stronger to stop him for you. Well, guess what? Our big brother Jesus goes with us everywhere we go. Jesus makes Satan nervous. He beat Satan to death at the cross. He can do it again with no problem. So don't try to fight the devil in your own strength. Look to Big Brother to do it through you.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." (Eph. 6:10)

Questions:

  1. What are some ways that Satan attacks your testimony and your gospel message?
  2. How can you prepare yourself for battle against him?