Defeating the Enemy of Truth

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

All around us we see the work of Satan. He tempts us to sin. He plants seeds of bitterness, hate, and envy in hearts. He deceives us with his subtle lies and half-truths. And we only have to look as far as the news to see the results on a global scale. Hatred and anger incite countless skirmishes around the world. Greed and selfishness fuel corruption, leading to worldwide crises. Extremists are persecuting Christians for their faith in Jesus Christ, even in democratic nations founded on Christian principles. Satan's campaigns are weakening our religious freedoms. While we must take responsibility for our own actions, we can almost always trace the original source of our contention to the plans of Satan.

As long as we live in this world, the devil can and will try to pull us down. The good news is that we can learn to fight him and not give in to temptation. But it is a growth process as we learn about our foe and as we discover how to overcome him.

There are seven main points to consider in our continuing battle with Satan:

Remember the victory is ours.
Lay down your life.
Lock the doors each morning.
Put on your battle gear.
Praise the Lord.
Pray for the other person.
Start thinking of heaven.
Walking in each of these areas will bring peace and joy into our lives, knowing that the devil cannot bring us down. The first point, remember the victory is ours, points to Jesus' victory on the cross when He declared, "It is finished" (John 19:30). He completed our salvation and has provided everything we need to live victorious lives, and we are now seated "in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).

The second, lay down your life, can be summed up by James' words: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). In the third area, we need to lock the doors each morning by closing any doors in our hearts that are susceptible to sin and by humbling ourselves before God — for without Him, we can do nothing. We are no match for Satan. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature" (Galatians 5:16). The fourth point, put on your battle gear, refers to the armor of God — both the uniform and the weapons.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:10-17).
Fifth, praise the Lord is easy when things are great. However, when we need to put Satan in his place, praise is a sure way to defeat him.

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone" (Psalm 71:14-16).
The sixth step is prayer, and the most difficult thing to do is to pray for others who have wronged us. Yet the words of Jesus instruct us, "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). The seventh step, start thinking of heaven, involves perspective and reminds us that we should always be looking forward with hope for that eternal victory.

"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:11-13).
We can have victory over Satan if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of the Lord and allow Him to show us the things we need to learn. He has provided everything for us — we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. Let us go forth rejoicing in all we have in Him.


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