One of the paradoxes of the Christian life is that victory must be preceded by surrender, not a once-for-all act of submission of the will to Jesus Christ but a daily surrender of heart, mind, and body to the Lordship of Christ.
This is one of the hardest of all lessons to learn because of our tendency to feel that in the lesser things of life we can get along rather well, and that only in the “big things” do we need help. But the machinations of Satan often insinuate themselves in what may at the time seem to us trivial matters, and before we realize what has happened we have gone down in defeat before the ever-present and always clever Enemy of our souls.
We are in a continuous warfare with Satan and must fight daily battles against his wiles. This is a fact, however much we may ignore or belittle it. What is also a fact is that there is a way to overcome—a God-provided way. We have only ourselves to blame if we pass up the whole armor of God and instead strike out on our own, only to go down to ignominious defeat.
Beware of Satan! If he cannot get you by open assault, he will booby-trap you where you least expect it. His cleverness is beyond ordinary human intelligence, and his devices are as varied as the persons he seeks to destroy.
J. B. Phillips’s translation of Ephesians 6:12 is frightening (unless we look beyond to the assurance in First John 4:4—“Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world”), for in this passage is revealed the Enemy with whom we have to deal: “Our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual. We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil.”
Victory over such odds—how?
The fatal mistake of many Christians is to forget the nature of the Enemy and to think he can be dealt with on human terms. The Apostle Paul lays it on the line: “The truth is that, although of course we lead normal lives, the battle we are fighting is on the spiritual level. The very weapons we use are not those of human warfare but powerful in God’s warfare for the destruction of the enemy’s strongholds. Our battle is to bring down every deceptive fantasy and every imposing defense that men erect against the true knowledge of God. We even fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges the authority of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3–5, Phillips).
Victory? Who is sufficient to fight such a spiritual warfare but those who begin every battle surrendered to the One who alone can bring the victory?
The battles are so varied, and the warfare so continuous, that this supernatural and superhuman conflict can be resolved only by daily use of the “whole armor of God” for protection, the “shield of faith” as the movable means of defense “which can quench every burning missile the enemy hurls at you,” and the “sword of the Spirit, the Word of God” (Eph. 6:11–17, Phillips).
Then Paul tells us to keep in close communication with headquarters—“Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Eph. 6:18). God has made every provision for Christians to live lives of victory, and it is up to us to make use of what he provides.
Dealing as we are with a wily enemy, we must always remain alert, for he does not attack at the expected place or against our supposedly strong points. He may be disguised as an angel of light or he may attack like a roaring lion; only a Spirit-given alertness can enable us to distinguish between one of his devices and some innocent occurrence. It is through an attitude of constant prayer (keeping the channel open) that we can remain alert to the multiplied variations of Satan’s wiles.
In the army, obedience is required of all soldiers, and obedience on the part of the Christian is necessary if he is to be victorious. Hindered by the natural limitations that are a part of our earthly existence, we must avail ourselves of that supernatural wisdom which God alone can impart, and this must be coupled with obedience to his revealed will.
We perceive only the immediate and the “seeable.” God sees all the past, the present, and the future at the same time, and we must obey in the light of his sure leading if we are to outwit our deadly enemy. The Bible lays down principles of living that reflect God’s will for us, and obedience to those principles is imperative. As the war with Satan continues and we find ourselves in one battle after another, we will find that obedience to God’s leading means not only victory but peace of mind.
The Apostle John wrote, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). The Chinese translation of this verse says, “and the entire world nests under the hand of the evil one.”
This being true, how utterly foolish to think we can go it alone. Often the new Christian thinks that his battles are all won and that his new life will be a journey of unalloyed peace. But the war has only begun. Although the enemy is doomed, he continues his attacks with unremitting venom. Perhaps the greatest folly of the organized church and the individual Christian is to ignore, deny, or downgrade the person and work of Satan. This folly gives the devil and his minions a field day. Only by recognizing the reality of the warfare can we hope to be victorious.
Satan attacks through the flesh—our human nature with its natural tendency to sin—and from this none of us can be completely free this side of eternity.
He attacks through the world—the evil that is all about us, often appearing alluring and quite innocent. How we need the warning, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.… For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world, passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever” (1 John 2:15–17).
That Satan instigates specific attacks against God’s servants is nowhere more clearly shown than in Job’s experience. And that which the devil did millenniums ago he continues to do today in ways devised to attack us at our weakest point.
A soldier salutes and reports for duty to his commanding officer. A soldier of Jesus Christ salutes his Lord and in so doing indicates complete surrender to him and to his leadership in the battles of life. Having accepted the Gospel with its message of rescue, help, and victory, he takes to himself of the “whole armor of God.”
Are you an unhappy Christian because you are living on a plane of constant defeat? This is not what God wants for you. Not only does he offer protection; he is waiting to give you the guidance necessary to walk through a hostile world. All you need to do is look to him for wisdom, keep the channels clear, and hear and obey him when his Spirit speaks.
Spiritual victory comes through surrender. There is no other way.
