SERIES: The Book of Job
Standing Your Ground When Satan Wants to Take It
SPEAKER: Paul T. Stolwyk
DATE: June 27, 1993
Introduction: Imagine being General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, leader of the armed forces, reporting directly to the President of the United States. Imagine yourself being General Powell three years ago after a line had been drawn in the Iraqi sand. You have decided to deploy troops into Kuwait, and you want to address them before they leave, wanting to remind them how to stand strong in the battle that is ahead. What would you say to those troops if you were Colin Powell? You might possibly brief them about the enemy and their known tactics. You might remind them how to stand firm as they wait for the battles to begin. You might remind them to have confidence in the powerful military arms at their disposal.
In chapters 1 and 2 of our study in the book of Job, we saw Satan attack Job with an incredible and relentless onslaught of trials. Through it all Job stood his ground and was strong in the Lord. Once we place our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, often our initial assumption is that things will be easy from there on out. In reality, the battle often just begins to heat up. We are no longer a neutral third party; we have become foot soldiers in a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women. And like Job, we become the targets of Satan’s influence, hoping that maybe we will curse God.
Like Colin Powell, the apostle Paul, in Ephesians chapter 6, is addressing God’s troops who are about to head into the spiritual battle. Friends, if you are believers, you are the troops Paul is addressing. He wants to teach you how to stand your ground when Satan wants to take it. Paul’s counsel is that we can be strong in the Lord in the midst of the spiritual battle by being prepared, standing firm before the battle begins, and taking up the powerful arms that are at our disposal.
We can be strong in the Lord by preparing for battle. (10-13)
To be strong in the Lord in the spiritual warfare Paul tells us that the first action we must take is to prepare for the battle. Look with me at verses 10-12, Paul writes:
“Finally 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 authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Preparation involves knowing your enemy. Paul teaches us that preparation begins with knowing the enemy. In the spiritual battle, the enemy is Satan, the Devil. The Hebrew word “Satan” means ADVERSARY, which describes his relationship with God. Satan is the enemy, the archrival of God. The Scriptures teach that Satan is a personal being, not merely the personification of evil or the “dark side of the force.”
The Greek word “Devil” means ACCUSER, and it describes Satan’s relationship with us. He accuses us day and night before God’s throne. (Revelation 12:10) We saw this in Job’s case as Satan stands before God and accuses Job of serving God only because of the perks God had provided. He makes the accusation that Job would surely curse God if the perks, his possessions, and his family were removed.
I have made the assumption this morning that you do not need to be convinced of the existence of a personal devil. Satan is referred to by every NT author and most Old Testament authors, and he is the subject of much of Jesus’ teaching and ministry. It is important to recognize that Satan is a very powerful, very smart. very influential being—more powerful, more crafty, and more influential than we are by far. But it is also important to recognize that he is not all-powerful and he is not all-knowing. He does not possess divine attributes and therefore can be resisted.
Along with Satan, the spiritual battle involves a large number of supernatural beings the Bible refers to as demons. Revelation 12:4 teaches us that as many as one-third of all the good angels fell when Satan rebelled against God. These demons now do Satan’s bidding. According to our passage, they are organized and powerful, and their mission is to promote evil.
Preparation involves awareness of Satan’s schemes. Preparation also involves awareness of Satan’s schemes. If we can become aware of some of Satan’s battle plans, it will help us to be strong in the Lord. I am going to talk about some of Satan’s schemes as we look in detail at God’s armor. But before we get there, I want to highlight Satan’s main attack strategy.
Satan’s principal target of attack in our lives is not our behavior but our minds. If he can successfully mess with our minds and our thinking, then the sinful behaviors in our life will follow. Paul understood that losing the battle for one’s mind automatically means that the battle is lost in regard to lifestyle.
Throughout his letters, Paul shows his awareness that the spiritual battle is won or lost in our minds, as he admonishes believers to do something with their minds and their thinking. In Romans 8:5 Paul writes: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Later in Romans, Paul writes in Chapter 12, verse 2: “Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” In Philippians 4:8 he adds, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, … –if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” In Colossians 3:1 and 2, he writes: “Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.”
Satan’s strategy is just the opposite. He wants to get us thinking on merely a human level or earthly perspective. If he can get us thinking incorrectly about God, our position in Christ, our circumstances in our life, and our attitudes and actions, then from that will spring the sinful lifestyle that keeps us from God.
The importance of our thoughts was summarized well by one of our missionaries Ellen Dykas, who is serving in Romania. In her recent newsletter, she writes: “Did you know that your thoughts grow from tiny, itty-bitty, wee little thingies called thought-buds? From our thoughts grow our convictions; from our convictions spring our decisions; from our decisions flow our lives (or our actions); and from our lives, we see who or what our lord and master is.” Satan wants to get our thought-buds focused on incorrect, unbiblical thinking because once those thought buds take root, eventually a sinful lifestyle, displeasing to God will result.
What is going on in your mind this morning? What about at work? What is going through your mind as you drive to work, or to the grocery store? What little thought-buds are at work in your mind?
Preparation involves advance planning. Preparation involves knowing your enemy and being aware of the enemy’s schemes. It also involves advance planning. To begin preparations afterthe attack has begun is too late. Look at what Paul writes in verse 13 of our passage: “Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” The key part of that verse is the phrase “so that when the day of evil comes….” Paul is saying you must prepare in advance. It is our personal responsibility to do so. To not do so is the same as conceding defeat.
We can be strong in the Lord by standing firm before the battle. (14-15)
To be strong in the Lord in the spiritual warfare, Paul tells us that the second action we must take is to stand firm before the battle. Exorcisms and dramatic power encounters are not the norm in the spiritual battle. In the great spiritual battle, we are called not to cast out demons but to resist and stand firm. James writes “resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Paul says we are to stand firm, or “dig in” with a life of integrity, with the righteousness of Christ, and with readiness.
With a life of integrity. Paul tells us that we are to “Stand Firm … with the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (vs. 14). The truth that Paul is speaking about is personal truthfulness or integrity of character. Bill Hybels defined character as “what we do and who we are when no one is looking.” Would the people who see you at work recognize you if they visited in your home. Is the person we see at church the same person we would see at your work? Paul is saying “stand firm by being honest, open and sincere about your life.”
To stand firm before the battle, live truthfully. Breaches in our character are the holes that Satan will exploit in our lives. One of Satan’s nicknames is the TEMPTER. One of Satan’s schemes is to tempt believers to sin through pride, anger, immorality, rebellion, or other breaches in our character. His goal is to make that small gap a huge fissure and then hopefully a moral explosion. Paul’s encouragement to us is to be proactive in addressing the holes in our character. Don’t wait for Satan to come tempting. Take a moral inventory of yourself and live out in the open.
With Christ’s righteousness. The next way we are to stand firm is found in vs 14. Paul tells us that we are to “Stand Firm … with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” Righteousness means to be free from guilt and sin. To enter God’s holy presence we need to be righteous. Only Jesus Christ has lived a life totally free of sin and guilt, but when we place our faith in Jesus, a relationship is established between us and Christ. His righteousness is credited to our account. Only because of his righteousness are we able to enter God’s presence.
How does Christ’s righteousness help us stand firm? Another of Satan’s schemes is to accuse believers after they sin, hoping that he will paralyze them with guilt and shame, maybe hopefully getting them to do a swan dive into life’s cesspools. Have you ever found yourself in this trap: sin…feel bad…promise not to sin; sin…feel bad…promise not to sin; sin…feel bad…promise not to sin; sin…feel bad…promise not to sin? During those times when you feel bad, it is as if Satan is saying “Oh!!! You call yourself a Christian? You worm, you are a pitiful example! You might as well jump from the high dive now.”
In 2 Corinthians 7:10 we learn that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Satan wants our sorrow to be paralyzing, depressing, self-hating guilt, sorrow that makes us feel like death and even leads to physical death, if possible. The sorrow that God desires when we sin is sorrow that stimulates a repentant heart, admitting our guilt, sorrow that leads to salvation, recognizing that we have an advocate in Jesus Christ. John writes in his epistle that “if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father on our defense – Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)
While we are standing firm, trying to live out a righteous life, you and I will sin. For a few moments we will get on the pedestal and say, “I’m tired of standing firm, I want to call the shots.” Satan wants us to be paralyzed by guilt. God wants us to keep our accounts short with him. When you sense the Satanic accusations that lead to paralyzing guilt and shame, the response should be threefold: first, go to God with godly sorrow; second, come clean before God with your sin and then accept His forgiveness, not because of your virtuous life but the righteousness of Christ, whose life is pure enough. When we do that, we will experience afresh God’s forgiveness and cleansing from our sin.
With the readiness that results from the gospel. The third way we are to stand firm is found in verse 15, where Paul tells us that we are to “Stand Firm … with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (vs. 15). To stand firm means we are ready at all times to serve people and build Jesus Christ into their lives. We are to have our shoes on and our feet in the starting blocks, ready at a moment’s notice to share the gospel that brings peace between people and God. The ultimate battle is for the souls of men and women. Because we have experienced peace with God and forgiveness for our sins, Paul’s assumption is that we will be ready to minister with the gospel.
Satan’s strategy is to hinder our ministries through opposition and persecution. Luke tells us in Acts 17 that Paul was in Thessalonica preaching that Christ was the Messiah. After three weeks some of the Jews in town became jealous and rounded up some thugs to instigate a riot so as to drive Paul out of town. Later in a letter to the body of Christ in Thessalonica, Paul says, “… out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you … but Satan stopped us.” Paul experienced first-hand Satan’s attack against his ministry of preaching the gospel. Satan is in the business of opposing our ministries because he knows that the eternal destinies of men and women hang in the balance. Have you ever shared the gospel with someone as clearly as you know how, only to have that person look at you as if you are speaking a foreign language? Or have you tried to start a Bible study only to see people fall away after a week or two? If so, I think that you have seen Satan at work.
A number of years ago I had made plans to attend a party at the Brentwood Forest condominium complex. I decided to go because a friend of mine who was not a Christian wanted to go, and I wanted to have the opportunity someday to share the gospel with him. That evening, I ran an errand to West County mall, and as I was getting ready to go home, I recall becoming less and less enthused about going to this party. I was so aggravated that I decided not to go. All the way home I wrestled about going to this party. I finally decided to go simply because I had told my friend I would.
That night, I became reacquainted with a person I had known very casually, and to make a long story short, we ended up meeting for the next four weeks. Each week I would share the gospel with him, one point at a time. At the end of those four weeks, he confessed his sins before God and professed faith in Christ. I find it hard to discern how Satan works in my life but as I look back on that situation, I know no other way to interpret the drastic change in my attitude and the subsequent ministry opportunity that I almost missed.
After the soldiers were deployed to the Iraqi desert, they waited many months before the battles began. It would have been easy during that waiting time to take it easy and not stand firm. If they had taken it easy, I suspect the results might not have been the same. Have you given up hope that Christ can help you repair the breeches in your character, have you become paralyzed with guilt, are you ready to share the gospel? Be strong in the Lord by standing firm now before the battle begins!
We can be strong in the Lord by taking up arms during the battle. (16-18)
Paul’s third call to action is found in the commands to “take” and “take up” in verse 16-18. In order to be strong in the Lord in the spiritual warfare, Paul tells us to take up arms during the battle.
With the protection of faith. Paul writes in verse 17, “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” When the battle begins to heat up, we can stand strong with the protection offered by our faith.
Hebrews 11:1 teaches us that “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” True faith is not a matter of personal strength. It is not an issue of quantity. True faith is not a feeling. Biblical faith is dependence upon God, personal trust in Him and what He has promised. Faith is a choice we make to trust and believe God concerning all He has said in His word about us, about Himself, and about life.
How does faith help us be strong in the Lord during the spiritual battle? I’m not sure how Paul understood the flaming arrows of the evil one. One of the scud missiles I have experienced in my own life, and have seen in the lives of others over the past 12 months, is the missile of doubt, doubting my position in Christ.
Because of your faith in Christ, Satan can do nothing about your position in Christ as a saint saved by grace. What he does do, however, is deceive you into doubting that position. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I am afraid, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds (!) may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” If Satan can lead us astray and get us confused about the vast riches that God has lavished upon us in Christ, he knows we will become struggling, defeated, and impoverished believers, totally inadequate to make a difference in the world. I see this in a willingness to accept spiritual mediocrity in spite of example after example in the Scriptures of spiritual excellence. Thoughts of doubt can be like this: “Well that’s Moses or that’s Paul; that can never be me.” As radio teacher Steve Brown would say, thoughts like that are “a lie, they come from the pit of hell and they smell like smoke.”
Paul says, “Take up arms!” When the scud missile of doubt is lobbed your way, deflect it with the Patriot Missile of faith. Believe God when He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) When the scud missile of guilt comes, trust God and believe Him when He says, “now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) When the scud missile of inadequacy comes, trust God and believe what he says about who you are in Christ.
As an assignment for the next 3 weeks, read through the first 3 chapters of the book of Ephesians. Read it outloud to yourself. Everywhere the pronoun “us” is used, swap it for the pronoun “I” or “me.” Better still, insert your own name. For example, chapter 1, verse 3 becomes: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed me, (Paul Timothy Stolwyk), in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Father, I don’t feel like I have all these blessings. Do you mean every spiritual blessing? “Yes, Paul, I mean what I say, and I say what I mean. Put your faith in me.”
Next, go back and everywhere the pronoun “you” is used, rework the sentence using a statement beginning with the pronoun “I.” For example, chapter 2 verse 13 becomes, “But now in Christ Jesus, I (Paul Timothy Stolwyk), who was once far away, have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Father, I don’t feel near. “Read it again Paul.” Well, it says that I am near, but I don’t feel near. “Yes, Paul, I mean what I say, and I say what I mean. Now trust me.” Friends, faith is not a feeling; it is a choice!
With the hope of salvation. We are to arm ourselves not only with the protection of faith, but also with the future hope we have. Look with me at vs. 18: “In addition to all this … not only take up the shield of faith but also, take up the helmet of salvation.” The salvation Paul is referring to here is the hope of salvation (1 Thess 5:8) that still awaits those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. Christians have a settled confidence that we will someday spend eternity with God. Peter called it a “living hope.” In 1 Peter 1:3-5, Peter writes:
“Praise be to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth, into a living hope through the resurrection of God from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you … until the coming of the salvation that is read to be revealed in the last time.”
How does the hope of salvation help us to be strong in the spiritual battle? Children who are not secure in their home relationships carry lots of insecurities into other areas of life. If they are unsure about their parents’ love for one another and for them, they will carry that insecurity into other areas of life—relationships, schoolwork, their understanding of themselves. In a similar way, what happens at the human level occurs in the spiritual realm as well. Satan loves to attack us with doubts and discouragement about our salvation. If he can encourage us to lose our assurance, our sense of security in Jesus Christ, then he knows that he can paralyze us spiritually. People who lack security in their relationship with Christ become afraid of taking spiritual risks in their devotional life, their work, their relationships, and their ministry. They are always afraid of failing, because failing in these things might do something to their salvation.
With the truth of the Bible. We are to arm ourselves also with the truth of the Bible. In verse 17, Paul writes: “In addition to all this … not only take up the shield of faith, not only the helmet of salvation but also, take up the sword of Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Satan is a crafty foe, and we cannot begin to fight him simply with our own wisdom, strength, and power. We must know our Bible, not just know some things we think the Bible says. It is important that we commit not only verses but whole sections of God’s Word to memory. We need to read the Bible on our own, study it with others, and hear it preached. It is my conviction that it is inadequate to rely solely on the teaching of others for your understanding of God’s Word.
What we remember and draw upon most are those truths that we have mined ourselves through disciplined and diligent study.
How does the truth of the Bible help us be strong in the spiritual battle? I hope you recognize that everything we have looked at so far has its basis in what God has told us in his Word. Utilizing the armor begins with knowing, understanding, and living the Scripture. In addition to this, two of Satan’s nicknames are the “Deceiver” and “The Father of Lies.” Satan majors in deception. Deception is being tricked into believing something is true that is blatantly false. Satan does this by taking truth and mixing it with error. This is how Satan deceived Eve in the Garden. He still does it today. I am sure there are millions of people who think the Bible says, “God helps those who help themselves,” and they apply that to their eternal salvation, when God’s Word teaches, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith … not by your works, so that no one can boost.” The truth is God helps those who can’t help themselves.
Let me share one of the things I do that helps me. I have never been good at reading the Bible through in a year. I get bogged down in Leviticus, miss a few days here and there, and then when I should be in Ephesians, I’m still in Judges. What I do each year is to pick 4 or 5 books in both the Old Testament and New Testament, and I spend the year reading, rereading, and re-reading again. At the end of the year, I have mastered the truths of a few books, and the repetition causes it to last a long time in my life.
With the power of prayer. The last thing we are to arm ourselves with for the spiritual battle is prayer. Look at verse 18 where Paul writes, “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 saints.” This command takes us back to the beginning in verse 10, where Paul tells us, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” The reality of the spiritual battle is that even with all the Patriot Missiles at our disposal, to shoot down the scud missiles that Satan sends our way is ultimately a task that is over our pay grade. It is a battle that calls for supernatural strength, supernatural power, and we don’t have it!
Prayer demonstrates our dependence upon God as we formally communicate with him about our inability and request his help. We will find strength and power only as we are on our knees, humbled before God, requesting his intervention in the battle. Paul tells us to pray continually, not just as a last resort. We are to pray with variety—praise, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. We are to pray alertly—pray with our eyes open to situations going on around us. We are to pray persistently. Finally, we are to pray for all the saints, not just for our own battle, but for our brothers and sisters as well; not just Free Church saints but Lutheran, Catholics, and Assembly of God saints too.
How would the US Army fare in battle without its cruise and Patriot Missiles, without its F-15 fighters, and without its B-1 bombers? Pretty anemic and not very threatening! We are, too, if we do not take advantage of the arms that we are given for the spiritual battle.
Conclusion. How do you stand your ground when Satan and his demons want to take it. There are a lot of ideas out there: cast them out, rebuke them, do battle with them for 10 hours. Paul’s advice is a little less spectacular and calls us to be personally responsible for our own lives. We are to be active in the battle, not passive. He calls us to action with 4 commands: Be strong! Put On! Stand Firm! Take up! We can be strong in the Lord by 1) preparing for battle, 2) standing firm before the battle gets under way, and then 3), take up arms during the battle.
DATE: June 27, 1993
Tags:
Satan
Spiritual warfare
Evangelism
Armour of God