Ephesians 6:11
Put
on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's
schemes.
Recently
I listened to an audio version of C.S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters.
It was first published in 1942, but it is as contemporary as if it were written
in 2018. The Screwtape Letters is a revealing look at the schemes that
Satan and his minions use to pervert the souls of people. One of the things
that stood out to me as I listened is how blind we have become to Satan’s
attacks. As Screwtape writes to his nephew, Wormwood, concerning the best ways
to pervert the soul of “his man,” the tactics recommended seem so obvious. Yet,
in real life, we fall into these obvious traps time and time again.
The
Bible tells us that Satan is like a roaring lion, prowling around, seeking
someone to devoir. There are three truths that come out of this image, of which
we should all be aware. First, Satan has an insatiable hunger for evil. His whole
bent is to do damage to God by attacking God’s creation, especially humanity.
Second, Satan is always looking for those individuals who are isolated. An
isolated person is a vulnerable person. Third, Satan knows exactly how to
maximize a person’s vulnerabilities.
One
of the things that Lewis points out in his masterful book is that Satan often
uses “the big sins” to blind people to the quieter, often more deadly, subtle
sins. Although murder, stealing, and immorality are all destructive, they are set
up by the sins of character. Satan is a master at slowly and subtly distorting
a person’s character to the point that they are willing to engage in any manner
of evil and be able to justify it. Paul speaks to this in Romans 1:28-32. Furthermore,
since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave
them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become
filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full
of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers,
God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil;
they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve
death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those
who practice them.
Paul
unmasks some of Satan’s schemes in Ephesians 4:29-32. Do not let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander,
along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Let’s take a
closer look at the traps Satan sets for us.
- Unwholesome talk: In our age of expanded ways of communicating,
it has become common for people to use these many communication tools to expound
all manner of unwholesome talk. Some people feel that they can say anything on
social media without accountability. They will say things through the internet
that they would never say to another person face to face. It is all too easy
for us to get caught up in this.
- Bitterness, rage, and anger: These three go together,
because they are all part of a continuum. Bitterness comes when we feel
wronged. We are hurt by what someone else does or says, and we allow that hurt
to fester. It begins to sour our heart. Bitterness, if unchecked leads to rage;
a burning desire to get back at someone. Rage gives birth to anger, which is
the outward explosion of our negative emotions.
- Brawling and slander: Out first thought is of engaging
in a fist fight, but in this context, brawling refers more to an argumentative
spirit. We fight others with our words. This argumentative spirit naturally
leads to slander; the demeaning of another person. Slander is so common today
that we do not even recognize it.
- Malice: this is an entire category of emotions and
actions that have one purpose in mind; to do harm to another person. Malice is
active aggression against another person in both words and deeds.
All
of these things begin within a person. They are all character issues. We want
to blame our circumstances or the people around us, but the real cause of these
things lies deep within us. James makes that very clear in James 1:13-15. When
tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his
own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth
to death.
If
we are going to counter these negative influences in our lives, we will need to
take positive action. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God, so that we
can stand against Satan’s attacks. In Ephesians 4, Paul gave us a few
strategies to fend off the schemes of Satan.
- Guard your words: It is often better to say nothing
than to “speak our mind.” Paul tells us to replace unwholesome talk with words
that uplift and encourage others. Make it a habit to express positive words to
those around you.
- Acknowledge the Holy Spirit: The Bible tells us that
when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence
within us. Too often we forget His presence. We need to remind ourselves that
God’s Spirit lives within us. Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not
your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
- Actively practice kindness and compassion: These are
skills that need to be developed and honed. At first, they may feel awkward,
but over time they will become our natural response to others.
- Learn to forgive quickly: Just as we have been forgiven
by God through Christ, we need to extend that same forgiveness to those around
us. Instead of holding a grudge for some perceived wrong, we need to give it to
God and let go of it.
The
Devil is a master at what he does. On our own, we are no match for his
malevolent schemes. But we can stand in the power of Christ. The first step is
to be aware of Satan’s tactics so that we can take up the shield of faith and
quench his fiery darts as the come our way.
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