Monday // 2nd September 2024
Your enemy is afraid of your Lord!
And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
Colossians 2:15 GNT
Only a fool would race into battle without adequate defense. A Christian likewise needs armor to provide protection against “the evil one”. Paul teaches believers to put on God’s armor to stand our ground against the evil one (Ephesians 6:13). Jesus Himself taught His followers a model for prayer, which includes the petition “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). In His own great priestly prayer for His followers, Jesus asked the Father to “protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Spiritual warfare is far from being a struggle between two non-equal powers (God and Satan certainly are not equal in power).
Rather, we define this warfare as Satan’s efforts involving three basic elements: One is to destroy believers’ confidence in God and His Son, so they will forsake the faith. Another is to seduce believers through deceptive teaching or their own sin, so they will believe a lie instead of the truth. And lastly to prevent unbelievers from hearing a clear presentation of the gospel, so they will remain in Satan’s kingdom of darkness.
The devil has real power, which Christians would be wise to respect. To Christ the devil was a very real person. He recognized his personality, felt and acknowledged his power, abhorred his character, and warred against his kingdom. But because Satan is a created being in no way equal to God, his influence is limited. Through the cross, Christ disarmed Satan’s power and secured victory for the believer who submits to Jesus’ lordship., Hallelujah!
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin