Fighting has become a way of life for many. Some make their living fighting. Some fight with their fists until either they or their opponent cannot get up. Some fight for a cause with their words and influence. Some fight for their families to stay together. While each of us has different things we fight for, we are all in a fight for our eternal life and the life of those God has placed in our influence. This is a fight against the prince of the air. No one is immune to this fight. There is not one soul that he doesn’t seek to destroy. He fights dirty and hard. He fights harder for the Christian than he does for those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior. Once we become a Christian we have a target on our back and he will stop at nothing to destroy us. Since we know we are a target, we need a plan to fight our enemy. So, how will you fight?
Ephesians 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
One of the first things you need to know when you fight is how to identify your opponent. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We must learn through the power of God to deny our fleshly desires. A person who never invokes self-control will battle with sin and usually give in. Their appetites will rule them. It may be the appetite for food, which can lead to gluttony which is a sin. It may be for drugs or alcohol which are controlling factors. They both impair our ability to think clearly and dull our senses to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, not any other substance. In I Corinthians 6:19-20, we see that if we are Christians we are not our own. We belong to Jesus. Our bodies are His temple and therefore we are to yield to Him not our own desires. Yielding to the Spirit’s control makes our fight easier. When we follow His lead, we have help to fight the one who desires to destroy us, Satan.
Proverbs 23:21 “For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”
Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
I Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Our chief opponent is Satan. He is seeking us day and night. He is relentless and patient in his design to destroy those who are surrendered to God. Like the lion waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce on his victim, he watches and takes note of our weaknesses, and when we least expect him, he attacks. He is powerful and can take an entire family down in one sinful attack. No one is immune to his destruction. Therefore, we must be ready to fight at all times. To fight we need weapons. Ephesians 6:10-18 teaches us to put on the whole armor of God. As good soldiers we are to arm ourselves properly any exposed area is an invitation for an attack.
Ephesians 6:10-20 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
We are to be strong in the Lord. We can’t depend on our own strength. Many a man have been confident in what they could do and failed because confidence in ourselves is pride and pride is a sin against God. We are no match for Satan but God is able to divert and destroy anything he sends our way. God understands our enemy, we don’t. There is a world of darkness and spiritual wickedness that is beyond our comprehension.
So how do we fight what we cannot see or understand? We trust and obey. God instructs us to study His word. To dig into the Bible and seek to draw close to Him. As we know Him more every day, we gain strength and wisdom to maneuver through this world. We learn to trust Him and to stop trying to circumvent His direction and simply follow. When we completely trust someone there is no need for worry. It frees us to do what we were left here to do, worship, tell others, and disciple them. To our knowledge of the word, we need to add prayer. In scripture, great things happened when God’s people prayed. Thousands accepted Jesus as their Savior, the sick were healed, the dead were raised, battles were won, and God was exalted.
God provides everything we need to not only fight our battles but to win them. Does winning mean it will always turn out the way we think it should? No, because our idea of winning is to come out on top in this world, but we must keep eternity in view. We are not fighting to live here but to live in Heaven and take as many as we can with us. That is our fight, and its victory is forever. Our flesh may suffer and die fighting, but death is not a loss, it is just a passage to the true victor who won the battle for us over 2,000 years ago.
Now, back to the original question. How are you fighting? Where are the chinks in your armor?
