STANDING AGAINST THE STRATEGIES OF THE DEVIL

"FOR WE DO NOT WRESTLE AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

• Life in the spirit is real and it is much more important than the physical, because the spirit realms control the physical realms.

• If you have declared your allegiance to Christ Jesus, that is, you have accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour, then you become the devil's enemy: "And the dragon [the devil] was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND HAVE THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST" (Revelation 12:17).
• The devil wages war against the elects who want to obey or keep the commandments of God.
• The believers in Christ have the flesh, the world, and the devil to contend with in their journey on Earth (James 4:1; 1 John 2:15-17; Revelation 12:10).

"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul."
1 Peter 2:11 (NKJV)

• Those who want to live for God face challenges from the world, that is, the people, natural features, and alluring things of the world that would not encourage them to live for God as they have desired: "Yes, AND ALL WHO DESIRE TO LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION" (2 Timothy 3:12).

• We do not wage war with humans

• The devil is the arch-enemy, the adversary, of the believers in Christ Jesus (Revelation 12:10).
• Believers should be sober, vigilant and watchful, and should not give an opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:27; 1 Peter 5:8,9)
• The devil works on the minds of the people who do not know God, and that of the believers who live carnally; builds in them the strongholds of human reasonings and false arguments (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
  THE devil does it that people may rebel against God's will, His Word, Or commandments (2 Corinthians 4:3,4).
  THE devil builds strongholds in the minds of the people to fight God's will and plans.

• The challenges you have in a bid to fulfil purpose, accomplish God's plans for your life, come from the devil and those who have yielded to him to be used as instruments—they have been taken captive by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:24-26).
THE evils that happened have the devil as its source, while the good things that happened are from God: "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow" (James 1:17).

• The mission of the devil is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).
• As Believers in Christ Jesus, we have the Word of God and prayer to deal with the devil and those who yielded to him.

1. “We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do.
2. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.
3. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ
   2 Corinthians 10:3-5(NLT)

• Believers should not be at the mercy of the devil, we have the authority over him through our redemption.
  JESUS has given us the authority over Satan and all his cohorts: "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19 NKJV).

• If anyone argues, disputes the Word of God, Or stands to fight what God has purposed and instructed you to do; you should readily know that the devil is the one behind it (Mark 8:31-33).

• Rebellious ideas or thoughts are captured, knocked down, destroyed, and are brought to the obedience of Christ, through the Word and prayers (2 Corinthians 10:4,5; Titus 1:9).
• The Word of God is a weapon to teach and enforce the minds of God (Titus 1:9-11; 2:1).
• Deal with the devil WHO blindfolded the minds of those who are against the Word of God, and those who are against whatever God has instructed you to do.
• When the devil is dealt with through the Word of God and prayer, and is commanded to take his hands off the people who argued and rebelled, they will come to their senses and will no longer do his will.

• You have to be sensitive as a Christian, know what is going on around you.

• If anyone is manifesting strangely, insinuating himself or herself into your assignment, family, Or whatever; you should know that such a person is on a mission—the heart of such has been polluted (Proverbs 22:10).
• Deal with the rebellious hearts through prayer and the Word of God, and bring such a person to the obedience of CHRIST.

• If God has assigned you Or instructed you to do a particular thing, expect the devil to surface through the people who may rise to stand against you in the assignment (Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-33).

• Such people might even be among those who work with you, or those who claim to be loyal to you: He [Jesus] spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Jim. But when He had turned around and looked at his disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! FOR YOU WERE NOT MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD, BUT THE THINGS OF MEN” ”(Mark 8:32,33).
• The devil influences those who would yield to him, to work against God's plans and works.
• The devil is diversified in his operations, has a wilder range of techniques which he uses through human beings. One of his major weapons is wiles—schemes.

• Believers should be circumspect, cautious, as they go about whatever they are assigned to do: “LEST SATAN SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US; FOR WE ARE NOT IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES" (2 Corinthians 2:11).

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!