Treason

There's a prevalent lie that has seeped into many Christian communities today that says when you become a believer in Christ, the Devil, in large part, leaves you alone, or that all he does is try to tempt you into various sins that might trip you up from time to time.  He would try to convince you that since's he lost you,  he moves on to another poor lost soul he can try to keep away from faith in Christ, because there's nothing he can do to get you back.  And, like all of his lies, there is a bit of truth to it.  There is nothing he can do to pry us from the hand of God, to lose our salvation, to steal the Holy Spirit from us.  But to think that that is a valid reason that he would leave us alone is a very dangerous way to think.  But I would argue that many of us, whether we know it or not, tend to think this way in some form or fashion.  And it will ruin us if we don't change.

It's not that we've been teaching this in churches.  I think it's more of a function of us not taking Satan as seriously as Jesus took him.  It's assuming that we are "safe"; we are out of harms way, on our way to heaven, with nothing that can stop us.  Why would Satan bother fooling with us?  Aren't there others he wants to keep away from Jesus that need attention?  It's a false sense of security that can lead to derailment. So why does it happen so often?

I believe a big part of the problem stems from what we are told when we become of believer.  We rejoice in the fact that are sins are forgiven, we are made into a new creation, and our eternity is secure in Christ.  And rightly so, for this is the heart of salvation.  It's why we worship Him with our very lives.  But where we often falter is when the church fails to convey the message that when we come to faith in Christ, when we follow him, we are also signing up for something else: war.  War with the Devil and his minions.  War against our very sinful flesh.  In fact, the Bible says it (paraphrased) like this: we once were enemies of God, slaves to Satan.  But he rescued us, bringing us into the light, equipping us to do good works for Him, giving us the ability resist sin & the evil one.  What does that sound like to you?  It sounds like we defected: we no longer serve the dark, but serve the light.  We are guilty of treason in the eyes of Satan.  But more than that, we are traitors who are trying to get more and more people to come to our side of the line.  And that, friends, is why he will never leave us alone.  He can't afford to.  He doesn't have to make lost people "more lost".  He just has to stop saved people from finding the lost and pointing them to Christ.  And that's what I want us to try and grasp today.

The moment you declare your allegiance to Christ, you'd better strap up, cause that's when the real struggle begins.  The Devil will not rest until he has defeated you, and not just with the occasional sinful thought or action, but with fear, discouragement, doubt, depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, and resentment.  He is the prowling lion, searching for someone else to destroy, and we have to treat him as such.  We would be extremely foolish not to.

But there is hope, and that's the real point of this post.  We are equipped to overcome, because Jesus has overcome, and He is in us.  But we have to actually put that equipment to use if we want to experience that victory in this life.  The soldier who runs into battle with no way of defending himself doesn't last very long.  Worse, the Christian who runs into battle without being able to defend himself can be ruined just as quickly.

The answer, then, to the problem is obvious: be prepared.  It's a process, and it takes discipline, much like a soldier must train himself for combat. But here's how you do it:

-Ephesians 6 is your armor.  Put it on.  Every day.

-Know God's Word.  Let it transform your thinking.

-Spend time with the Lord in prayer, letting Him prepare you.  Commit to that and and let the power of God work in and through you.  

-Read some books by other Christians who have been there.  You don't have to figure it all out by yourself.

-Get connected with other believers.  You don't have to do it all alone.  In fact, you were never meant to.

-Man the watchtower.  Be on the lookout for lies that would trip you up, that would steer you from the truth of God's Word.

It's not a matter of if, but when you will need this armor.  This is why discipleship is essential in church today; we've got to talk about these things, because the Devil will undoubtedly bring the fight to you.  If you aren't ready, you will lose.  But if you are prepared, he will not defeat you, because of He who lives in you. Don't buy into the lie: take this as seriously as Jesus did (see Matthew 16:21-23).  Trust in Christ's power for victory today and every day, hour by hour, moment by moment.  He won't let you down.