Resolve to Stand Against the Enemy

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10 (NIV). That’s Satan’s job, that’s what he does. It’s our job to stand against him. Some days that can feel like a losing battle, but it doesn’t have to be. We can stand strong against the enemy but putting on the full armor of God. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)

Don’t know about you, but for me that is easier said than done some days. Some days I let my guard down, I get busy and forget to put on the armor of God. What exactly does that look like?

Ephesians 6:13 -17 ^13″Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

There’s another part of this I believe to be key in putting on this armor. It’s resolve. During this time of year many Christians are setting aside time for lent. Some Christians give up sweets or maybe a bad habit. Some Christians decide to do the Daniel Diet. I guess that’s kinda giving up something. The book of Daniel is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Not just because of all the prophesy but because Daniel does something I believe to be key in the Christian walk and that is resolve. He and his friends resolved not to eat the rich fatty foods from the king’s table. They instead ate fruits, vegetables and drank water. And after ten days they were in better shape and looked better than the young men who ate from the king’s table.

What if we applied to resolving to our everyday walk with God? What if we resolved to put on the full armor of God daily in order to stand against our enemy? When we resolve to read God’s word daily we are reading truth and it’s with truth we are able to shut Satan down with lies he shoots our way. By reading God’s word and gaining truth we can wear the breastplate of righteousness to guard our hearts from deceit. These are tactics, schemes Satan will use against us. I won’t go into all the armor here but if you want to know more you can read about it here.

The point is to resolve. If you know you are facing a difficult situation at work with a difficult co-worker, resolve before you go to work that day how you will treat that co-worker. Maybe it’s family gathering and you know that there will be family members who will test your faith, resolve how you will stand strong. Maybe Satan likes to get you to spend money you don’t have to spend when you are feeling down and stressed, telling you it will make you feel better. Whatever the situation and however you plan to resolve it requires being intentional. Be intentional. Be intentional to resolve and stand up to Satan’s schemes and slick tactics. Be alert to signals your body gives you when someone pushes an emotional button and you want to lash out. This all takes practice and we have a big learning curve called grace. Resolve to be in God’s word daily and put on the whole armor.

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