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The Roaring Lion
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A key passage alerting us to the need for spiritual warfare is 1 Peter 5:8-9:
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”
1 Peter 5:8-9
If the Devil could attack Jesus, the very Son of God himself, how much more will the Devil and the spirits with him come at us.
Satan’s Attacks on Jesus
Both in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, Satan attempted to derail Jesus’ mission as the Christ. Notice how he came at Jesus. He tempted Jesus to exercise authority he had in a way that showed off his power. He suggested Jesus turn stones to bread.
Jesus had the power to do so. But he was fasting. It would have undermined the spiritual discipline before God the Father that Jesus was modeling for us. More importantly, it would have abused Jesus’ power to aggrandize the self.
Those in power today can face this temptation of the Devil as well. You might be tempted to make a “show of strength” for no other reason than to show the world that you have muscles. It is the temptation to show the world that you are something rather than a blessed recipient of everything from God.
Satan tempts Jesus to reveal his power to the world. He suggests he throw himself down from the temple and let God reveal him when he doesn’t die. Judas Iscariot may have had some tactic of this sort in mind when he turned Jesus over to the chief priests.
But sometimes it is God’s will for us to suffer, to take up our cross and follow Jesus. In such cases, Satan may tempt us to take the easy way out. Even Jesus was tempted to walk away in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Take this cup from me,” he prayed (Mark 14:36). But he was obedient to the Lord’s will. One way Satan may tempt us is to walk away from God’s will.
Satan also tempted Jesus in the wilderness with the rule of the world. He tempted Jesus in this way through Peter when he finally revealed to his disciples that he was the Christ (Mark 8:31-33). Peter only understood the Messiah to be a conquering king, not a suffering servant. Jesus’ response was to command Satan to get behind him.
The ironic thing is that Jesus was always destined to inherit the earth. Satan’s temptation was a temptation about the timing. Jesus’ rule over the earth is to come when Christ returns. Then, it was not the time that God had planned. So also Satan can tempt us to work outside of God’s timing and plan. He can tempt us to do good things at the wrong time.
The Armor of God
Rev. Burke draws our attention to Ephesians 6:10-17 as a key biblical text in relation to spiritual warfare.
“Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:10-17
From the list of armor mentioned, it is quite clear that we are in a battle of cosmic proportions. Imagine being in a fight without any protection or any weapon. Then, imagine that you do not even know you are in a fight! The list of armor and weaponry bears some reflection.
Belt of Truth
In a soldier’s armor, the belt holds other pieces in place. In a spiritual sense, truth is foundational to our lives. It involves living in honesty and integrity, grounded in the truth of God’s word. By embracing and living out the truth, we are prepared to face deception and lies from spiritual adversaries.
Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate protects a soldier’s vital organs, especially the heart. As Christians, our righteousness comes through Christ and the Holy Spirit. This righteousness helps guard our hearts against the corruptions of evil, allowing us to live in a way that honors God.
Feet Fitted with the Gospel of Peace
The shoes of a soldier allow them to move effectively in battle. The shoes of the Spirit enable us to spread the good news far and wide. They also enable us to stand firm. The Spirit gives us peace which in turn allows us to be peacemakers and to stand firm in tumultuous spiritual battles.
Shield of Faith: The shield is used to deflect attacks. Faith is a shield that can protect us against doubt, discouragement, and deceit. We trust in God’s promises and power. When the evil one tries to attack us, as he did Jesus, our faith can extinguish his flaming arrows. These are arrows-like thoughts of fear, temptation, or accusation.
Helmet of Salvation
The helmet protects the head, the seat of our thoughts and knowledge. The helmet of salvation reminds us of our salvation in Christ. We are secure in Christ, who can protect our minds from temptations and doubts.
Sword of the Spirit
Unlike the other pieces of armor, which are primarily defensive, the sword is an offensive weapon. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God – the Bible. By knowing, meditating on, and applying God’s word, Christians can counter lies and the attacks of the enemy. It is both a defensive tool to protect against spiritual deception and an offensive tool to advance in spiritual truth.
This is our fight. God has given us the means to fight, and God leads the way. There is no attack that God cannot handle for us. We just have to be willing to put on the armor and follow his lead.