5.14.21 Praise & Prayer Prompt: Attacks & Ammo

TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• 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. (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)

PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Back in February, my Bible study group started a study on Revelation. And since then, we have battled a series of spiritual attacks. We have been fighting hard against various fiery darts that have ranged from sickness to Internet issues to downright discouragement and more. Today’s post will be a recap of some notes I sent the group a few weeks ago. I had been reading 2 Corinthians when verse 2:11 caught my attention — “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” and from there began piecing together Satan’s devices to tempt/attack us.

Before we get into Satan’s devices, though, let’s talk first about his methods. There’s nothing original about Satan. Persistent? Yes. Tireless? Unfortunately, also yes. But original? No. He’s been using the same three methods of temptation from the beginning of time: Lust of the Body / Personal Satisfaction; Lust of the Eyes / Materialism; and Pride of Life / Ego.  

While he may not be original in his execution, he is strategic — these are definitely three decisive and powerful trigger points for all of humanity. And he’s been using them since he first tempted Eve.

• Lust of the Body / Personal Satisfaction: “it was pleasant to the eyes” (Genesis 6:b)
• Lust of the Eyes / Materialism: “the woman saw that the tree was good for food” (Genesis 3:6a)
• Pride of Life / Ego: “a tree desirable to make one wise” (Genesis 3:6c)

Satan used the same tactics when he tempted Jesus:

• Lust of the Body / Personal Satisfaction: “And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’” (Luke 4:3)
• Lust of the Eyes / Materialism: “And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’” (Luke 4:6-7)
• Pride of Life / Ego: “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Luke 4:9-11)

Some of the key differences in Eve’s temptation versus Jesus’:

• Eve: “she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6d)
• Jesus repeatedly countered Satan’s temptation with Scripture and resisted (Luke 4:4, Luke 4:8, and Luke 4:12).

Of course, we could argue — Jesus is God! Of course, He could resist. But we have the power to resist too. We have that promise from God as it says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

There’s always a way out of temptation. But before we can escape, we have to be aware of our surroundings. We have to understand the methods of Satan’s attacks. Those include:

• A sieve to sift them: “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.’” (Luke 22:31)
• Devices to trick: “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
• Weeds to choke: “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)
• Wiles to intrigue: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)
• The roaring of the lion to terrify: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
• The disguise of an angel to deceive: “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
• Snares to entangle them: “and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” (2 Timothy 2:26)

Sieves, devices, weeds, wiles, roars, deception, and snares. Powerful attack strategies. But we have the Armor of God. We just have to remember to put it on. Ephesians 6:10-20 outlines the whole scope of our Armor, but to recap:

1. Wear the Belt of Truth. Truth is Jesus. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” (John 14:6).
2. Put on the Breastplate of Righteousness. When we accept Jesus, He imputed (or attributed) His righteousness to us. So when God looks at us, He sees us through the lens of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).
3. Wear the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Shoes protect our feet and give us a good foundation. Our foundation is in Jesus and what He has done for us (Matthew 7:24-27).
4. Carry the Shield of Faith. Trust in God’s power and protection. Have confidence that He always works things to good (Romans 8:28, Mark 11:22-24).
5. Put on the Helmet of Salvation. Trust in the conviction of your salvation as the free gift of God (John 10:28).
6. Carry the Sword of Truth. Be intentional about reading and studying the Bible (Psalm 119:11, Hebrews 4:12).
7. Pray. We fight our battles on our knees, lifting our prayers to God (Philippians 4:6).

Satan’s methods and his devices don’t stand a chance against our ammunition.

And here’s the best news of all…. At the end of it all — we win because of Jesus.

As He hung on the cross, He didn’t say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished” (John 19:28-30). Jesus paid the price for all sins — past, present, and future. All we have to do is accept His gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Today, as you pray, thank God for His Word that equips us with the knowledge to fight against Satan’s temptations and his attacks. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and discernment to fight prayerfully and purposefully according to God’s will. Wear the Armor of God daily and trust in the victory that has already been won.

SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.