YOU ARE IN A BATTLE

“The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world” 1 John 4:4b

When you make the decision to follow Christ, you are literally signing up for a fight.

You no longer operate in anonymity. You are out in the open as an enemy of the world and the world system.

I can't remember a time when this has been truer than it is today. Lines are drawn in the sand. You have become the mortal enemy of Satan himself. His goal is to take you down every chance he gets. He will bombard you with lies and deception. And if he can't get through to you, he will go after your children and your grandchildren.

I cannot warn you strongly enough that you should not begin a single day without first putting on the full armor of God. You should not even eat breakfast without being armored up. You should arm yourself and bind Satan and the forces of evil before you do anything else.

You can do it in the shower. You can do it while you are getting dressed.

The good news is that though you are signing up for a fight, you are signing up on the winning side. Jesus is stronger than Satan. It will be a battle. There will be setbacks. At times, you will temporarily fail and fall. But you will get back up and you will win. Following Christ doesn't mean that troubles will go away. It means that Jesus will go through the troubles with you.

And that is exactly what will happen. You will go through your troubles. You won't go around them. You will go through them, but you will come out on the other side victorious. God will show you His power.

He will show you His sufficiency. He will shower His grace down on you. You will come out with a testimony, a confidence, and an unshakeable faith. It's going to be a battle. But God Himself will fight the battle for you, and you will win. First Chronicles 28:20a says, “Be strong and courageous and do the work! Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

You are fighting a battle, but you are fighting a battle that's already been won. Satan doesn't want you to know that. He is bluffing with cards he doesn't hold. Put on your armor and call his hand.

“If the devil never bothers you, it's because you are both going in the same direction. Turn around and you'll meet him head on.” —Pastor Adrian Rogers