DRAWING NEAR
September 1
The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
"Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on
the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm
against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph.
6:10-12).
Victory in battle comes when you identify the enemy, resist his
attacks, and then take the initiative against him.
Our nation has known many wars, but Vietnam was an especially
frustrating campaign. Thick jungle terrain made the enemy hard to
find and gorilla warfare made him hard to fight. Many Vietnamese who
peacefully worked the rice patties by day donned the black garb of
the Viet Cong soldier by night and invaded unsuspecting U.S. forces
camped nearby. American public opinion was strongly anti-war and
morale among our troops was often low.
Spiritual warfare has similar parallels. Subtly and deceitfully,
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and "prowls about like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). His emissaries
disguise themselves as apostles of Christ and servants of
righteousness (2 Cor. 11:13-15). It takes wisdom and discernment to
identify them and defend yourself against their attacks.
Most people are defenseless, however, because they scoff at the
supernatural and deny the reality of spiritual warfare. They think
Satan may be fine for movie plots and book sales, but assume only the
superstitious and credulous take him seriously. Unfortunately, many
Christians have succumbed to their ridicule and forsaken the battle.
Ephesians 6:10-24 reminds us that spiritual warfare is real and that
God has given us all the resources we need-- not only to defend
ourselves, but also to take the initiative and win the victory over
the forces of darkness.
I pray that our studies this month will encourage you in the battle
and challenge you to always have on "the full armor of God, that you
may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil" (Eph.
6:11).
Suggestions for Prayer:
Seek discernment and grace to identify the enemy and stand against
him courageously.
For Further Study:
Read Ephesians 6:10-24. What armor has God supplied to protect you in
spiritual warfare?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel
of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform
themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be
according to their works.
Ephesians 6:10-24
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of
His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly
places.
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put
on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of
peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able
to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for
all the saints;
19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my
mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak
boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing,
Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will
make all things known to you;
22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know
our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity. Amen.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus Is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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