Be strong in the
Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of
God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against
the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you
will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand
firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put
on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the
preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of
faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the
evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the
Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and
petition for all the saints.
(Ephesians 6:10–18)
Lots of times bible translators will translate the Greek
word as “lust,” but for most of us “lust” is about sex, and sex is only one of many desires. A very common one among Christians is the
desire for food and relaxation, for example.
This desire, when it overtakes us, is gluttony and laziness. That’s why so many people are fat. Others are not fat, but they’re in such bad
shape physically that if they had to walk a distance or (gasp) run for a while, they’d fall apart. I’m not talking about people who are sick or
broken, I’m talking about people who have become pathetic and weak because they
are lazy and gluttonous. And since most
of the others around them are also lazy gluttons, they simply think of it as
“normal.”
So … what’s your desire?
Stop and think about yourself for a moment, and
consider what sorts of things you really WANT.
Do you want to be popular?
Maybe you want to be powerful or rich or
respected.
Or maybe you always want to be “in style,” or to feel
good.
Or maybe you’d like another drink or more food, play
or rest.
Or maybe you just want another plate of Mexican food
or pie with friends.
Seriously now … stop reading for a moment and examine
yourself.
Now keep your top two or three desires or “wants” in
your mind as you read on….
Good and Bad desires
Some desires we call “bad,” like “substance abuse” or
“gay” or “drunk.” But is a glutton one
bit better of a human being than a drunk?
Is one kind of sex worse than another?
And do you know that Paul wrote that people whose god is their stomach
are actually enemies of the cross!?!
 |
| Is your mind on earthly things - or God's kingdom? |
What about warm, loving, kind family relationships in
which one is rarely encouraged to put God first in all things? Is that church-going family any better than
one with an alcoholic dad? In fact, a
“healthy” and tight-knitted family who fails to put God ahead of itself is the
worst kind of family, because that is one where children grow up believing a
lie. Those are parents who have put a
stumbling block in the path of their own children. Here’s what Jesus said about that:
He said to his
disciples:
“It is inevitable that stumbling blocks
come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a
millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that
he would cause one of these little ones to stumble."
(Luke 17:1–2)
How can it be that an apparently good family is really
bad? How is that possible?
It’s because we have an enemy, and he wants to destroy
us by any means necessary.
Satan is a master at knowing what things will cause
you to stumble and fall. If you like to
drink, maybe he will put some “friends” in your life who also like to drink,
then throw you a few setbacks, like losing your job unfairly, and then he’s got
you more than halfway there.
Most of us are not foolish for alcohol, but we are all
foolish for something.
I’ve known many people who would do nearly anything
for romance. Others believe family comes
first, and for others it’s their nation or their political party. Some people can actually ache from desire to
have approval of other people and can never be alone.
Satan will use whatever is your poison. And yes, too
much of anything – even good things – can become poison.
THIS IS IMPORTANT:
Pay attention again to the quote at the top of this
article. Here, I’ll post part of it again:
Put on the full armor of God,
so that ……you will be able to stand firm
…against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm….”
When I read that it sounds like something from a Harry
Potter story. In our case, the dark lord
is the devil – Satan. And he uses our
fears and desires to defeat us.
Look again and see that Paul wrote that we’re fighting
“the schemes of the devil.” And that’s what the disciple’s life is
like. We literally have an evil genius trying
to defeat us. And he’s never lost, and
he’s stronger than us. He knows our
greatest fears, and he knows our strongest desires, and he uses them both
against us.
If you know the stories of Israel’s history, you’ll
see how the devil’s schemes unfold. He tempted
Israel to fear and refuse to go into the Promised Land by showing them giants,
and he used their desire for pleasure to destroy them in Moab. He used envy, lust, even a desire to sacrifice
to God!
Our only hope
Another thing you’ll see in the quote is that we don’t
win by our own strength. What makes
victory possible is God’s armor. The armor
is His, not ours. Our armor doesn't stand a chance. We are way too fragile
and foolish to resist Satan.
King David understood this, and it’s why he was the
greatest man. He knew he was safe as
long as Yahweh was with him (Psalm 23).
And when he sinned, it wasn't the devil he feared, rather it was his
fear that God may take away the Holy Spirit:
Create in me a clean
heart, O God, & renew a
steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence & do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation & sustain me with a
willing spirit.
I will teach transgressors
Your ways, & sinners will be
converted to You.
(Psalm 51:10–13)
David knew that as long as he had God’s Holy Spirit in
him, he was safe and secure. But if God
were to remove the Spirit as He had from David’s predecessor (King Saul), David
would be doomed. And why had God left
Saul? Because instead of destroying all
the Amalekites, he spared a king and some livestock to sacrifice to
Yahweh! His intentions were (apparently)
good! And Samuel, speaking for God, told
Saul that “to obey is better than sacrifice.”
(1 Samuel 15.22) To put it in
modern terms, God’s not impressed with your church attendance if your life isn't obedient.
The contrasts between the first two kings of Israel
are good for us, because they teach important lessons:
- Be
willing. Remember in the last
article I showed you that our will precedes our ability. Most people won’t do things unless they
think they are able. But disciples
understand that it’s God’s power, and for God all things are possible. So we must be willing first, and if we
are, then God will give the ability.
Saul was unwilling, and it ended him. (they “were not willing to destroy
them utterly;” 1 Samuel 15.9)
- It’s all about God.
We wear God’s armor, and we submit to Him as the Good Shepherd, and
so we are safe and need not fear.
And because he supplies all our needs, we can be freed from desire! So we fear God, and we obey God –
because doing that creates about us an indestructible shield.
- The battle isn't flesh and blood.
We think battling our desires and fears is a personal
challenge. So did Saul. But David (and Paul) understood that the battle isn't really against our
own fears and desires, that’s just the way Satan makes it look. He makes it easy for us to forget about
him and his schemes, and for us to get discouraged when “we” fail. The real battle isn't an earthly thing …
it’s happening in realms we cannot see.
Our only hope is God.
No friend can help.
No family
member can rescue you.
You can’t hide in
food, alcohol, books, movies or the local spa
You cannot win by your own strength.
The only hope you have is in God’s
power.
He is our only hope.
With God, we win.
Without God, we lose.
The battle is the Lord’s.
So now I’ll finish by repeating the same quote as at
the start.
Consider each of the parts of God’s armor we are to
wear. Take time to understand each of
these things and consider how they function.
A shield, for instance, is usually defensive and protects us from
other’s attacks. Our shield is
faith/belief/trust in God.
And when you’re aching with desire for something you shouldn't want … remember that the battle is not you verses your own flesh, but
it’s part of what Satan is doing to you to tempt you. It’s a part of his strategy to get you to
fall.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Stand firm therefore,
Having girded your loins with truth, and
Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and
Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith (with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one) And take the helmet of salvation and
the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.
(Ephesians 6:10–18)
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