“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”—Ephesians 6:11

Each day of our lives, we are called upon to face this powerful and cunning foe (1 Peter 5:8). He constantly assaults us with frauds and deceptions as he attempts to ensnare us and bring about our eternal doom. He never takes a day off or takes a vacation. He never takes a leave of absence nor does he ever retire. This evil foe has access to us wherever we go hence the need to be alert at all times lest we fall. In the Garden of Eden he appeared as a subtle serpent perverting the word of God (Genesis 3). Paul tells us that he can transform himself into an angel of light a he plies his trade of fraud and deception. He cunningly portrays the world in such a way that its sinful practices seem to be harmless.

Even though we have been born again we must strive to keep the flesh under control (1 Corinthians 9:27). There are three avenues of temptation used by the devil; the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17). Some times the devil will tempt with something that looks good and desirable but in the end will be harmful (1 Thess. 5:17). He most certainly tempts through teachers of false doctrine (Matt. 7:15, Matt. 15:9, Gal. 1:6-9). He has been known to tempt us through family and friends (Matt. 16:21-23). He is a dangerous foe but there is help available for us (1 Corinthians 10:13, Hebrews 4:16, Philippians 4:6-7).

I love 1 John 4:4: “…….greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”. So long as we are under divine influence, the influence of the devil will not overcome us. Being under divine influence we trust in God, not in ourselves or any other human being (Proverbs 3:5). Under divine influence we study God’s word knowing that it will bring to us the courage and strength to overcome. Under divine influence we resist the devil with all our might (James 4:7) while we watch and pray. God provides for the Christian soldier what is needed in order to fight that good fight of faith. We have only to put on the armour he provides (Eph. 6:11-17). Standing firmly on the truth, living lives of purity and holiness, being well versed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, carry the shield of faith that will provide protection from all quarters and having the hope of salvation as the anchor of our soul will one day result in the greatest victory imaginable (1 Cor. 15:57).

Charles Hicks