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Ephesians 6:13
Join us for worship service every Sunday morning at 9:30. We are continuing our study in Eph. 6 and exposing some of the tactics of our enemy the Devil. Remember—our fight is not against each other, but against the underworld. Satan knows he’s been defeated but refuses to surrender by trying to do all the damage he can. How?
- ABOVE ALL SATAN DESIRES TO DESTROY THE WORK OF GOD! He wants to destroy God’s work in Christians and in The Church. The most effective way to destroy the works of God is attack the weakest link in the chain – that’s us! When Satan destroys any part of a Christian’s testimony (life and lifestyle) to the devil’s way of thinking, he has won and is energized to continue his destructive work. When The Holy Spirit changes us inwardly and those changes begin to show outwardly, God uses those outward changes to draw others to us so we can share the life-changing power of God’s salvation with them. If the devil can do anything to stop that process, he destroys the work of God. Because Christians are the centerpieces of God’s redeeming work, Satan wants to destroy them in any way possible. As God’s workmanship we must be very careful how we allow it to be marred! Another truth is
- SPIRITUAL GROWTH RESULTS IN MORE INTENSE BATTLE! Many Christians have been misled by what John calls antichrists, deceivers, and false teachers who teach the heresy that the more like Christ we become, the easier it is to live the Christian life, and the less Satan bothers us. That’s a satanic lie because it is exactly opposite what Scripture teaches. In Matt. 5:10-12 and 10:24-25 Jesus teaches that persecution is a normal part of a true Christian’s life. Jesus Himself was tempted all the time on a much higher level than any of us! Ask any person walking with the Lord and they will tell you that almost as soon as they get the words of loyalty to God at a higher level out of their mouth, Satan is there to keep it from happening. If you make an unconditional resolution to let God be the only Sovereign Ruler in your heart, rest assured Satan will make an unconditional resolution to do all he can to keep you from making it happen. Finally, we must know
- THE DEVIL USES MANY RESOURCES TO ATTACK US! No matter how much effort you put into learning to be strong in God’s mighty power, no matter how hard you work to submit to God’s Holy Spirit, no matter how long or hard you study, the devil will come at you from all directions—all the time to stop you. Remember, Satan has more power, smarts, and resources that you do! That’s why no true Christian ever goes to battle unarmed. The biggest, most valuable resource the devil has is your own ego! The Biblical word for ego is “self!” It takes the mighty power of God to kill the self and keep it killed! Satan can use self, emotions, other struggling Christians, the unsaved, our own weaknesses, even our successes (to revive our ego) against us. As Christians we need to remember that Satan will use every resource, at whatever level necessary, to destroy the works of God. Since true Christians are God’s workmanship, Satan wants to destroy us! All this is the reason Paul told us to be strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power. The good news is that we have all that power in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is let Him direct His power in us.
If we can help you with your spiritual questions call us at (574) 643-9419.
