Scripture:
Ephesians 6:10,14-18 (NIV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Commentary:
You ever get the feeling that things are constantly not working out? Just the right buttons being pushed? That’s not coincidence, bad luck or karma. That could be the devil discouraging you. Now, you may not notice it right away, but slowly it’ll start to build up. Problems with school, work, friends, relationships, fill in the blank. But have you ever really thought hard about why that’s happening? I really hadn’t thought about it until I was reading through that passage.
More than anything, the devil wants power. It’s a pretty powerful statement and that idea shows up in the Bible. Satan wanted to be as powerful as God and since he wasn’t granted that, he will do everything in his OWN power to make sure God doesn’t get what He wants, and that’s our hearts. When we are discouraged, doubtful, aggravated, etc… that’s not from our Heavenly Father. Our enemy, Satan, has placed those thoughts in our mind. He wants us to be as far from God as he can get us. That’s all he knows how to do. But here is where we can change that. We must stand firm. We must be on guard. Like Paul said in that passage, we must get dressed in the character of God. The closer we are to our Heavenly Father, the harder it’ll be for Satan to have that foothold.
You can stand firm knowing that God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) and that he will never put you through more than you can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). No one said this life would be easy, and trust me, it won’t be. Through the struggles that we go through, we are learning lessons. Our character is growing. God is teaching us to trust him.
So what can you do? Be constantly in the Word and be praying. Have someone keep you accountable. The closer you are to Christ, the harder time the devil will have creating a foothold in your life. Know that you are loved and special in the eyes of Christ. He only wants the best for His children and that person is YOU.
Devotional Author: Nicole Presley