We MUST Learn to Talk Back
“Put on the full armor of God,
(Ephesians 6: 11-13 NASB)
so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
- The Belt of Truth
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
- Be Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
“in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
(Ephesians 6: 16 NASB)
- The Helmet of Salvation
- The Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God)
- Continue in Prayer—
- Praising GOD for who HE is. &
- Thanking GOD for providing the way to withstand the devil. &
- Asking GOD opportunities to share the Gospel message with others who are walking through life in darkness.
We MUST Continue Always in Prayer with our LORD! &
We MUST Learn to Talk Back to the evil one!
There is an evilness, an ugliness, a fallen one who remains the antithesis of Holy God, and as such, this lesser one desires to drag every person into the pit of hell with him. This one, the devil, is cunning, is lying, is determined, and is masterfully crafting all forms of horrible evil and packaging it up into “little acts” of sin. That’s right. The one we know as Satan does not usually knock us down with SIN, but Satan plants the tiniest seed of doubt, of indiscretion, of waywardness into our brain, hoping that our humanness will help us propel toward the sin and away from God.
HOWEVER, BEFORE WE MOVE A SINGLE STEP MORE, WE MUST REMEMBER—
- THE DEVIL IS NOT OUR FRIEND!
- THE DEVIL IS NOT THE GOD OF LOVE!
- THE DEVIL ONLY MEANS TO HARM!
- THE DEVIL ONLY WANTS US TO GO TO HELL!
- THE DEVIL DOES NOT WANT US BUT ONLY WANTS US “NOT” TO WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS!
- THE DEVIL HATES ALMIGHTY GOD!
- THE DEVIL HATES US TOO & DISGUISES HIS EVILNESS AS ENTICING SINFULNESS!
Consider what the evil one did in the Garden of Eden, first to Eve and then to Adam. Satan took a beautiful relationship and destroyed it.
SUCH A HIDEOUS, SINFUL, HORRIBLE, LYING, VICIOUS, UGLY DEMON—THE DEVIL!
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and tend it.
(Genesis 2: 15-17 & 3: 1 NASB)
The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat;
but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die. . . .”
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
RIGHT THEN.
RIGHT THERE.
RIGHT WHEN THE DEVIL, THE SERPENT, THE CUNNING ONE PLANTS A SEED IN OUR MINDS.
RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT—We MUST Learn to Talk Back!
“The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
(Genesis 3: 2-5 NASB)
but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”
The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!
For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.”
RIGHT THEN & THERE—WHEN THE DEVIL, THE SERPENT, THE CUNNING ONE PLANTS A THOUGHT.
RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT—We MUST Learn to Talk Back!
- God knows we are weak within our human flesh.
- God knows we needed a daily reminder, an example to follow.
- God knows we need a Savior!
- So, God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus, the Son of God, on the mountaintop. The devil waited until Jesus was exhausted, thirsty, and hungry for nourishment, & then Satan attacked!
Just as in the Garden of Eden, the evil one misconstrued the words of God to tempt Jesus, but yet—
- Jesus Refrained from the Temptations of the devil.
- Jesus Remained Faithful to God.
- Jesus Rested on the Truth of God’s Word.
- Jesus Gave us the only example we ever need to withstand the fiery darts of Satan.
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
(Ephesians 6: 13 NASB)
The Questions:
WHO do we serve?
WHO paid the price with His shed blood to redeem us, to save us?
WHOSE are we?
We must AVOID SIN!
Right at the moment when the devil approaches us with the “possibility” of SIN—We MUST Learn to Talk Back to Satan!
- USING THE WORD OF GOD AS OUR AMMUNITION!
- SPEAKING THE HOLY SCRIPTURE JUST AS JESUS DEMONSTRATED FOR US!
- WE MUST!
“in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
(Ephesians 6: 16 NASB)
WE KNOW WHY!
WE KNOW HOW!
WE KNOW WHEN!
WE KNOW WE MUST!
“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
(Romans 6: 8-14 NASB)
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again;
death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all time;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
So you too,
consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore sin is not to reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;
but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead,
and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace.”