By William F. Holland Jr.
We hear a lot about how God is at war with Satan, and how the darkness is fighting against the light, as God’s people are constantly waging an intense battle against the demons and forces of evil. As Christians, we are accustomed to hearing that we cannot only resist the devil, but in God’s name and power, we can be victorious.
Let’s not forget that our free will decides how we react to adversity, which plays an important part in the equation. According to the Bible and within Christian theological belief systems, this is generally true, however, we must remember that nothing happens unless God either approves or disapproves.
No matter what the enemy attempts, God is carefully watching every wicked strategy all over the world all at the same time. This means that Satan can launch attacks, but is not in control as to the success of these assaults.
We often forget where we would be today if every evil spear and arrow had found its mark. We ask God to protect us along with praising Him for all the times He did. Sometimes He stops them and other times He expects us to rebuke and resist the enemy’s lies.
It’s a common belief within the Christian faith that Jesus Christ personifies all power and authority because He and the Father are as one. This supremacy coincides as part of the atonement sacrifice Christ made at Calvary as His blood was and is the only sacrifice that could forgive sin, provide miracles, and restore our relationship back with God.
We rejoice for our eternal salvation and are convinced our redemption is established by His death on the cross and confirmed through His resurrection. Whether a person believes in cessationism or continuation, God is compassionate and sovereign about listening to prayers and intervenes whenever He wants. I believe all Christians through their faith have some type of spiritual gift to share as a way of bringing glory to God.
In Luke 11:9-10, the Lord invites us to ask with an unwavering confidence and expectation according to His perfect will. In Mark 9:23 Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes” and in 10:27 He promised, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
Most followers of Jesus struggle to maintain a vibrant and consistent prayer life. Those who desire to be diligent and stay focused on His agenda will agree that our flesh does not enjoy praising or praying to God or serving Him for that matter.
When we think about spiritual warfare many times we have an image of battling Satan with our swords much like the tales of knights in shining armor waging war against fire-breathing dragons, but we seem to forget our strongest enemy is actually our attitude. Our carnal nature is a rebellious force like none other, and until we take control of our renegade mind, we cannot proceed in our quest for spiritual maturity.
It’s on the battlefield of the conscience where spiritual wars are won and lost and is at the heart of our accountability. Romans 6:16 explains it perfectly, “Are you not aware that whoever you serve and obey, you are a love slave to them; whether of sin unto death or obedience unto God’s righteousness?”
It would seem that spending time with the one who created us and saved us would be our highest joy. When we think about being in heaven with God, we picture ourselves embracing Him, sitting at His feet listening, and telling Him how much we love Him without ever growing weary. However, within this temple of flesh which embraces pleasure and enjoys independence, we often choose to intentionally ignore Him.
So, as we pray for wisdom and discernment, we begin to understand that our frustration, sadness, discouragement, and all the problems we blame for stealing our joy are not because the devil is beating us up but from our lack of being focused on God’s truth. When we drift away from Jesus, our spirit battery runs down, and we become cranky and depressed.
All we need to do is to fall on our face, repent, pray, and praise the Lord and be restored in our relationship with Him. Yes, we need to do this every day or maybe every hour, but it’s our reaction. Our faithful obedience to God is a choice the flesh is always ready to fight against to the death.
William F. Holland Jr. is an ordained minister, chaplain, and author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com
