One word changes everything (a slight but significant correction) – Monday, 13 November

The abundant life that Jesus came to give you (John 10:10) includes freedom, but freedom doesn’t just happen by accident. One of the keys to walking in freedom is recognizing that you have an enemy and he does not want you to live in freedom. James 4:7 tells us that the devil will flee from us when we resist him. If you’re NOT resisting (actively fighting against) the devil and his works in your life, then you’re submitting to them and accepting them. Jesus has purchased our freedom and so we’re not fighting for freedom, we’re in a spiritual battle with a defeated foe, we’re fighting from a place of freedom to defend our freedom.

“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)

Things are not as they seem. What you see isn’t all that there is to what’s going on around you. Sometimes the problems in your life are just natural consequences, for example, appliances don’t last forever and so you can’t blame the devil if your dishwasher stops working. I am sure that he’ll try to use the situation to get you mad and indulging in negative emotions, but you can’t blame him for everything. However, the reality is that we are in a spiritual battle and we do have an enemy who will try attack us, and he will try to use negative things in our lives to influence us. He may not have broken your dishwasher, and if he can use the situation to get you upset then he’s succeeded in influencing you.

Often the people against us (without a good reason) who are just trying to make our lives difficult are doing so under demonic influence – they don’t even really know why they doing what they’re doing. A situation like this clearly has a demonic origin. But whether or not the devil is the cause of the negative situation in your life, he will certainly try to use the situation against you.

We are instructed to be alert because we have an enemy. The Bible says that he is coming as a roaring lion looking for an opportunity to devour you. This means that he is not a roaring lion (he’s an imposter), and he cannot devour you without an opportunity. If you’re not sober and vigilant (alert) he will have an opportunity to devour you.

So, how do you remain alert? Well, one of the simplest ways is to remember that our battle isn’t against flesh and blood but rather it’s against demonic powers behind flesh and blood. If you fail to recognize that your battle is deeper than what you see, then you will fall straight into the enemy’s plan by giving him an opportunity to devour you because you’ll be dealing with the problem incorrectly. When you see that the real reason people are making your life difficult (for no good reason) is because they are yielding to demonic influence, then you won’t fight the person and you will be able to deal with the situation spiritually (through prayer).

The most important thing to remember in spiritual warfare is that Jesus has given you authority over all the power of the devil (Luke 10:19). You have no need to be afraid of the devil or feel overwhelmed by his attacks and lies. You have more authority over the devil than he has over an ant! You’ve got Jesus inside of you (Romans 8:11; 1 John 4:4) and that means that you’re set up for victory!

Much love

Shayne