In the sixth chapter of the letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul makes it clear that there is a devil. And not only is he alive and well, but he also has wiles, another word for tricks or cunning. Fortunately, Paul does not simply expose the devil and his tricks, the apostle helps us. He teaches us how to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For the sake who might not know what the devil looks like, we start by saying he is very attractive. That is the only way he can trap believers into falling for his tricks. Because, if he was ugly like sin, we would know to run away from him. He would have much less of an opportunity to entrap you if you ran away each time you saw him. But he is attractive. The bible says so.
In addition, the devil has a bag full of tricks. No human being can totally grasp the number and variety of tricks and wiles that the devil possesses. It reminds me of the police force in one nation which shall necessarily remain nameless. Once the cops in that nation stop you, they will find one charge to slap on you – they have so many.
Why, the bible says the devil can transform into an angel of light whenever it suits his cunning. That is why Jesus says we must watch and pray since that person next to you might be the devil. In today’s parlance, we would caution believers to shine their eye, even in the church. Don’t forget, the devil used to be in Eden.
Don’t Give The Devil A Chance
Always, we need to be on the alert; This is the concept Jesus was teaching in the parable of the wheat and tares. He intimated that the enemy, aka the devil, sowed bad seeds while men slept. The devil has been angry with all believers since the day he failed with Jesus. At that time, he thought to make Jesus fail. But Jesus knew how to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The devil failed with Jesus and wanted to come back after a season. But Jesus returned home, deeply frustrating Satan. He turned that rage on Jesus’ followers. That is why, if the devil does not do battle with you regularly, your faith may not be genuine.
Jesus threw the book at him, so to speak. In a similar way, one crucial way of overcoming the devil is to be ready to throw scripture at him. And the believer who will successfully throw the book at the devil must himself know the word. That means there is no time or space to sleep, according to the parable which Jesus gave on the tares.
Standing Against The Wiles Of The Devil Is Not A Sitting Assignment
You must make the most of every day to study the scripture and meditate on it. It is like keeping your iron sharpened at all times to do battle with the devil. Because, whether we know it or not, the devil is always at war with believers. He is on the prowl, looking for someone to have for dinner. Make sure you are not that one. Learn how to stand against the wiles of the devil.
But he does not just slink away when you stand against him. Remember that he planned to return to attack Jesus after that initial temptation. Standing against the devil is a continual assignment. That is the reason God gave us the armor of faith. And when you discover the true identity of this armor, you will know how wonderful God is.
The Apostle Paul, in describing this battle, uses the word “stand” several times. That is because overcoming the devil is not a sitting or occasional assignment. You simply have to be on your feet spiritually if you plan to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The Whole Armor Of God
You need the armor of God, which Paul describes in a list. First there is the waistband of truth. Have you noticed how being a liar and sexual promiscuity tend to go hand in hand? But that is a story for another day. For right now, we focus on the pieces of the armor of God. It is the only equipment with which we can stand against the wiles of the devil.
Next there is the breastplate of righteousness. That right there, is Jesus. And therefore, it is no surprise that the next piece is to tell others about Jesus. That is the preparation of the gospel being the shoes for your feet. The Apostle lists faith as the next piece but not just any other piece. He puts it above all the other pieces because it is faith in God you need to fight the devil.
Without faith in God, you cannot stand against the wiles of the devil. Faith allows you to put out the fires of his darts, and they are many, as you may know. Of course, you must never let go of your salvation, no matter what the devil throws at you. Paul characterizes it as our helmet because the mind is the battlefield of life. For the devil to win in any life, he must first win the battle of the mind.
And just as you never go to battle without a weapon of offense, you have to take a sword. In this warfare, the word of God is your sword, a fact that Jesus knew quite well. When you look over this list again, you will see that they all point towards Jesus. The whole armor of God is personified by Jesus.
Jesus Is All You Need To Stand Against The Wiles Of The Devil
There is righteousness; you have truth and salvation; there is faith. Not to forget that the Word of God is no one but Jesus. All these spell Jesus and now you see just how wonderful our God is.
He gave us Jesus to help us with the battles the devil throws at us. Without Jesus, no one can really stand against the wiles of the devil. Good works will not cut it. And if you have tried your will against an addiction, you know strong will does not work either.
Fortunately, Jesus is all we need to win this battle of life.
Maranatha!
