I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NIV).
By: Scott Schuler
As a follower in Christ, you will face battles against enemy troops.
Unlike the battles fought by armed forces, spiritual warfare is not waged against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. Satan hates when you turn to Jesus for help. He will attempt to engage you in spiritual battles to keep you from walking in peace with Jesus.
One of Satan’s tactical plans is distraction.
When you stroll along in the peace and light of Jesus, you may become complacent and forget that you are a constant target for enemy attacks. But Jesus told his followers to be on guard.
Jesus states you will have trouble (John 16:33) but he does not want you to focus on the trouble as the Enemy wants you to do. Distractions cause you to fall into patterns of sin, and your Enemy will draw you back to the wide path (Matthew 7:13) of destruction.
Perhaps you have viewed your past spiritual battles as circumstantial or coincidental, recognizing only the hateful, discouraging, and manipulative actions of other people and attempting to remedy these situations in your strength. Satan orchestrates these circumstances. You must counter spiritual attacks with a spiritual weapon—God’s Word.
In the book of Jude, the archangel Michael battled Satan.
Although Michael was an angel and clearly empowered by God, he did not fight Satan in his strength. In verse 9, Michael countered Satan’s threat through the power of God, stating, “The Lord rebuke you.” Michael knew he was not powerful enough to overcome the evil forces of Satan. Neither are you. God alone is more powerful than Satan, and Satan must obey him.
How is the Enemy distracting you today? Work? Relationships? News of the world? Turn to God and talk to him about your struggles. Ask God to lead you to verses in the Bible to counter your struggles “that you may have peace.”
2 Comments
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. I look forward to walking together as we draw closer to Jesus.
The Conversation
On Tuesday, 1 February, I had the privilege of sitting in on chapel at Grace College in Winona Lake, IN, my undergrad alma mater. The speaker was Marc Davidson, boy’s basketball coach at Blackhawk Christian High School, Fort Wayne, IN.
Marc is terminally ill with a rare cancer. He spoke on Ephesians 6.10-12. He said two things that I’ve been thinking about since. 1) We are all in the spiritual war. The question is, are we engaged in the fight or asleep on the battlefield. 2) We too often live from our condition (circumstances) instead of our position (of victory) in Christ.
Thank you for the work you are doing to keep us focused, Scott!
Thank you so much for your comments Dave. This one got away from me. I apologize.