How Do I Resist Evil?

How Can I Resist Evil?
Bible Readings:
Ephesians 6:10-18 (Page 830)
Matthew 12:22-37(Page 690)
1
Thursday, 28 May 2015

“Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to
devour. Resist him, standing
ﬁrm in the faith, because you
know that your brothers
throughout the world are
undergoing the same kind of
sufferings.” (1Peter 5:8–9, NIV84)
2

• "Devil" is an English word
which comes from a Greek
word which means
“Accuser”.
• Satan is a Chaldean word
which means exactly the
same; “Accuser”.
• An accuser is some one who
always points to what you've
done wrong.
• The Accuser tries to pull
believers down, make them
feel guilty and destroy their
faith in God.
3

•Jesus warned His
followers:
•“The thief comes only
to steal and kill and
destroy;
I have come that they
might have life, and
have it to the full.”
John 10:10
4

The testimony of the Bible:
• The devil, (Satan), was a powerful
angel called Lucifer.
• He became ﬁlled with pride.
• God threw him and all the
angelic beings who followed him
out of heaven.
• Man was created to rule God's
creation under His authority.
• When Satan tempted man and he
rebelled against God, the earth
fell under Satan's control.
• The earth became “this dark
world”.
5

• “For our struggle is not against
ﬂesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV84)
• The "Rulers," "Authorities" and
"Powers" that Paul describes
are the different orders of evil
spiritual beings under Satan.
6

• Jesus entered Satan's dominion of
darkness,“this dark world.“
• When Jesus died on the cross as
sacriﬁce for all sin He provided a
way out of the dominion of
darkness.
• When Jesus rose from death He
demonstrated His supreme
power over Satan.
• “For He has rescued us from the
dominion of darkness and
brought us into the kingdom of
the Son He loves,”(Colossians 1:13, NIV84)
7

• Jesus gave believers His authority
and His power to rescue more and
more people from Satan's dominion.
• ‘Jesus came and told His disciples,
“I have been given all authority in
heaven and on earth.Therefore,
go and make disciples of all the
nations, baptising them in the Name
of the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit. Teach these new
disciples to obey all the commands I
have given you. And be sure of this:
I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18–20, NLT)
8

• Believers face spiritual opposition.
When we seek to obey God, to
worship Him and to spread the
good news we are like soldiers in
enemy territory.
• When you became a christian
Jesus released you from the prison.
• When you join the soldiers ﬁghting
against the enemy you will be shot
at by the enemy.
• When you are ﬁlled with the Holy
Spirit you become a strong soldier
with powerful weapons so the
enemy will try to target you.
9

• It is highly unlikely that any of us will
receive the personal attentions of
Satan.
• There are many evil spirits (demons)
under Satan who will try to make
your life very difﬁcult if you let
them.
• When we are under spiritual attack
we are still responsible for our
actions.
• We cannot blame the devil if we fall
for any temptation.
• If we fall for a temptation and sin we
need to confess our responsibility
and ask the Lord for forgiveness.
10

How Does the Enemy Attack Us?
• Tactic #1 - Spiritual blindness.
“Satan, who is the god of this world,
has blinded the minds of those who
don’t believe.They are unable to see
the glorious light of the Good News.
They don’t understand this message
about the glory of Christ,Who is the
exact likeness of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)
• Counter attack:
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you
may know the hope to which He has
called you, the riches of His glorious
inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18)
11

• Tactic #2a - Doubting God’s Word.
This was the way Satan started his
attack on Adam and Eve "Did God
really say . . .”
• The devil cannot change God's
word but He will do all He can to
make us doubt the truth of the
Bible or its application to us
personally.
12

• Tactic #2b - Doubting God’s
Love for you.
• The tempter will play upon
your feelings of rejection or
unworthiness.
• Counterattack - read the Bible.
“But God, being rich in
mercy, because of the great
love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in
our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ.
(Ephesians 2:4–6, ESV)
13

Counter attacking Doubts
• Talk about your doubts to
other believers.
• Receive encouragement
from others.
• Small groups are important.
• Tell God your doubts.
• Confess to God "Lord I ﬁnd
this hard to believe and
accept. Please help me".
“Lord, I believe; help my
unbelief!” (Mark 9:22–24, NKJV)
14

• Tactic #3 - Accusation
• The enemy will still try to
make us feel guilty even after
we have confessed to God and
been forgiven.
• Counter attack - The Bible.
“In Him we have redemption
through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His
grace” (Ephesians 1:7, NKJV)
15

• Paul strongly encourages all
Christians to put on the protection
that God has provided and the
weapons he has given us.
• “Therefore, put on every piece of
God’s armour so you will be able
to resist the enemy in the time of
evil.Then after the battle you will
still be standing ﬁrm. Stand your
ground, putting on the belt of truth
and the body armour of God’s
righteousness. For shoes, put on
the peace that comes from the
Good News so that you will be
fully prepared.
16

• In addition to all of these, hold
up the shield of faith to stop
the ﬁery arrows of the devil.
Put on salvation as your
helmet, and take the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of
God. Pray in the Spirit at all
times and on every occasion.
Stay alert and be persistent in
your prayers for all believers
everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:13–18, NLT)
17

How Do I Resist Evil?

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