Defeating the Devil’s Designs With the Armour of GodSample

Suffering

None of us will go through this life without facing battles. Some of our suffering will be because of the fallenness of this world, some of it because of our own weaknesses, and some suffering will be spiritually sourced. The death of Jesus Christ, as well as His resurrection, mean that we can share in His victory and be conquerors and overcomers. He never promised a life without suffering, in fact, He warned us that we would have many troubles in this world. Our strategies for facing these problems are described for us in the Bible.

A Holy Victory

Jesus was the only person to live a life without sin, but even He faced the Devil, who attempted to sway Jesus to worship him. The Bible includes this encounter in Matthew 4 so that we could follow Jesus’ strategy in our spiritual warfare. It’s not complex at all: Jesus chose to rest in the written word of God- the Word that does not return void but accomplishes all it sets out to do. The enemy cannot stand against the truth of God.

A Holy Armour

In Ephesians, God further delineates that our defense against evil is rooted in the truth, as well as prayer. During this 7-day devotional, we will unpack the schemes of the enemy and the way that God’s Word overcomes them:

• Day 1: Deception is defeated with the sword of the word of God.
• Day 2: Destruction is defeated with the shield of faith, that is, faith in God’s word.
• Day 3: Disunity is defeated with the belt of truth.
• Day 4: Distraction is defeated with the helmet of salvation, our salvation according to God’s word.
• Day 5: Delay is defeated with the righteousness we have according to God’s word.
• Day 6: Deficiency is defeated with the shoes of readiness, ready with the gospel according to God’s word.

The Holy Spirit

Not only do we have an armour of light, we have direct access to the Captain of the army, Jesus, who we know is the living Word of God. We pray so that the Holy Spirit can help and guide us, giving us wisdom as we live out our lives and share in Christ’s victory. We don’t stand alone! We rely on the Lord’s strength that we receive as we seek Him and pray to Him. Every day of this devotional will include a recommended prayer, but ask the Holy Spirit to help you to expand on this prayer in ways that are relevant to your own life.

Are you ready?