Now that you’ve learned how to escape from this giant for a while, you’re on the right path. Keep doing that, and today we’re going to talk about defense. When you escape from the enemy, it serves two purposes.
- First, 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, it will eventually burn itself out.
- Second, escaping gives you the time to focus on fortifying yourself with God 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, even God does not expect 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 and brush off the dust from your clothes, ready to ask: what’s next? Well, the next step involves two things.
- First, we need to prepare ourselves with the right armor. After all, we can’t fight tanks with guns alone.
- Second, we should familiarize ourselves with some of the Satin’s tactics and the lies they tell.
Next, we will prepare ourselves for this battle. If you have been honest and have been praying just for 5 minutes each night, I have no doubt that you were able to regain some of your lost peace. However, part of that peace is because God, with his love, holds all the weapons that evil wants to attack you with. So, at least you can fight against one enemy, which is the habit that taking over your body.
But God won’t hold Satin forever, because He wants you to taste the victory over the enemy. He wants you to win this battle. He is fair, and he 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).
So, 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, yet 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 goes with Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 9:7
Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? (1 Corinthians 9:7).
So 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 cannot give you a specific list of things to acquire for success. I am just showing you what is available and asking 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 words, the more He will reward you with this armor.
But before diving into God’s armor, let’s mention the concept of standing firm. The repeated use of “stand” in these above verses emphasizes the importance of standing your ground regardless of what stage you are in. Meaning you must have firm believe that what you doing is the right thing to do, that you’re fighting for the greatest purpose which is winning your soul, even if the weight of this habit pulled you down sometimes.
- Belt of truth.
Jesus said and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ( John 8:32).
The belt keeps your shirt tucked and your pants not falling. It is crucial to maintain order and stability. It keeps our emotions, actions, and thoughts aligned. It helps us direct our will towards what is right and just. It must be a belt of truth. You must be honest with yourself, with no excuses saying to yourself, it’s not a sin, or it’s not harmful or any other excuses.
- The Breastplate of Righteousness
This breast plate protects the heart and chest area.
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23).
Lot lived in the most corrupt city on the planet then, but St Peter comment 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 & remained righteous and resisted the devil despite being hurt by what he saw and heard. It is like he echoes what David said in Psalm 119:11.
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. (Psalm 119:11).
The breast area is a large surface that can be easily hit. Every day, the world bombards us with images and views of girls and women, showing what they wear or how they act. These images and actions can penetrate our hearts like arrows and igniting the desire to relapse.
- your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
Each morning when we getting ready for school or work, before you head out, everyone does one thing, wear your shoes, no one is ready till they do that, now we are not saying wear your shoes to bed to be ready all the time, but we emphasize having understanding of the gospel, it’s a message from God to you personally John 14:27
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).
Everyone longs for peace in their hearts, regardless of their religious beliefs. Satan is aware of this and attempts to deceive individuals into thinking that 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 to us from gods, we will be ready all the time to face what the word can hit us with because now our souls found the true peace and we won’t be tempted with other peace the world gives
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 – (Saint Augustine of Hippo).
- The Shield of Faith
Having faith is crucial. However, 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. The faith of a child, holding his father’s hand, not knowing where he is going, but he trust in his caring heart, that is all the faith that 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).
Have faith that this war is for God. It doesn’t mean you won’t ever get wounded or hurt, but it signifies that fighting this war for the highest goal of perfection is sufficient for Him to grant you victory.
- The Helmet of Salvation
The head can be seen as the command center. If it is struck, all fights will end. There is a saying that an idea can be more dangerous than a nuclear bomb. Satan attempts to attack your thoughts in 3 ways:
- By corrupting them and making you believe there is no hope, that you will always remain in this weakness, and that God has abandoned you. He tries to make you forget about God’s salvation, or at least makes you feel unworthy.
- Satan can also introduce other thoughts unrelated to pornography, such as work or career, to keep you distracted from the primary goal. Keep you busy, not to pray or read a daily verse or get close to him.
- Other times, he plants seeds of doubt about God’s existence or his salvation. These thoughts can grow into a monstrous force that separates you from God. That is why it is crucial to protect your thoughts.
- Sword of the Spirit: Word of God
The Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12).
Knowing God’s words gives us a strong foundation to fight against Satan. Remembering them in times of temptation is like using a two-edged sword. It strengthens our hearts, brings peace, and cuts through Satan’s lies. It affirms that we are on the right path. Please try to read your Bible daily or check our daily verse section. Even if you think you won’t remember them, these verses will surface in times of trouble. God will use them to remind you when it’s necessary, as He said in Jeremiah 1:12.
You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word. (Jeremiah 1:12).
Then Praying
Ephesians 6:18. Praying always. Pray without ceasing (I Thess 5:17) as you engage in battle. Keep the lines of communication open with who in command the Captain of our salvation (Heb 2:10). when satin see you in contact with your command center each day, he will fear you and when satin see you wearing all God 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 your self praising God and saying:
Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. (Psalm 144:1)
keep praying for 5 minutes (step1)
May add 5 more minutes (step 2)
He will trains your hands to Win this battle.
