Student Life - March 2024
I wanted to write the article for this month as a follow up from my last article in February. I spoke on being prepared to make a defense for the faith that we have for any circumstance and sharing our faith so that others may be encouraged or enlightened. I do believe these conversations are very important and having a defense is very wise, but I also believe we must stand on guard. I say this because I believe every day we as Christians go to war, to some extent. Obviously not the physical warfare we have seen in the past, but more specifically spiritual warfare. And to be more specific than that, I want us to focus on fighting against temptations and deceit from our common adversary.
Deceit from the enemy can look like a number of different examples and applies differently to each person’s life, but the goal always remains the same: taking your focus off of the Lord. We see this in the garden of Eden where the snake tempted Eve by saying “did God really say?” or when Satan tests Jesus in the wilderness, attempting to shift Christ’s focus to earthly and fleshly desires.
So, lets stand on guard! The Scripture to encourage and help us achieve this is 1 Peter 5 verses 8 and 9. “ 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your
brotherhood throughout the world.” ESV. Now, how should we be on guard against the adversary? Be sober-minded and vigilant, understanding why Peter used the vocabulary of the devil “prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” He uses these graphic words to describe the destructive threat that Satan is. So, we must take seriously the ability of the adversary in our lives, but also take seriously the foundation that we fight upon. Verse 9 says to resist him and to stand firm in our faith against him. Consider also Ephesians 6:12-18 how we should fight against spiritual forces with the armor of God. Our greatest ability to stand guard against the adversary is to have faith and lean upon the Lord for strength. He will provide the means necessary to battle whatever spiritual warfare or temptation looks like for our lives.
We must always be on guard against the adversary and fight against his temptations in our lives. I’m not going to be able to explain what that looks like in everyone’s specific lives, but something that takes your sight and focus off of God would be a good start. And one fact we do know is that the world will hate us believers just as it did for our Savior. Jesus explains in John 15 that the world will hate us just as it hated Him. I can’t sit here and explain exactly why this is the world we live in, but it is the truth found from the Word. But be encouraged, believer! I will end this article the same way as I did the last article. We have a Savior who has already paved the way for us to win these battles. One that guides us through these hard times. And One that will constantly sustain us throughout our life. He does this because He first loved us. Nothing can separate us from the love and the grip of the Father. He does not leave one of us for the other 99 and He continues to prepare a way for us. So, instead, lean on Him! Let us all sit under the protection and guidance of the Father and be able to stand on guard against the temptations and deceit from the deceiver.
