Nurture
[Session 10]
Knowing your enemy!
“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.” (Eph 6:12)
[Session 10] Introduction Successful military leaders do their homework. They know who their enemy is, and what schemes and strategies that enemy is likely to use. As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle and we have enemies (Eph 6:10-20). This doesn’t mean we need to be afraid of attack, but we should always be aware of the enemy’s schemes (2 Cor. 2:11).
Who or what exactly is the enemy? -
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The devil or Satan is a real, spiritual and powerful enemy (1 Peter 5:8) (Matthew 4:1-11). Our enemy is also the ‘spirit of the world’ (1 Cor. 2:12), not a particular spiritual being, but philosophies, attitudes, mindsets and standards that are present in our world and oppose the Spirit of God (Colossians 2:8) (2 Cor. 10:5) (Eph 2:2a)) (1 John 2:15-17). The sinful nature (flesh) is that part of our nature which is in conflict with the Spirit of God and desires what opposes Him (Romans 7:18-24) (Galatians 5:17-21).
How should we respond to and deal with the enemy? -
Satan is an opportunist who seeks to exploit our weaknesses. We must be aware of his strategies to accuse, deceive, lie, tempt and steal (Rev 12:10) (Matthew 4:3) (John 8:44) (John 10:10) (Genesis 3:1-5). Stand firm, submit to God and resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8-9) (James 4:7). Cultivate (nurture) the ‘mind of Christ’ (1 Cor. 2:16) (Philippians 4:8). Avoid the ‘spirit of the world’ and its desires (1 Peter 2:11) (1 John 2:15-17). Live to please the Holy Spirit by allowing Him to rule our lives. Refuse to give in to or be controlled by the sinful nature (Rom 8:9) (Gal 5:24-25) (Gal 5:13-18) (Rom 13:14).
lifechurch
Nurture
[Session 10]
[Session 10]
Prayer
Knowing your enemy!
How do we overcome the enemy? -
Understand that God is with us (Romans 8:31-39) (1 John 4:4). Remember that the battle belongs to God (1 Samuel 17:47) (Deut 20:3-4): Jesus Christ has already obtained victory for us (Col 2:13-15) (1 John 3:8): Satan is already defeated (Rev 12: 10-12 & 20:7-10). Through faith in God (1 John 5:4-5). Wear the armour that God has provided (Eph 6:10-18) and make use of the weapons we have (2 Cor. 10:4-5) Understand and utilize the power of God’s Word, (Hebrews 4:12) (Matthew 4:10) and the power of praise (Psalm 149:6-9) (2 Chronicles 20:22).
Conclusion People often ask why Satan still gets to exert his power on earth when Jesus defeated him at the cross. Here’s a good analogy to help explain this. This ‘present age’ in which we live is a bit like the time between D-Day and VE Day during World War II. On 6th June 1944 the allied forces invaded Normandy. Many attribute this victory over Germany as the major turning point in WW II. Effectively from this date the war was won. However, the fighting continued for another eleven months and many more people died before 8th May 1945 when war in Europe finally ended. This is known as V.E. Day; the official end of the war. When Christ died and rose again, God won the victory and put Satan in his place (Colossians 2:13-15). That’s why we can say the victory has been won in Christ. However, the war is not over and the fighting will continue until Jesus comes again and deals with Satan once and for all. Until that day, Satan’s power is limited. Martin Luther likened Satan to a snarling dog that is chained in place and can only do you real harm if you're foolish enough to come too close. We must never become complacent. We are in a spiritual battle and the enemy will often attack when we least expect. That’s why we need to remain alert. However, we need never be afraid of the enemy. God has given us the ability to live victorious Christian lives and we can be confident that outcome of the final victory is certain (2 Peter 1:3-11).
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