I know this now by experience. I’ve known Satan was my enemy because God’s word tells me it is so. I’ve believed it because some of you have had experience with him and you’ve told me so. But after this weekend I KNOW it is true by my own experience.
I’ve seen him attack someone I love and in a very short time reveal himself to be a sly and cunning liar. Jesus called him the father of lies. His accusations cut through my sweet loved one with the pinpoint precision of a surgical knife to be of the most hurtful nature possible. This precious one is still new in her faith and she hasn’t had time to understand about spiritual warfare, much less about putting on the armor. She was left reeling, fighting the best way she knew how. She became like him. She tried to fight fire with fire and of course that just plays right into his hands. He is the master deceiver, because he’s been studying human behavior for millenia. He knows her weakest points because he’s been studying her since she was born. He know how to use her most vulnerable weaknesses against her. Then she started to believe his lies. She forgot who she is in Christ – that she is a new creation, that the old has gone and the new has come. And Satan believed for just a minute he was winning.
But prayer,,,,initially I didn’t know what was happening except this young lady whom I loved so very much was far far away and all I knew to do was to start praying. And the Holy Spirit began to work. My prayers became attacks with God’s word against the enemy. And Jesus – Christus Victor – stepped in to defend my weak little sister. It took us a little while to realize what had happened, but it didn’t take my LORD long to send Satan slithering back to his hidey hole.
My God is so great. He is greater in me than he who is in the world. He loves this little one even more than I do and what Satan meant for evil – He intended for her good and His own glory. We still have some work to do to learn about living a lifestyle of wearing the spiritual armor, but we now have a healthy fear of who our enemy is and not to take him lightly. We have a lot of work to do to help her be confident of who she is in Christ. Because the enemy will return. He has only retreated he has not surrendered.
In my morning quiet time, I was reminded we should not be surprised by the fiery trials which come our way and we should consider them all joy. In the margin of my bible in the book of James I have written: ”we do not endure trials for God to test our faithfulness, but for God to prove His and assure us of ours”. After this past Saturday night, I am now more sure that my faithfulness comes from the indwelling power Holy Spirit inside of me. I want to remember to be more reliant on His power.
Praise be to God for His great faithfulness.
