Will the enemy’s strategy be effective against you?
Are you a new believer? Are you exhausted? Or, are you a seasoned Christian wounded by life’s challenges–death, divorce, sickness, failure, and the like? Those circumstances create the perfect opportunity for the enemy to attack you. You will either become the victor or the victim. It is your choice.
The Bible compares our enemy to a lion because he uses the same strategy. Lions are known for their prowess as hunters. They don’t go after beasts that are bigger and stronger–like a full-grown elephant or a rhinoceros. No, they look for the young, weak, wounded or isolated. Lions wait patiently, prowling, watching for the perfect opportunity, then…they strike. It’s an effective tactic.
So will the enemy’s strategy be effective against you? It doesn’t have to be–protect yourself.
1 Peter 5:8-9, New Living Translation
Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
Overcome Your Vulnerable Season with this Three-fold Strategy
1. Stay with the pack–not because you are mindless and do not know how to think as an individual; but because there is strength in numbers. Every Christian should have a personal, intimate relationship with God and fellowship at a local church. The local church is your family, your pack. The stronger, mature Christians surround and protect the young, weak or wounded believers through love and prayer.
Hebrews 10:23-25, New Living Translation
Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.
2. Submit to God. Everyone and everything that is subject to God and his way (rule) is protected. You learn God’s method of operation by studying his guidelines (the Bible). Then, pray for the ability to apply his principles to your life. Keep in mind, being submitted to God also means being submitted to spiritual authority, such as your pastor and other leaders in your church.
James 4:7, GOD’S WORD Translation
So place yourselves under God’s authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
3. Know God’s voice. The foundation for good decision making is hearing God’s voice. You hear God’s voice (you understand his thoughts) when you read the Bible, pray, and meditate (quiet times when you wait for God to speak). As you incorporate these spiritual disciplines in your life, you will learn to recognize the Lord’s voice and his direction for your life.
John 10:27-29, The Message
My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief.
Today’s Life Key: Know God’s voice, submit to God’s authority, and attend church.
Image courtesy of Nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
