Satan knows all of our buttons to push which take us off of God's plan A. We succumb to his wiles and lies and then find ourselves in need of confession and repentance. Since we are imperfect we need to go through this process daily. If you aren't being attacked by Satan and his demons you most likely aren't doing anything for God and aren't a threat to his kingdom. It's a known fact that much of what is embraced in Christian's lives today aren't Christian at all. We need only to look at what we engage in to see exactly how much trouble we are in. I could mention the pagan holidays meant to glorify Satan. I could mention what is being taught to our children from preschool through college that is of worldly focus. I could mention the television shows that are definitely not in the business of glorifying God. I could mention so many areas where we have fallen down. What I am going to mention is our lack of knowledge of the Bible, our lack of prayer, our lack of listening to the Holy Spirit and abandonment of the call to care for the orphans and widows as well as making disciples of all mankind. If you haven't fallen down in one or all of these areas, you are lying to yourself. There is a need to understand precisely why these areas are important to God and you.
There is a war going on in the spiritual realm between the armies of Heaven and the armies of hell. That war is over you and I. Where one wants us to bring forth the Gospel and salvation through Jesus, the other wants us to not pray, not read the Bible, fall for anything and be ineffective in our walk. That means we, as believers, are at war with the enemies of God as well. How we conduct ourselves in that capacity tells the world exactly what we believe. For many that is pathetic as there is no evidence of them bearing fruit. For others the struggle is believing that there is right and wrong, there is punishment and reward and that there are people's lives at stake around us all the time. Standing strong in Christ means that Christ can stand strong through you. Resisting temptation for me is rough. I'm not good at that part. BUT! Christ is. The more we surrender to Him and His will, the more He is spread to the non-believer and their world. Unfortunately, for many there is no opposition to Satan or his kingdom (this world). When good men and women stand for nothing they fall for anything. It's not harmless to go along with the world. It's destructive.
The power in spiritual warfare isn't in the name of Steve. The power in spiritual warfare is in the name of Jesus. We can stand firm when we have Jesus standing firm through us. The dirtier the heart, the less effective we are. The more we continue to live in sin, the less triumphant Christ is through us. Where we compromise Satan enters to take advantage of our lack of commitment to Jesus. Throughout the Bible this battle is repeated. The enemy has always attacked those who profess and live faith in Jesus. Where there is no stand taken the enemy has no work to do as we have already done his work. Jesus tells us that we cannot have two masters for we will love the one and hate the other. This division in our spiritual lives is evident through the media recounting the many spiritual leaders who have "fallen" in one way or another. Yielding to temptation however temporary is destructive when those in leadership fall. So, today I have once again repented to the temptations I gave into yesterday. Today I need all the power of God in order to be effective in bring Jesus to others through my thoughts, words, and deeds. So do you. Remember that it's always your choice.
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