It’s a little like the cartoons. You might have seen one, where a person has a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other, whispering in that person’s ears. Except, the battle is a lot worse than that. In fact, the warfare is so real, if we could see all the demons and angels around us, it would scare us to death.
The Apostle Peter describes the devil as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” A word of warning – lions are smart. They go after the weakest prey.
Now, that doesn’t mean the devil wont’ attack the strongest people. Look what he did to King David. But, he attacked David in a weak moment – weary and unable to sleep – at a weak point – David was probably easily swayed by Bathsheba’s beauty. Indeed, a lot of guys would be tempted seeing someone bathing naked. Which is why it’s important to never look at that stuff.
However, the devil will most often go after those who are weak. He knows our weaknesses. He knows where we have the biggest problems. But, there is hope.
Only God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere at once. The devil has a bunch of demons, but God has even more angels. And, God is more powerful than all the others combined, anyway. Remember, he created them. He spoke them into existence. So, He can wipe them out fast – as the great hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” says, one little word will fell him.
That word must come from the Lord, though. We have no power over spiritual creatures. We’ll talk a bit more about this in other parts. However, Ephesians 6:10-18 provides good verses to study in preparing for that spiritual warfare.
Notice the important things – faith, righteousness, and of course, salvation. They are almost all characterized by defensive things. Well, unless you try to take one of your pieces of armor off and throw it at your enemy. But, if you did that in the old days, you’d be defenseless. So, you want to keep that armor on. Especially salvation, called a helmet here. If you’re not saved, you can’t stay alive to win the battle, because your head is the most important thing. You can’t replace your head.
Now, notice what is the only offensive weapon there – the sword. The sword of the Spirit – the Holy Spirit – is the Word of God. You can use that in two ways.
First, you can read it. That will strengthen you, and give you hope. God will put His word in your heard in time of need. Sometimes, He will use good hymns, too; hymns which are based on the Bible. The important thing here, though, is that you are hiding God’s Word in your heart, so you won’t sin against Him. (Psalm 119:11.)
The second way is by using it in prayer.
Even before the Bible was written, Abraham did this. He was bargaining with God, asking Him to spare the wicked land of Sodom. The people who lived there did all sorts of horrible, gross things. And, Abraham asked God to spare it. How did he do that? By asking God if he would take the righteous with the wicked. God promised that He would spare Sodom if there were fifty righteous people in it. Then, Abraham – whom God called His friend – knew God well enough to take that number down to ten. Then, he stopped, probably sensing that this was God’s limit. Sadly, God couldn’t even find ten righteous people in Sodom, and He destroyed it. He did, however, make sure Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was rescued. But, even Lot and his family had to be dragged out.
Using God’s attributes in a respectful way is one way. Another is to use God’s mercy when praying tor those who are not saved. The Bible tells us that God wants everyone to comes to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9.) Asking Jesus to rebuke the devil and praying a hedge of protection around you, based on His mercy and protection, is another way. Praying for your country’s forgiveness, comparing their needs and your prayer to that of Daviel in Daniel chapter 9, is another way.
There are many other ways you can pray. The important thing is, you need to do it. Because, while we always pry that God’s will be done, sometimes He is just waiting for us to pray so he can bring about change in a person’s life or in some situation.
It may take a long while, like that woman who prayed for her husband for 44 years. But, it can and will work. Just like that parent who wants to help their child get dressed, and is just waiting for the child to say “please.”
