Compiled By: Lisa K Gonzales

From: The Life Application Study Bible

1 “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray for us.  Pray first that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.  2 Pray, too, that we will be saved from wicked and evil people, for not everyone believes in the Lord.  3 But the Lord is faithful; He will make you strong and guard you from the evil one.”  ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3

Beneath the surface of the routine of daily life, a fierce struggle among invisible spiritual powers is being waged.  Our main defense is prayer that GOD will protect us from the evil one and that HE will strengthen us.  In the Christian life we battle against rulers and authorities – the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by Satan who is a vicious fighter.  To withstand their attacks we must depend on GOD’s strength and use every piece of HIS armor.

 The invisible spiritual powers that Christians face every day are not flesh and blood – they are demons whom Satan has control over.  These are not fantasies – they are very real – and a lot scarier than anything Hollywood can dream up.  As Christians we face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church.  When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from Him and back to sin.

 We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and GOD has provided this by giving us HIS Holy Spirit within us and HIS armor surrounding us.  We can use the following guidelines to help us in preparing for and surviving satanic attacks: 1) Take the threat of spiritual attacks seriously – just because we cannot see the spiritual warfare going on around us, does not mean that it does not exist.  2) Pray for strength and help from GOD.  Pray that from HIS glorious, unlimited resources, HE will give us mighty inner strength through HIS Holy Spirit.  Pray also that HE will strengthen us with HIS glorious power so that we will have the patience and endurance we need and that we will be filled with joy.  3) Study the Bible to be able to recognize Satan’s style and tactics, he is very crafty and will sneak up on us when we least expect him, and in areas of our lives that are most vulnerable to him.  Pray that as you study HIS Word, that HE will give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of HIM.  4) Memorize Scripture so that it will be a source of help and power no matter where we are.  Remember the Word is the sword of the Spirit and our only weapon of offense.  5) Associate only with those who speak the truth.  Satan will use people to attack our heart, which is the seat of our emotions, our self-worth and our trust, so that we will doubt who we are in Christ.  6) Practice what we are taught by spiritual, Bible based leaders.  Ask HIM to fill every aspect of our life, to the fullest, with HIS Holy Spirit and that we would have a complete understanding of what HE wants to do in our lives and that we would be made wise with spiritual wisdom.

4 “And we are confident in the Lord that you are practicing the things we commanded you, and that you always will.  5 May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of GOD and the endurance that comes from Christ.”   – 2 Thessalonians 3:4-5

 Father, we put on every piece of YOUR armor so that we will be able to stand firm against all the tricks and strategies of the devil.  We acknowledge that we do not fight against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.  LORD, we use every piece of YOUR armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle we will be left standing firm.

We stand our ground by putting on the STURDY BELT of TRUTH – because Satan fights with lies, and sometimes his lies sound like truth; but only believers have GOD’s truth, which can defeat Satan’s lies.

 We put on the BODY ARMOR of RIGHTEOUSNESS – because Satan often attacks our heart – the seat of our emotions, self-worth and trust.  But YOUR righteousness, Father GOD, is the body armor that protects our heart and ensures YOUR approval, and we know that YOU approve of us because YOU love us and sent YOUR Son to die for us.

 For SHOES, we put on the PEACE that comes from the GOOD NEWS – which is YOUR Word Father GOD.  Satan wants us to think that telling people the Good News is a worthless and hopeless task – that the size of the task is too big and the negative response is too much to handle.  But the shoes that YOU give us Father, are motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that is available in YOU.

 We take up our SHIELD of FAITH – to stop the fiery arrows aimed at us by Satan.  What we see are Satan’s attacks in the form of insults, setbacks and temptations.  But the Shield of Faith protects us from Satan’s fiery arrows.  With YOUR perspective, LORD, we can see beyond our circumstances and know the ultimate victory is ours.

 We put on the HELMET of SALVATION – Satan wants us to doubt YOU, Father GOD, he wants us to doubt Jesus and our salvation.  The Helmet protects our minds from doubting YOUR saving work for us.

 And finally, we take up the SWORD of the SPIRIT – which is YOUR Word, Father GOD.  The Sword is the only weapon of offense in this list of armor.  There are times when we need to take the offensive against Satan.  When we are tempted, we need to, and we will, trust in the truth of YOUR Word.

 

Photo: Colonial National Park (Virginia)

Photo By: Lisa K Gonzales