SPIRITUAL WARFARE: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 8TH MAY 2018

MEMORISE:
Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. Hebrew 12:4

READ: 2 Timothy 2:16-19    

16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

MESSAGE

Spiritual warfare is the fight of resistance and enforcement against the forces of evil (John 10:10). Although not discernible to a lot of people, this is a constant ongoing occurrence in the realm of the spirit (Luke 10:18). Spiritual warfare has its origin in the rebellion of Satan and his allied angels against God (Isaiah 14:12-15, Revelation 12:7-9). 

Satan is the prince of this world, and he leads a coalition of forces against God and anything connected to His purpose on earth. It is therefore important to note that mankind is the target of his attacks, regardless of religious affiliation, academic qualification, gender, age, culture or tribe. For this reason Revelation 12:12 says,

“Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

Many people do not accept this truth, and so they fall prey to the tricks of the enemy to make oblivious to his activities. When people begin to seek for natural or scientific solutions to a spiritual problem, it is bound to end in total failure. However, all thanks be to God, because the Lord Jesus has defeated and destroyed the devil through His death and resurrection. 

As a child of God, your responsibility is to enforce the victory won by Christ and utilize the enormous power He has vested in you against the tricks of Satan and his demonic angels (Ephesians 1:18-23). If you do not recognize who you are as a child of God and enforce your position in Christ against these evil forces, they will end up robbing you of what is rightfully yours.

As Christians, we are involved in a fight of faith to live in the reality of the victory that Christ has won and given over to us over the devil, the world system and the flesh (Hebrew 2:14-15, 1 john 5:4, Galatians 5:24). Satan deploys his attacks on Christians from two major fronts. 

He empowers the world system to attack and work against Christians externally through persecution, deception and seduction. He also attacks us internally by using the weaknesses of the natural body we currently possess to try to frustrate our commitment to serving God fully. The primary focus of the devil’s strategy is to entice us into sin, so as to break our fellowship with God. Jesus is our perfect example. He came into this world to destroy the works of the devil and to show us how to live above sin. He went through trials and temptation like we are facing today and yet He did not sin (Hebrew 4:15). 

He therefore expects us to be determined to resist sin, no matter the cost. Our loving and compassionate Father has perfected the mechanism to assist us to triumph over the wicked attacks of the devil, but He expects us to resist the temptation to sin with everything we have and not to fall prey to the antics of the devil like weaklings ( Corinthians 10:13)

ACTION POINT:
Assess every area of life where you’ve been falling like a weakling, and ask God for grace to triumph.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:    1 Samuel 20-21;
James 1:1-18

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 16: STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS.

1.  Stand up, stand up for Jesus! ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner, it must not suffer loss:
From vict’ry unto vict’ry, His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.

2.  Stand up, stand up for Jesus! The trumpet call obey:
Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose.

3.  Stand up, stand up for Jesus! Stand in His strength alone,
The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own;
Put on the gospel armor, and watching unto prayer,
Where calls the voice of duty, be never wanting there. 

4.   Stand up, stand up for Jesus! the strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory shall reign eternally.