Spiritual War, 16of20

~ Spiritual War: Know The Duration of Your War ~ 

 

The Beginning  ~  Satan won the first skirmish in the great spiritual war.  “So the Lord God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head [fatal], and you shall bruise His heel [not fatal]’” (Genesis 3:14-15). 

 

The End  ~  Jesus Christ—The Lamb of God—wins the war!  “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.  But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:1-3).  “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). 

 

What about the time between the beginning and the end? 

Believers continue to fight the spiritual war throughout their entire life!

 

The Key  ~  The key is to stay involved.  “O man of God… pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:11-12).  Unfortunately during times of tough battles, some soldiers go “Absent With Out Leave” and by so doing are actually traitors.  The Scriptures urge us to continue fighting the faith in a strong and worthy way (1 Timothy 1:18).

Our Secrets of Success  ~  The Spirit of God who indwells the Christian has given us faith, continues to give us faith, and will complete our faith.  Faith will give us the victory (1 John 5:4-5).  We fight this “good fight of faith” with the resources He has given us.  He has provided a list of our resources in Ephesians 6:10-20.  Our primary offensive weapon is the Word of God!  “The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (verse 17b).  The Word changes our thinking (which changes our attitudes, etc.).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Temptation, 10of13

~ When Are You Most Vulnerable to Temptation? ~

Key Principle  ~  Satan is like “Murphy.”  Maybe Murphy was named after Satan.  Satan knows you are most vulnerable when you are on a spiritual mountaintop—your guard can easily let down.  In those moments there can also be an element of pride.  “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). “A man’s pride will bring him low” (Proverbs 29:23a).

Example: Biblical Characters  ~  There are a number of examples of Biblical characters who faced serious tests, trials, or temptations following spiritual victories.  One example is the Prophet Elijah who following a spectacular spiritual victory on the top of Mt. Carmel he became depressed.  However, it is important to note that he was later restored to strength and continued to be used of God. 

Example: Jesus Christ  ~  “When Jesus had been baptized, He came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread’ (Matthew 3:16-4:3). 

observations:  1. Jesus had just received His Father’s approval: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  2. Immediately following this He went into the wilderness where He would be “tempted by the devil.”  3. After 40 days without food “He was hungry.”  4. The devil tempted Him in His current weakest area of physical hunger: “command that these stones become bread.”  5. Our Savior overcame the temptation by quoting the word of God.  6. The result was:  “then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him” (Matthew 4:11).

Today’s Example:  You and Me  ~  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.  Amen” (1 Peter 5:8-11).

Victory Today  ~  “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).  “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God [see “Example: Jesus Christ” above—Who even though He is the Living Word of God used the written Word of God in fighting temptation]; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:13-18). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .