I remember playing a card game years ago called War. Two people (or more) would each have a deck of cards. You would turn the card over on the table and whoever had the highest card won all the round. If both players tied their card they played, then it was a war to see who would take all of the cards. I enjoyed playing that, but I don’t remember if I won very much.
That was always fun. But today, every day, we are at war. But not with a deck of cards or even an enemy. We are at war with none other than the Devil. He is trying to control the minds of people on the earth. Peter informs us in 1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”
Satan is an enemy that we cannot see. He is trying to destroy people today. Satan was defeated by Christ when he rose from the dead the third day after His crucifixion. He does not want any of us to do what the Word of God teaches us to do and entices us with things of this world. A sad thought is that many people have given themselves over to him. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we must withstand him till the day that we leave this earth.
In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. Please take time to read this passage if you are not familiar with it. Just as a soldier puts on armor when he goes into battle, so we need to put on our armor so we can withstand the wiles of the devil. A soldier would never go out to battle without the proper protection for himself. One thing Paul tells them in verse 17 is to take up, “...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Our weapon of defense is a sword. But not one made of metal. It is the Word of God. And as we read and study the Bible and then live it, we will be able to defeat Satan when he throws the fiery darts trying to destroy our faith and allegiance to Christ.
The Hebrew writer tells us, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Are you active in overcoming the devil’s tactics? Are you sharpening your knowledge with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God? Only by doing this will we be ready to stand and fight and overcome the evil one in our lives. The enemy is real. He is unseen. But Jesus has defeated him. Will you?