WEAPON #3 - Devastation
Satan is called the “destroyer” in 1 Corinthians 10:10 and directly connected to destruction in 1 Corinthians 5:5. From 1 Peter 5:8 you learn the devil "...walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." John 10:10 speaks of the enemy as the one who comes "...to steal, to kill, and to destroy." From these passages and others, you can know Satan is intent upon bringing devastation and ruin to God's people. Satan's major areas of devastation are physical sickness, bondage to sin, mental and emotional attacks (depression, oppression, suicide, trauma), financial problems, family problems (unable to reconcile, separation, divorce).
James 4:7 (NKJV) - Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Here are Scriptural ways to resist the devil:
Next, in the sixth foundation you will learn about your relationship to the local church.
James 4:7 (NKJV) - Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Here are Scriptural ways to resist the devil:
- Learn God's promises: Find out what God's promises are regarding your particular area of need. For example, if the devil is hitting you with sickness, study what the Bible says about healing.
- Speak the word: Speak God's Word to the need and to Satan when he attacks. This is what Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil in Matthew 4. Remember, this is spiritual warfare, we use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
- Obey God: Make sure you are walking in obedience to the known will of God. Do what you know. As you know more, do it (James 1:22-25).
- Bind and loose: Bind the devil in the name of Jesus and loose the blessings of God from Satan's grasp (Matthew 12:28-29, Matthew 16:19). Act as God's delegated authority in this. You are His child and have been given the right to represent Him. It allows you to enforce the victory Christ has already won for you over the devil and his power (Luke 10:19).
- Walk in faith: Without faith it is impossible for you to please God or to defeat the devil. Faith is trust and reliance on God through Jesus Christ. Faith is a shield that is able to quench (put out) all the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16, 1 John 5:4, Hebrews 11:6).
- Praise: God has given the believer a mantle (a covering like a garment) of praise to overcome oppression, heaviness, discouragement (Isaiah 61:3, Ephesians 5:18-20, Acts 16:25-34).
- Stand: Finally, stand your ground, and don't give up. "Stand against the wiles of the devil...and having done all...stand" (Ephesians 6:11-13). Wiles means trickery. There is no room for cowardice in God's army. If you are afraid of the enemy and try to run from him, he will devour you, but if you stand against him using your weapons of spiritual warfare, he will flee from you (James 4:7)!
Next, in the sixth foundation you will learn about your relationship to the local church.