Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 BSB
If you’ve been a Christian any length of time you can testify that Peter was right, Satan prowls about like a roaring lion. His attacks can be ruthless! So what do you do when he just keeps coming at you, again and again, and won’t let up? We have to reach a point when we say enough is enough! We need to take Paul’s advice to the Corinthian church: Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong!
While 1 Peter 5:8 is true, so is 2 Corinthians 10:4!
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 1 Corinthians 10:4 NIV
God did not leave us without weapons, in fact He has fully equipped us with weapons that have the power to demolish every attack Satan brings against us! Far too often, we get caught up in the relentless attacks of the enemy and we set our weapons aside. The scenario goes something like this: We start off strong, fight for a while, then battle fatigue sets in and we lay our weapons down then get carried off into captivity. How quickly we forget that our God is far stronger than our enemy!
If we’re depending on our own strength, we might as well just give up now, roll over and die. You and I, in our own strength will never gain victory over the enemy. But we don’t need to battle in our own strength! God wants to clothe us in His armor, man us with His weapons, and lead us to victory! Gideon was a man who needed to learn this lesson.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 NIV
Gideon was certainly not a mighty warrior when the angel appeared to him, so why did he greet him this way? Because God doesn’t see us as we are, with all our weaknesses and shortcomings, He sees what we can become with His help. When we fight in His strength, alongside Him, we are mighty warriors! Gideon and his people had been hammered by the enemy for a long time. In fact, when the angel appeared to Gideon, he was hiding out. But with God’s encouragement, Gideon found the strength to rise up and fight back!
Nehemiah was another man who dealt with relentless attacks by the enemy. The strength of the people he led was wearing out. So what did Nehemiah do? He said enough is enough!
“Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!” Nehemiah 4:12-14 NLT
Let’s be honest, Satan isn’t playing games, he’s angry and he knows his time is short! If we are going to survive his attacks, we need to fight hard. Paul put it this way:
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV
Stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm. Ephesians 6:13b-14 NIV
If Satan has been slapping you around, and beating you up, it’s time to put on your armor, pick up your weapons, and fight back! With God on your side, you will win the battle!