The Real Fight: Part 1

There is no comparison between the power of God and the power of the devil. God is the Creator with no limits to His power except for those of His own choosing (example–He cannot lie). The devil only has the power that God allows him to have. An example of the subservience of Satan to God: “Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
 "Does Job fear God for nothing?" Satan replied. "Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face."
 The Lord said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger."” Job 1:8-12 (See also Job 2:3-6)

Although the devil is the enemy of God, the real contest is between the devil and those who believe in Jesus. God has given Christians the power and the responsibility to fight the devil.

We must realize who we are in Christ: “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe…” Ephesians 1:18-19

That knowledge has to get from our heads to our hearts. That is why we have trials: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6-7

Demons have great power. There is an interesting passage in 2 Kings. The Moabites, who worshipped the idol/false god/demon Molech, were fighting Israel. Israel was winning so the Moabite king sacrificed his firstborn son. Evidently, because of this, Israel withdrew: “When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.” 2 Kings 3:26-27

However, our weapons against demons are mighty: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:10-18 Our struggle is against the demonic in every situation. We do not need to be afraid of the demonic, only aware of it so we know how to fight and do not place the blame in the wrong place. We fight using truth, obedience, love, faith, God’s wisdom, the word of God and prayer.

God wants us to learn how to fight our demonic enemies. He wants us to achieve our spiritual inheritance. He told the Israelites when they were trying to possess the land He had promised them: “But I will not drive them (your enemies) out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” Exodus 23:29-30

He allows just enough hardship to help us grow in wisdom and faith. Again, this can be likened to the Israelites fighting their enemies:  “The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.” Deuteronomy 7:22

He teaches us to fight: “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. "I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.” 2 Samuel 22:33-41 (See also Psalm 18:32-40) Victory requires battles that need to be won. Knowing this is God’s plan is a great encouragement.