God wants us to succeed in resisting temptation, and He gives us help to do what is right. “The Lord is faithful; He will make you strong and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). So the Devil, while ferocious, is not a foe we are incapable of defeating in the Lord’s power. “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you,” we are assured (James 4:7).
Furthermore, God equips us for our contest with the Devil in specific ways. Paul wrote,
Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 6:13-18)
With such armor, we “will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil” (verse 11).
Let’s look at how the pieces of the armor help us in our struggle against the Devil.
- The belt of truth: The Devil likes to interfere in our perceptions of reality. God’s truth shows us the way things really are.
- The body armor of God’s righteousness: Satan accuses us about our shortcomings. But God’s righteousness, given to us through faith in Christ, protects our spiritual self-image.
- The shoes of peace: Satan tries to interrupt harmonious relationships with God and unity among believers. Peace protects the well-being and effectiveness of the body of Christ.
- The shield of faith: The tempter suggests that we will experience greater satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness if we do something forbidden by God. Faith in God and His ways protects us against these flaming arrows of temptation.
- The helmet of salvation: Satan tries to darken our minds with godless thoughts and human-centered illusions. The helmet of salvation protects us against Satan’s efforts to fill our minds with poisonous thoughts.
- The sword of the Spirit: This is the only offensive weapon Paul listed as part of our spiritual armor. If we know and understand the Bible, the Holy Spirit can guide us to use specific passages against Satan in each tempting situation that arises.
- Prayer: As we humbly kneel before the Lord and pour out our concerns and struggles to Him, we submit our will to our glorious Savior
The Devil will try to attack you through a chink in your armor. Make sure that you are wearing all the protection God gives for spiritual safety. And never fear. “The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Click here to continue reading abridged chapter 6: STEP 4: DEFENDING YOUR GROUND