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Bible Mini-Study April, 2007
Praying for Protection
“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.” Ephesians 6:12
“So be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan; your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord, and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.” I Peter 5:8-9 LB
As Jesus approached the time of His death, He was concerned for all His followers. He prayed to His Father: “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power.” (John 17:15) Jesus knew that Satan (also called the devil or the evil one) would use all his power and schemes to defeat God’s work of salvation.
Separation is Satan’s goal—to separate us from God, from others and to divide us within ourselves. We cannot be passive. We need to learn the devil’s schemes and resist Satan at every point. He works in our minds (where he deceives or confuses us until we do something foolish), in our hearts (where he works to demoralize us), in our wills (where he encourages us to make excuses), and in our bodies (until we selfishly desire gratification). The greatest victory for Satan is to get us to mistrust the love and power of God.
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” I John 3:8b LB
Many people think there is no power of evil but simply the human tendency to make mistakes. However, the Bible presents evil as a personal power present in the world. Satan is cunning and approaches us when we least expect it. He is a liar (John 8:44) and deceives us where we are most vulnerable. He whispers suspicions, jealousies, envy, pride or desire, and accuses us of weakness in thinking such things. He tempts us with something harmful and then convinces us we will not be separated from God if we “drift along on the stream of this world’s ideas of living.”(Ephesians 2:2 Phillips) If we become disgusted with ourselves, Satan has a field day. He magnifies our weaknesses in our minds and gets us to dwell on our failures.
Why is God allowing Satan his power? The answer may be found in a major theme throughout the Scriptures. God is love. He created us to love and He wants us to choose to be His. He created us free to reject or respond to His love. He did not want us to be robots. We are free to choose between good and evil. We are free to follow the ways of the world or choose loving fellowship with God. (Deuteronomy 30:15-16,19). From Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we learn people are generally selfish and often rebellious. (Genesis 3) Many of us choose to go our own way. When we experience evil, however, it may prompt us to turn back to God. In this way, Satan unwillingly serves God’s plan of salvation.
“So give yourselves humbly to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you.” James 4:7-8a LB
God is allowing Satan limited power for an appointed time. On the cross, Jesus won the final victory over sin, devil and death. However, we must claim His victory for ourselves. Victory is ours because Christ in us is greater than the ruler of evil that is in the world. We claim victory in the name of Jesus Christ, before whose name all powers and principalities must bow. (Philippians 2:9-10)
“The Lord is faithful, he will make you strong and guard you from satanic attacks of every kind.” II Thessalonians 3:3 LB
Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. He stood firm against the devil by steadfastly declaring God’s word, and it is the most successful way for us. What the devil heard from Jesus was, “It is written! It is written!” After Jesus proclaimed the word of God, the devil left him. (Matthew 4:4,7,10,11) We can learn from Jesus. At the approach of temptation, Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan!" (Mark 8:33) We can say, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave me Satan!”
Or we can claim the following promise: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11) We can ask our Lord Jesus to cover us (and those we want protected) with His shed blood. There is tremendous and effective power in the shed blood of Jesus and in our declaration of faith in His sacrifice.
The apostle Paul wants us to “put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan.” (Ephesians 6:10-18) We have the shield of faith, the belt of truth, and the righteousness and peace of the gospel. The assurance of our salvation also protects us. Our weapons of offense are the word of God, prayer, and the Holy Spirit. You can use this passage to proclaim your protection from Satan’s wiles.
Finally, the way to keep the devil disarmed is to go frequently to the cross. There we confess our need and claim Christ’s victory over every power of darkness. We are “more than conquerors” through Him who loves us and gave himself for us. (Romans 8:37) Forgiveness is bestowed, guilt is released, pride is humbled, wounds and weakness are healed, love is restored and protection and victory are granted. The war is won!
"Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10 LB
A Thought to Ponder
As a Christian, you don’t ever have to be afraid of Satan. He cannot force you to follow him. And you can always defeat him because Jesus is the Victor!
Suggestion for Prayer-Listening
Lord Jesus, what area in my life am I vulnerable to Satan’s attacks?
Please heal and strengthen this weakness.
Suggestions for Meditation
Slowly read the following passage, believing that the Lord is referring to you:
“ ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘ I will rescue him. I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.’ ” Psalm 91:14-15
Confusion and a lack of peace are often the first signs of the devil’s attack on me. Other signs are negative thoughts that persist without reason, or frustrating events that occur uncommonly (usually when I am preparing for some task of ministry). Satan gains the advantage when I do not pay attention to these signs or when I forget to seek God’s help.
I make it a practice to pray the first thing each day for protection, so that I rarely find myself suddenly ambushed by the devil. I do not need to strain at prayer to overcome the enemy. I pray simply and earnestly with no anxiety or dread. Sometimes I ask friends for prayer because soldiers don’t go into battle alone — they go as an army. Our sisters and brothers in Christ help win the battle!
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