Tired of Being a Dartboard?

I'm gonna let you in on a not-so-little and not-so-secret "little
secret." The enemy will stop at nothing to immobilize us as warriors for
Christ. He'll use our thoughts, our past, our friends, our agendas,
other believer's words and actions, fabricated lies by his
minions--absolutely anything--to keep us in a state of confusion for the
purpose of making us ineffective.



The Culprit:



The Bible calls Satan:


"a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8)
a murderer and the father of lies (John 8:44)
the embodiment of evil (Matthew 13:19; Luke 10:19; 1 John 2:13)
the one who comes to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10)
our accuser and adversary (Job 1:6; Zechariah 3:1-2; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:10)
the prince and ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
the deceiver (Revelation 20:10)

The Curse:



Because
of Satan's deception and man's resulting sin, the perfect world God
created has been cursed (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12; 8:22). Satan was hurled
to the earth (Revelation 12:13) and immediately went to war against
those who trust in God, in an all-out effort to make us doubt and
neglect the gospel (Revelation 12:17).



The Champion:



Christ
came to destroy the work of Satan (Romans 16:20; 1 John 3:8). Through
His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, He has won
the victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-57). When He returns to earth the
second time, Satan and evil will be done away with once and for all
(Revelation 20:10).



The Cure:



Though the ultimate cure is through our champion, Jesus Christ, there are some things we can do to defeat Satan:


pray! (Luke 22:40)
humble ourselves before God and submit to Him as we resist Satan (James 4:7; 10)
remember the ONE who is greater (1 John 4:4)
be alert and sober-minded (1 Peter 5:8)
overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21)
put on the new self and the whole armor of God (Ephesians 4:22-24; 6:10-18)
use our God-given authority (Luke 10:19)
live by His Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17)
rely on His faithfulness (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
give thanks to God for the victory and triumph we have in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 2:14)
have peace and encouragement in Christ, who has already overcome the world (John 16:33)
look forward to our heavenly reward (Revelation 3:21)
claim the blood of the Lamb and testify to what He has done in us, through us, and for us (Revelation 12:11)
and to keep from being Satan's dartboard, let's take up our faith in Christ as a shield (1 John 5:4-5; Ephesians 6:16)

Prayer: Father
God, I praise You, giving You all the thanks and glory for defeating
the enemy of our souls. Thank You, that through You and Your blood, we
don't have to shrink back in terror at the fiery darts of Satan. Help us
to claim You and Your Word as our defense. In the powerful name and
blood of Jesus we pray. Amen.