Now that you’ve learned how to escape from this giant for a while, you’re on the right path. Keep doing that, and we’re going to talk about defense. When you escape from the Enemy, it serves three purposes:
- First, escaping is a declaration that you seek what’s right, even though your strength is failing you to resist, and there is no stronger call to God’s grace than this. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18 ESV).
- Second, by escaping, you are technically saying no to evil and yes to the Spirit of God that guides you. Temptation, like a fire, wants to keep burning. By escaping, you starve that fire, and it will eventually burn itself out.
- Third, escaping gives you the time to focus on fortifying yourself with God’s armor. Each time you escape to the hill, you gradually put on another piece of this armor. Eventually, you will reach the point that James talks about in the Bible:
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Once you wear that armor, you will hear God’s voice calling you and saying,
“Who is she who looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?”(Song of Songs 6:10).
Remember, you won’t start off like this. No one can—not even God expects that from you. In fact, you won’t reach that point unless you begin by escaping the evil within you. I hope that by now, you can stand up, brush off the dust from your clothes, and ask: what’s next?
Well, the next step involves two things:
- We need to prepare ourselves with the right armor. After all, we can’t fight tanks with guns alone.
- We should familiarize ourselves with some of Satan’s tactics and the lies he tells.
Next, we will prepare ourselves for this battle. If you’ve been honest and have been praying, even just for five minutes each night, I have no doubt you’ve regained some of your lost peace. However, part of that peace comes from God, who, with His love, holds all the weapons that evil would use to attack you. So, you can at least fight against one enemy—the habit that’s taking over your body.
But God won’t hold Satan forever. He wants you to taste victory over the Enemy. He wants you to win this battle. He is fair and wants you to earn your spot in heaven. And He is ready with all the armor that, if used, will bring you that victory.
Armor of God
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.(Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV)
I was seeking the armor of God, hoping it would grant me victory in my battle. I tried for days and years, visiting churches and reading the Bible, but I still fell back into old habits. Then, a thought occurred to me. When you join the army to fight, you don’t bring your own weapon. They provide you with the one that suits you best. They ensure you know how to use it and train you accordingly. Otherwise, there’s a risk of hurting yourself or losing your weapon to the Enemy. That idea aligns with Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:7:
“Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?”
Don’t be discouraged by what you read in the previous verse or the tools mentioned in the Bible. You will gradually acquire these tools if you stay in God’s presence. He will give you what He thinks is best for you. Since everyone is different, I can’t give you a specific list of things to acquire for success. I am simply showing you what’s available and urging you to be in God’s presence. He will take care of everything else.
The closer you draw to God through prayer and immersing yourself in His Word, the more He will reward you with this armor. But before diving into God’s armor, let’s consider the concept of standing firm. The repeated use of “stand” in these verses emphasizes the importance of standing your ground, regardless of what stage you are in. This means you must firmly believe that what you are doing is the right thing to do, that you’re fighting for the greatest purpose—winning your soul—even if the weight of this habit sometimes pulls you down.
+ Belt of Truth
“Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 ESV).
The belt keeps your shirt tucked and your pants from falling. It is crucial for maintaining order and stability. It keeps our emotions, actions, and thoughts aligned, helping us direct our will toward what is right and just. It must be a belt of truth. You must be honest with yourself, without making excuses, saying, “It’s not a sin” or “It’s not harmful” or any other justifications.
+ The Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate protects the heart and chest area.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23 ESV).
Lot lived in the most corrupt city on the planet, but Peter commented on him saying, “For that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:8).
He kept his heart with God and remained righteous, resisting the Devil despite being hurt by what he saw and heard. It’s like he echoed David’s words in Psalm 119:11
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
The breast area is a large surface that can be easily hit. Every day, the world bombards us with images and messages, particularly about women, showing how they dress and act. These images can penetrate our hearts like arrows, igniting the desire to relapse. To be righteous, you must understand that you are a son of Christ, created in his image. This understanding will influence how you live, as you see women as God’s creatures, also created in his image, and appreciate Jesus’ sacrifice for them.
+ Your Feet Fitted with the Readiness That Comes from the Gospel of Peace
Each morning, when we get ready for school or work, we make one crucial preparation: we put on our shoes. No one is fully ready until this is done. Now, we’re not saying you should wear shoes to bed to be ready all the time, but we emphasize understanding the gospel. It’s a message from God to you personally.
“Peace, I leave with you; my peace, I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).
Everyone longs for peace in their hearts, regardless of their religious beliefs. Satan is aware of this and attempts to deceive individuals into thinking they can attain peace by indulging in worldly desires. Both you and I have experienced firsthand that the temporary happiness derived from such lustful pursuits is nothing but a false sense of peace. It vanishes as quickly as smoke. However, this realization has equipped us with the readiness to change course and seek the true peace we yearn for.
If we acknowledge the peace that comes from God, we will be ready at all times to face whatever the world may throw at us. Now that our souls have found true peace, we won’t be tempted by the false peace the world offers.
Late have I loved you, O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness, I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you. (Augustine, Confessions 10.27)
+ The Shield of Faith
Having faith is crucial. But what kind of faith can we have if we have lived in sin all our lives? My dear, do not be discouraged. Faith is not there to perform a miracle on your own; it’s about trust. The faith of a child, holding his father’s hand, not knowing where he is going but trusting in his father’s caring heart—that is the kind of faith God asks of you.
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Jesus was crucified on the cross, changing its meaning from being cursed to a symbol of the power of God. With faith in the one who was crucified and conquered death through resurrection, whenever you feel tempted, raise your hand with the cross symbol. It can act as a shield in battle, deflecting fiery arrows when you are under attack.
+ The Helmet of Salvation
The head is the command center. If it is struck, the fight ends. There is a saying that an idea can be more dangerous than a nuclear bomb. Satan attempts to attack your thoughts in three ways:
- By corrupting your thoughts, Satan tries to make you believe that there is no hope, that you will always remain in your weakness, and that God has abandoned you. He aims to make you forget about God’s salvation or, at the very least, make you feel unworthy of it.
- Satan can also introduce thoughts unrelated to your primary battle, such as distractions about work or career, to keep you busy and away from prayer, reading a daily verse, or drawing close to God. He keeps you occupied, so you don’t engage with God in meaningful ways.
- Other times, he plants seeds of doubt about God’s existence or His salvation. These doubts can grow into a powerful force that separates you from God. That’s why it is crucial to protect your thoughts, keeping them focused on God’s truth.
+ The Sword of the Spirit: The Word of God
“ For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV).
Knowing God’s words gives us a solid foundation to fight against Satan. Remembering them during times of temptation is like wielding a two-edged sword. They strengthen our hearts, bring peace, and cut through Satan’s lies, affirming that we are on the right path.
Try to read your Bible daily Even if you think you won’t remember, these verses will resurface in times of trouble. God will use them to remind you when it’s necessary, just as He said in Jeremiah:
“You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word” (Jeremiah 1:12).
+ Then, Praying
Ephesians 6:18 urges us to pray always. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) as you engage in battle. Keep the lines of communication open with the one in command—the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10). When Satan sees you in contact with your command center each day, he will fear you. When Satan sees you wearing all of God’s armor, he will flee.
Don’t get overwhelmed by these tools. You’ll gain some, or all, of them quickly. Just remember to keep praying. Soon, you will find yourself praising God and saying:
“Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle” (Psalm 144:1 NIV).
Start with five minutes of prayer.
WinThisBattle!
