There is an important truth I want you to know to be spiritually victorious throughout your life. It is simply this:
You are under spiritual attack…in an all out spiritual war…as Satan does all he can to cause you spiritual defeat.
Whether you realize it or not, you live in a spiritual war zone. It's a battle for your heart and soul.
The Bible teaches that every Christian is under spiritual attack. Scripture tells us we are aliens in this world, and Satan, as the ruler of this world, is constantly seeking the spiritual demise of every Christian.
If you think you are at home in this world, you have been misled. Do you realize that to embrace the values of the world is to place yourself in hostility toward God (James 4:4)? The world's values are not eternal, but temporal. And to embrace those values aligns you with the values of Satan himself.
But, if you are walking with God, embracing eternal values, you are secure against Satan and his attacks because of your relationship with Christ. Christ has already won the victory and Satan knows that.
But there is a danger when you realize the position you have in Christ. It is easy to seem invincible. After all, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you indeed are in Christ.
This may lead you to ask, "What else could I possibly need? He is my portion, isn't He? He has overcome the world, hasn't He?"
The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I want to assure you, as long as you are walking with Christ, you have nothing to worry about. You indeed are secure in Him.
But this can create a complacency that is so dangerous. Here’s why:
Too frequently we are lured, enticed, or dragged away from Christ through the deception of Satan. The devil bombards our thoughts, our desires, our emotions in almost imperceptible ways, and we get tricked or seduced into believing his lies.
This is where the battle takes place. Satan will do all in his power to pull you away from walking in Christ and His victory. This battle is very real…and the reason why so many Christians today live in defeat and lack the joy God intends for them.
Now, if Satan has declared war, then the sensible thing to do would be to find out just as much as we can about our enemy, how he is likely to attack us, and how we can overcome him.
The first place to start is with a right perspective. One big problem in the church today is that many get so worried about the devil that they see demons behind every bush. That is a wrong perspective.
"Oh, I have a spirit of lust, of greed, of desire. I'm being attacked by this and attacked by that." While the war Satan has declared is very real, not everything wrong in your life can be blamed on Satan.
So what is the right perspective? And how do we become victorious in our fight against Satan?
The right perspective is to understand you are indeed under spiritual attack…but you can be victorious!
That victory begins with what the Bible tells us in James 4:7: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Too often as we find ourselves battling Satan, we simply fail to resist him. While he's always looking for the perfect opportunity to tempt you and me with something attractive, something seemingly irresistible, he only wins when we play his game.
So the first principle is this:
We must submit to God, and we must resist the devil, or we are sure to fail.
Satan has his eyes fixed squarely on you. He has you in his sights. In fact, you may feel that you're always under attack. And you may feel like you are constantly failing in the battle. Here is my challenge to you:
Submit to God…and resist the devil. Make that your habit.
