Quite an intimidating title eh? :-) Some recent trials in my school life have really forced me to dig deep into my thoughts, and into the Word of God. The talks I’ve had with myself and with the Holy Spirit have been tiresome, but necessary. So the question that I attempt to think through in the form of words for us today is, “How are we to stand as Christians in the face of the Evil One?”

First we must realize that the Evil One can take on many forms. The particular evil I am facing is going to be very different than the Evil One you are facing. So in more clear terms, Satan is going to tempt you and I in very different ways. He is going to exploit our individual weaknesses, and look for loop holes or pry at our strengths. Keep Reading on…

Realizing our weaknesses and strengths isn’t the end of the story. God has already and continues to provide tools for every attack that Satan poses on our lives. While Satan may be using a seemingly new tactic on us, there is absolutely nothing new under heaven. Eccleciasties 1:9 says “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (NIV) Track with me (Greg Denham says that), God created our universe. God created the heavens. God created the angel Lucifer that fell and became Satan. If God created all of it, then surely We can trust Him for ways to counter the attacks of the Evil One.

I think the first step to overcoming the Evil One is realizing that we have already won. All we need to do is claim the victory. Picture a sports star. Take the NBA for instance. So the Michael Jordan and the Bulls defeat the Utah Jazz for yet another NBA title. After the 4th quarter buzzer sounds, the victory is complete. But wait, there’s more. The players have to walk up to the podium and claim their prize. The rings, the trophy, the banner. It’s the same way with Christ. We have the victory. All we have to do is claim that Title. Imagine that, Jesus won the battle for us on the Cross. And we get to claim the prize.

Ok thats all nice in theory but how do we do it in practical terms? Let’s look at this verse: 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. ” (NIV) So here we are facing a temptation. Well there are two ways to handle it. Succom to the lie that you need to obey your flesh, or take hold of the victory. Obviously we desire to take hold of the victory. Go down to your knees and call on Jesus for the victory. Flea the situation.

I’ve noticed that in my life, when I fall into sin, it’s usually at a time when I felt I was strong. I think all to often we reach a low point and take hold of Jesus and he brings us back to our feet. But we forget how we got back to our feet. So rather than keep on clinging to the source, we let go and think we can stand alone. It doesn’t work, all it does is leave us ready to be knocked to the ground. Those circumstances, those passages of scripture, the time spent in prayer, the sermons, the devotionals, all those tools that strengthened you in the time of trial will also sustain you through future times. Don’t let go of Jesus just cuz things are ‘Good.’

So in summary. You’ve got the victory, take hold of it, don’t let Satan fool you into believing you don’t have the trophy. Keep recognizing the source of your victories. It all points back to Christ, the sustainer, the redeemer, the savior and friend.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2003 at 8:48 pm and is filed under Deep Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.