NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES

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⁹ For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. ¹⁰ Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. – 2 Corinthians 2:9-11 NKJV

Apostle Paul was instructing the Corinthian believers to forgive a brother who had obviously sinned and hurt them. He is letting them know that their unwillingness to forgive the brother would be to their own disadvantage as the enemy would use that situation to gain inroads into their lives and take advantage of them. The Apostle so desired to see the Corinthian believers walking in obedience in all things and thereby denying the enemy room to operate in their lives.

Beloved, the devil is out to deceive us, he goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He seeks to plant seeds of doubt and unbelief concerning what God has said of us, to us and about us in His Word. The enemy knows that once you are in unbelief you cannot enter the rest that God has for you (Hebrews 4:10-11) and if you aren't resting in God and quietly trusting Him and His Word, chances are, you are toiling in your own strength, trusting in yourself, leaning on your own understanding; walking in doubt and unbelief, effectively short-circuiting God’s grace from flowing in the areas of need in your life.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). The question is, how is this “wrestling” done? We don’t somehow go into the “heavenly realms” and literally wrestle these powers, obviously, so how do we do spiritual battle? We do battle from our vantage position of victory in Christ, that’s how:

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV

The battlefield is in our minds, that’s where the enemy seeks to erect strongholds of deception, doubt and unbelief. Using the armor of God that we have on (Ephesians 6:10-18), we wrestle with every thought the enemy bombards our minds with, we bring every thought to align itself with the Word of God – Christ. Every battle you face, you either win it or lose it first in your mind and we have absolutely no excuse to lose for the Greater One is in us.

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We quench the enemy’s fiery darts with the shield of faith; the only fight we are to fight is the good fight of faith and that is nothing less than standing our ground believing and holding onto God’s Word over the devil’s lies. 

To walk in victory, we must believe what God has given us and what He says about us; we have been given authority to trample on all the powers of the enemy and there's nothing that can harm us. We are the righteousness of God in Christ and that we are seated with Him in heavenly places in the Spirit far above all principalities and powers.  and that our Father loves us eternally and unconditionally. 

Reject every thought that is trying to get you to doubt God’s Word, reject the enemy’s attempts to get you to start fretting over stuff. 

Fix your eyes on Jesus, your King and Redeemer knowing this: He loves showing Himself strong on your behalf, every single time!