Happy Sunday,
!
This weekend I’m taking a break from my normal deep dive into the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul to talk about a very serious topic.
Local news here in Arizona where I live spent a fair amount of ink on the fact that the The Satanic Temple in the city of Scottsdale hosted an event called “SatanCon”. Word was that they were appealing to the Guinness Book of World Records to certify this event as “the largest Satanic gathering” under measure.
This brand of satanism glorifies the ideal of “the eternal rebel” (Satan) and advocates for humanistic values in opposition to “religious authoritarian theocrats.” They reject God and His revealed word in the Bible.
The Satanic Temple is representative of all types of philosophies and beliefs and organizations which oppose God. They reject the idea that there is any authority who is sovereign over them. This is the fundamental call of Satan in the Garden of Eden.
“Your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.”
This deception has been the trademark of Satan ever since.
Getting past the sensationalism of the headline, here’s my concern in all this: that Christians everywhere have become complacent about the reality of spiritual warfare.
The Apostle Paul (yes, I will bring him into this discussion after all), had very direct words to say about this.
“we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Our battle isn’t against people or personalities (however tempting a target they may be). Our true battle is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We have an adversary. He is alive and well and active in our world today. His goal is to subvert the will of God and render God’s church program ineffective and impotent. He rules in this present age and uses that authority and power to infiltrate every aspect of our lives with his lies and deceptions. He has the power to twist every institution and every seemingly good intention to be a form of rebellion against God.
What might that look like?
- Keeping believers ignorant of God’s word so they fall for ideas and programs that fall short of God’s glory. Diversion to false gospels is the oldest trick in Satan’s book.
- Keeping believers immature. When it comes to milk and meat, Satan strongly prefers those who can only handle milk (like a baby, not meat like an adult). A church full of milk-believers will be much less effective than a church full of meat-believers.
- Keeping believers indecisive. If they don’t know what to do, then God’s people will not be effective. They won’t be effective tools and even become susceptible to deception.
So what are we do do?
The Apostle Paul has 2 instructions for us.
- be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might
- take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm
Be Strong and Stand Firm.
These are our orders in this battle. We aren’t to take the battle to the enemy (Jesus has already defeated him and will take care of that once and for all when He returns).
We are to stand firm so that we do not fall under influence or corruption of the evil one. He would love nothing more than to compromise our stand, get behind our formation and wreak havoc in our testimony.
The picture here comes from the Roman Legions. They fought in long (straight) lines of soldiers. It was a powerful formation because the solider to either side could offer support if needed. But if one soldier wavered, then there was a break in the line and the enemy had a weak spot to attack. They could push into the spot formerly occupied by the wavering legionnaire and suddenly start attacking from the side – beyond the safety of armor and weapons. Then the line would collapse and all the strength would be lost.
In the Apostle Paul’s picture here, we are not only standing firm for ourselves, but we are standing firm for those who are on either side of us. Families, churches, coworkers who hold the faith, friends…
So how can you be strong and stand firm?
There are many methods you could do this.
Of key importance is diving into God’s word and immersing yourself in the truth that He has revealed. Only in this way can you know how you ought to live. Reading and Memorizing Scripture are essential tools. If you don’t know what God says, it’s terribly difficult to hold to it.
Even worse, if you don’t know what God says, it’s very easy to be led astray into perversions of the truth by good-sounding teachers. And the Bible is clear that these abound all over the place – even today.
Since August of last year, I’ve been doing daily Bible reading. I’m not a Bible beginner. But I still find it valuable to ground my day in God’s word before I run off to work or play. I posted a page to show how I have been reading my Bible here: https://www.dennis-stevenson.c…
We are in formation for Jesus. And our Commander has issued the plan: Stand firm, embrace the armor he has provided. Train with our squad mates and hold a line that will not yield or break.
Take Courage
I don’t know how satan is attacking you today. Paul describes “fiery darts”. But that could look like a lot of things.
- Doubt in your armor
- Doubt in your fellow believers
- Doubt in God’s word
- Doubt that Jesus can and will defeat our adversary
Take courage. The power of Satan has been broken. He’s left to rule this world, but he knows his time is limited because Jesus will come again and reclaim the throne.
Your Heavenly Father has provided you everything you need. Lean into Him. Read and study His word. Connect with His people. Talk to Him in prayer.
Don’t let up. Don’t think this is something you can achieve once and then ride on the coattails of for the rest of your life. It’s an ever forward progression of holding the line and defending yourself and your neighbor.
I found the announcement of SatanCon alarming. But it doesn’t worry me. I know the One who can deal with this, and I have every confidence that one conference won’t do anything to derail His plans for me and for this world.
I look forward to serving in the Lord’s Army with you.
Stand Firm.
Dennis
