chapter 1
Stand With God’s Armour
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:11
The Devil Attacks God’s Image
S piritual warfare is a vital part of our walk with God. There is a war going on around us that is invisible. You can’t see it in the physical. But it is real. Once you are born, you automatically have an arch-enemy dedicated to your destruction. His name is Satan. He is the enemy of every man, woman and child. Whether you are a Christian or not, he hates you because when God made you, He made you in His own image.
Sometimes, you see things happen to you that are out of the ordinary. When you notice that these things are happening regularly and you have tried unsuccessfully to deal with them in the natural, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you are being attacked spiritually. The devil is a bit like a woman who has been rejected by her boyfriend. She keeps his photograph and whenever she looks at it, she gets a bit psycho. She starts to attack the photograph, and to swear at it and to curse it. Holes and scratches soon appear on the photograph! If she can’t attack her boyfriend, she can certainly attack his photograph.
The Bible doesn’t teach us how to cope with our problems, it teaches us how to always walk in victory!
The devil does the same thing. He can’t get God because God is too powerful for him, so he goes after God’s image — you and I. But the difference is this: When there is an attack from the devil, if you are a Christian, God’s Word tells you how to stand victorious in the victory that you have in Christ. On the other hand, if you are not a believer, then you are under the devil’s dominion and he can pick your number any time.
Don’t Just Cope, Walk In Victory
The good news today is that the Bible doesn’t teach us how to cope with our problems, it teaches us how to always walk in victory! The world teaches us how to cope. There are seminars that teach us how to cope with depression, sickness and relationship breakdowns. But God wants us to overcome. His Word shows us how to experience victory over these things. That is the difference between what God wants for us and what the devil wants to do to us.
Another difference is this: Once you believe in Christ, you have everything in Christ. Everything! The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Notice how the tense used indicates a past action — He has blessed us — with everything!
The world thinks it has everything. People who don’t believe in God can sometimes boast that they have a lot. They say, “I am very wealthy. I have a lot. Look at my house. Look at my car. Look at my bank accounts.”
In Genesis 33:9 (NIV), Esau told his twin brother Jacob that he had plenty:
9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
Remember that Jacob had cheated Esau of his firstborn blessing from their father Isaac. So Esau became very bitter and hateful towards Jacob. Jacob ran away and the brothers were separated for many years. One day, they met each other again. Jacob was still afraid of Esau because of what he had done to him many years ago. But Jacob didn’t know that God had melted Esau’s heart. So Jacob sent gifts to Esau to appease him.
Genesis 33:10–11 says:
10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favour in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favourably. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it .
While Esau had plenty, Jacob had all that he needed! The world can boast that it has a lot. You know, it is possible to live in a big house with many
Stand With God’s Armour
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:11
The Devil Attacks God’s Image
S piritual warfare is a vital part of our walk with God. There is a war going on around us that is invisible. You can’t see it in the physical. But it is real. Once you are born, you automatically have an arch-enemy dedicated to your destruction. His name is Satan. He is the enemy of every man, woman and child. Whether you are a Christian or not, he hates you because when God made you, He made you in His own image.
Sometimes, you see things happen to you that are out of the ordinary. When you notice that these things are happening regularly and you have tried unsuccessfully to deal with them in the natural, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that you are being attacked spiritually. The devil is a bit like a woman who has been rejected by her boyfriend. She keeps his photograph and whenever she looks at it, she gets a bit psycho. She starts to attack the photograph, and to swear at it and to curse it. Holes and scratches soon appear on the photograph! If she can’t attack her boyfriend, she can certainly attack his photograph.
The Bible doesn’t teach us how to cope with our problems, it teaches us how to always walk in victory!
The devil does the same thing. He can’t get God because God is too powerful for him, so he goes after God’s image — you and I. But the difference is this: When there is an attack from the devil, if you are a Christian, God’s Word tells you how to stand victorious in the victory that you have in Christ. On the other hand, if you are not a believer, then you are under the devil’s dominion and he can pick your number any time.
Don’t Just Cope, Walk In Victory
The good news today is that the Bible doesn’t teach us how to cope with our problems, it teaches us how to always walk in victory! The world teaches us how to cope. There are seminars that teach us how to cope with depression, sickness and relationship breakdowns. But God wants us to overcome. His Word shows us how to experience victory over these things. That is the difference between what God wants for us and what the devil wants to do to us.
Another difference is this: Once you believe in Christ, you have everything in Christ. Everything! The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Notice how the tense used indicates a past action — He has blessed us — with everything!
The world thinks it has everything. People who don’t believe in God can sometimes boast that they have a lot. They say, “I am very wealthy. I have a lot. Look at my house. Look at my car. Look at my bank accounts.”
In Genesis 33:9 (NIV), Esau told his twin brother Jacob that he had plenty:
9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
Remember that Jacob had cheated Esau of his firstborn blessing from their father Isaac. So Esau became very bitter and hateful towards Jacob. Jacob ran away and the brothers were separated for many years. One day, they met each other again. Jacob was still afraid of Esau because of what he had done to him many years ago. But Jacob didn’t know that God had melted Esau’s heart. So Jacob sent gifts to Esau to appease him.
Genesis 33:10–11 says:
10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favour in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favourably. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it .
While Esau had plenty, Jacob had all that he needed! The world can boast that it has a lot. You know, it is possible to live in a big house with many
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