3. SURVIVAL SKILLS AND HE WHO WILLS

3. SURVIVAL SKILLS AND HE WHO WILLS

We battle an unseen enemy who is relentless and pursues us.

HOW OUR LIVES PARALLEL DAVID’S

1. We did not choose our enemy, he chose us. David did not choose Saul, Saul chose him.

2. All we have to do is be a child of God to acquire this enemy. Satan knows that there is nothing that He can ever do to get God off of His throne (Ezekiel 1). However, he can hurt Him by hurting us, because we belong to Him.

3. We have a very powerful enemy with many subjects at his disposal – enemies we cannot even see (Ephesians 6:12).

PART 1: ASSUMPTIONS OF OUR ENEMIES ATTACKS

2 Corinthians 2:11

A. His attacks are inevitable. We will certainly be attacked by the evil one (Psalm 27:1-3). David was fearful, and reminding himself that God was his salvation and refuge. “When” – it is inevitable. The attacks of the evil one are as certain as the breath within us.

B. His attacks are personal (Ephesians 6:12). Struggle – wrestling, hand-to-hand combat, one-on-one combat. How much are we able to combat his attacks?

C. His attacks are methodical (Ephesians 6:11). Schemes (methodeia, Greek) – method, the following or pursuing of an orderly or technical procedure, in the handling of a subject. Satan has a method to his madness against us. There is a plan that he is working, stacking one thing upon another. We are to open our eyes to his method that he is trying to weaken us step by step.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 – the trap of the devil is for him to take us alive. Satan, the counterfeiter, has a will for your life. His plan or scheme is to work you toward his ultimate will for your life, step by step (Jeremiah 29:11). Satan wants to bring us to an absolute state of spiritual emotional and physical poverty; to bring us to a place where we are hopeless. It is everything which is the opposite of the plan and will of God for our lives.

PART 2: ADVANCEMENTS IN OUR COUNTERATTACKS

A. The right posture (Ephesians 6:14-18)

Take a stand against the evil one (James 4:7). Resist means to take a stand against.

B. The right protection

1. The belt of truth – living free from hypocrisy. Satan will devastate us with that one area that is out from under the umbrella of God’s authority. God wants to free us up where Satan does not have a stronghold against us.

2. Breastplate of righteousness – spiritually covering the heart, when our feelings are in conflict with our callings. When what we know in the Word becomes a breastplate over our heart; when our heart doesn’t feel like our head knows what is right. These are times when we feel one way, and God’s Word says something else.

1 John 3:19-20 – our heart condemns us at times. When your heart tells you something that is inconsistent with the Word of God – call it a lie (Jeremiah 17:9). Satan will use our hearts against us. If we are obedient to God, He will change our hearts.

3. Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace – a firm foundation of peace. If we get unbalanced, we can think too little of Satan, or we can get too frightened and intimidated of him. Standing upon the foundation of God is not to live in fear, but to be knowledgeable – not ignorant of Satan’s schemes. We are to stand steadfast in the peace of God; all the while we are doing war with the evil one.

4. Shield of faith – based on who GOD IS, not on what He does. Our hardest struggles are when our faith has been hit. Satan’s attempt is to get us to a place where we are doubting God. Above all – the shield of faith!

There are two ways that we approach faith:

1. Based on what God is doing.

2. Based on who GOD IS.

If our faith is based on what God is doing, we are in trouble; because we cannot tell what the eternal works of God are. His ways are higher than ours.

If we base our faith on who GOD is, and we make it our whole focus in life to simply know the Savior; so when something He is apparently doing seems so inconsistent with what we believe; and we don’t understand what is happening here, but we will stand in faith of the One we know.

5. Helmet of salvation (2 Timothy 1:12). The assurance of our salvation comes from a faith based on who GOD IS. You have to know God to have the assurance.

6. Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God and the only offensive weapon. This is where Satan is really intimidated.

a. Word - refers to God – logos.

b. Word – specific words of God –rhema (Ephesians 6).

When Satan attacks you, answer back to him with specific “rhema.” Christ answered Satan with “it is written….”

C. The right perspective (1 John 4:4). No matter how powerful our enemy is – greater is HE that is in US. Satan has no right over us – he was overcome at Calvary.