Text:  Ephesians 6:12-13; Colossians 2:15

Today, I would like for us to take the next step in the Seven W’s of Spiritual Warfare.

THE WARRIORS…

The antagonists in the War are Jesus and the devil.  Paul refers to the devil as, “The god of this world.”  Jesus’ purpose, as expressed by our LORD, is to “destroy the works of the devil.”  That suggests conflict.

One writer described it powerfully saying, “Our adversary is a supernatural person occupying a superior position and exercising a supernatural power.  He is the supreme dictator of the kingdom of darkness; a past master in every phase of diabolical deception and deviltry to be used in the seduction and rebellion toward God and His Son.  In the light of such a revelation what utter folly for anyone to underestimate or ignore the power of the powers of darkness.”  That is not to say he is Omnipotent, but he is a supernatural being and therefore, we need the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to defeat our defeated foe.  We must never forget that he is a defeated foe, he just hasn’t given up.

Jesus Possesses ALL Authority in Heaven and Earth.  In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 11, we discover the power of the strongman and the stronger man, Jesus.  Jesus has defeated the devil and given us authority over him.  Jesus is our Captain or Commander in Chief. 

1 Peter 3:21-22 – “…Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” 

Colossians 1:13-14 – “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The Battle is the Lord’s and we are His Warriors.  He is “in” us and “on” us.  We battle in His Name, in His Stead, and we Impose the Victory He Won over the devil.  We do warfare in the Might Name and Power of God.  We are His heirs by birth.  His Blood gives us position and His Resurrection gives us hope.  Christ in us is our Hope of Glory.  We are more than conquerors through Him, and we overcome by the Word of our Testimony and the Blood of the Lamb.  It is In His Name!

THE WILES…

The apostle Paul declared that we are not ignorant of the devices of the devil (2 Corinthians 2:11).  The reason he emphasized knowledge of the devil’s devices was, “lest Satan should get an advantage over us.”  The word “Wiles” is the Greek word from which we get our English word “Methods.”  The devil has been using the same methods with great success for centuries and we must recognize what he is doing and learn how to negate his efforts.

One of the methods the devil uses is “Deceit” or “Deception.”  The apostle John identified him as the old serpent, the deceiver of the whole world. (Rev. 12:9).  He uses “Lies”, “False Teachings”, and “Accusations.”  In Revelation 12:10 we are informed that the devil is the ‘accuser’ of the brethren and accuses believers day and night before God.  He accused Eve and accuses us to God.  He accuses us to ourselves, to others, and others to us.  He is a divider.  He uses “Doubt” and does not always tell an outright lie but uses shaded truth to deceive us and cause questions to arise.  He uses “Contention” and is a sower of “Discord.”

I must remind everyone that He works with limitations.  He is not Omnipresent, although he maneuvers around quite speedily and easily.  He is not Omniscient, although he is well informed.  He is not Omnipotent but is a supernatural being.  It is vital that we recognize who he is, who we are, and to whom we belong.  We stand against the wiles of the devil in the Name, Blood, Authority, and Power of the Holy Spirit

I want to deal with the next aspect in the next devotional but will pause here and encourage you to do some deep introspection as to your position and allow the Holy Spirit to convict and convince you of Who You Are! 

God bless you and have a great day in Him