ARMED AND DANGEROUS
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the
Spirit, the word of God." -Ephesians 6:17
Life is a wrestling match
against demons (Eph 6:12). Our offensive weapon in this battle is the Holy
Spirit working through His Word and in prayer (Eph 6:17-18).
To defeat the
devil, we need to do what Jesus did when He was tempted (Mt 4:4, 7, 10) - we
must wield the sword of God's Word (see Rv 1:16) in the power of the Spirit.
"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Rm 10:17, our transl.).
Therefore, the Word of God is the basis for faith. Moreover, we must grow strong
in our "holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). Both
proclaiming God's Word in the Spirit and praying in the Spirit strengthens our
faith. By such faith, we conquer the world (1 Jn 5:5) and claim Jesus' victory
over Satan, the prince of the world.
The Spirit gives us the gift of faith (1
Cor 12:9) and the fruit of faith (Gal 5:22). Moreover, faith is how we move
mountains (Mt 17:20) and destroy the strongholds of the evil one (2 Cor 10:4).
Consequently, Satan repeatedly tempts us to sin and thereby stifle the
Spirit (1 Thes 5:19). This is his attempt to disarm us. We must resist his
temptations and thus Live our life in the Spirit, the life of faith and
victory.
Father, may I be armed and Satan disarmed (Lk
11:22)
10/30/14
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